Yoga has excellent benefits for everybody with anybody. Every body can benefit from yoga, regardless of shape, size, or experience. Yoga is a practice that you can implement in your recovery to help you thrive. Combined with mindfulness and meditation, yoga has benefits that you didn’t know were there. Continue reading to learn more about how you can process and get through trauma with yoga!
Yoga Doesn’t Have to Stem from Weight
When many people think of exercise, they think of it as a way to lose weight. Exercise, however, doesn’t have to stem from weight. Neither does yoga! Anyone, with any body, can practice yoga and reap its rewards. Another thing that people think of when they think of yoga is sitting cross-legged on a mat with your hands resting on your legs.
Yoga doesn’t just have to be that! Yoga is an immersive experience that can help you process and get through trauma. Everyone’s trauma is different, so everyone’s practice of yoga is going to be different!
Getting Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Every body can do yoga. You don’t have to be a thin, petite woman to practice yoga. You can have a larger frame or be a masculine man and still use yoga to your benefit! Part of recovery is becoming comfortable with who you are. You don’t have to revamp yourself to give yourself love.
Showing yourself compassion means that you accept who you are and are comfortable in your own skin. Your physical appearance cannot stop you from benefiting from yoga! Once you get used to accepting yourself, yoga will feel natural. You’ll gain momentum and want to continue practicing yoga. Accept yourself for who you are and tell yourself that your effort is all that matters.
You don’t have to master a pose the first time you try it. This just isn’t going to happen. What matters is that you are doing your best and loving yourself in the process!
It’s Not Just Exercise
Many people exercise, but they hate it. They do it because they want to be fit and feel good. You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through yoga, because it isn’t just exercise. It’s a way of life. It’s a practice that you can implement all the time, not just when you are stretching or in a class.
When you accept and allow yoga to enter your daily life, you are agreeing that you will adopt yoga’s mindset. This mindset is all-encompassing. There are eight limbs of yoga. We will go in-depth below.
- Yama: Ethical Standards
Yama is all about how we conduct ourselves throughout our lives. Yama is based on the rule of treating others like you would like them to treat you. There are five categories to yama: nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-covetousness. - Niyama: Self-Discipline and Spiritual Observances
Niyama is all about self-discipline and spiritual observances. This can be related to a religion or having a personal code. There are five niyamas: cleanliness, contentment, spiritual austerities, studying sacred scriptures and those of yourself, and surrendering to a higher power. - Asana: Posture Practices
Asanas are the exercises that one may think of when they first think of yoga. Practicing asanas helps you to grow physically and spiritually. Practicing asanas also helps you form discipline and concentration, which help in meditation. - Pranayama: Breath Control
Pranayama is all about controlling your breathing. There is a connection between your breathing, your mind, and your emotions. Pranayama can be done when actively practicing asanas, or by integrating them into your daily life. - Pratyahara: Sensory Transcendence
Pratyahara is all about letting go of your senses and focusing your attention inward. This withdrawal of your senses helps you look within and grow because you learn your body and your mind. - Dharana: Concentration
Dharana is all about concentration. This plays off pratyahara so that you can let go of outside stimuli and focus inward. Concentrating on yourself and your energy is a huge part of dharana. You observe yourself and focus your attention within. - Dhyana: Meditation and Contemplation
Dhyana is all about meditation and contemplation. This plays off pratyahara and dharana. This stage is about having stillness within you. - Samadhi: Transcendence of the Self
Samadhi is all about transcendence of the self. This stage is often called a state of ecstasy. You have peace, joy, and freedom with samadhi. Experiencing enlightenment is done in samadhi.
Everybody and Every Body
It’s important to remember that yoga is for everybody and every body. All of your problems and traumas will not immediately go away because you are practicing yoga, but you will be able to learn how to work through your problems and traumas while practicing yoga. Yoga helps you release self-judgment and learn to accept yourself for who you are. Joy doesn’t come from outside sources, it comes from within. This is something that you can use in your recovery from trauma while practicing yoga.
The Guest House is here to help you process and relieve your traumas. We do that by implementing many different treatment methods, yoga included! We can help you learn how to love yourself again. Call us today at (855) 372-1079. We can’t wait to speak with you and get you the help you deserve. Call our trained and experienced staff today! You won’t be disappointed!