I like to consider myself a closet spiritual human being...sounds crazy I know, but when you tell people you're interested in the spiritual world you're considered even more insane. I used to be quite the skeptic when it came to believing in another life or even another world...I thought it was all crazy talk. However it wasn't until my roommate in college introduced me to the art of meditation and finding zen. At the time I was taking a class on Japanese Art History, and our discussions were solely based on the Buddhist religion and the way of the Buddhist monks. Don't knock it until you read about it, because these people [Buddhist monks] were some of the most peaceful and smartest people to ever live and the tale of Siddhartha [Buddha] is one to definitely read up on...i'm not here to make you believe in another god by any means, but one thing I took away the most from the Buddhist religion was the teaching of Buddha and his beliefs on life (if that makes any sense). Just a quick ancient history lesson, Buddhism originated in India, in which it then spread throughout most of Asia. Buddhism is the 4th biggest religion practiced with about 7% of the population considering themselves Buddhists. Some practices of Buddhism include "Nekkhamma" which is considered as giving up the world and leading a holy life removing all craving and attachment (to objects), "Theravada" which is basically escaping the cycle of suffering and rebirth (don't ask how that, works I have NO idea), and my personal favorite, meditation. What does any of this have to do with yoga? Well let me explain that.... The practice of Yoga was originally developed to train the mind and body to become aware of it's own surroundings' spiritually or it's "own nature". The purpose was to grow or develop self-awareness, a higher consciousness, and self-regulation in an individual. The practice is meant to go beyond the physical benefit and focus rather of the spiritual development of an individual and to relieve all physical attachments to the present world. Yoga tends to relieve stress, calm and relax the body, as well as aid one in developing flexibility. The first yoga practice was developed in ancient India where the practices were originally attached to musical scripts/songs that were used by priests. These poses and positions of the yoga practice were documented and used to aid those seeking to reach enlightenment (a state of perfect knowledge or wisdom combined with infinite compassion). The more post-classical period of yoga sought the practice as a way to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. The followers of this period used yoga with the belief of being able to cleanse the body and mind that bind us to our physical existence. So the overall main beliefs of the people of this time were that they could use these practices to break themselves from the physical world and physical attachment and devote their lives to living in this pure, spiritual state (which to them was a world without suffering). Nowadays, some of those ideas and believes have unfortunately been pushed aside and the physical aspect of the practice has become far more important (to most). Many people view yoga as a form of physical exercise rather than a mental practice, and most have strayed away from the spiritual aspect of it. However, it has been discovered that yoga can be extremely beneficial to athletes, and seen as a way to prevent injury to those that include regular practice into their daily routines: especially runners. To me, my yoga practice is more of a strengthening form of exercise, not just physically but mentally as well. Yoga has allowed me to focus on the tension in my body, and come at peace with myself spiritually. I've been able to teach myself to meditate outside of my [Yoga] practice and easily put myself at peace. It's made me a thinker now when I run which sounds weird, but I can actually control my thoughts. Generally before a race I have a rush of negative emotions, and now I can easily put myself at peace and calm most of my nerves. I can think about races differently and find a positive outcome rather than complaining that my race is only half over. I am self-aware, and I can put myself in another world (I know I sound insane). Physically, it has overall made me a stronger athlete. I am amazed that I can hold myself up in certain positions, and my range of flexibility continues to grow. I am able to find ways to control my breathing and get into a "groove" which allows my body to stretch farther than I ever expected. Granted I was a cheerleader for 6 years when I was younger, but I am far more flexible now than I was back then. I have made myself stronger as a runner physically and mentally and honestly it's kept me from going absolutely insane during my time off from running because of my ITBS. I have tried different types of yoga, and I am always intrigued with different variations of practices...by the way I suggest that you ALL go try hot yoga it's so amazing. I feel so much stronger mentally than I do physically and I think really getting into yoga and mediation was exactly what I needed during this time of recovery. So get in touch with your inner zen and give it a shot if you haven't already even if you start with just mediation. Find a video on YouTube where someone leads you through a guided meditation (that's where I started). It really helps and you'll find yourself at peace with a little more of a positive attitude and positive outlook on life...give it a shot! Until next time... Stay Green, Amanda (Shout out to Wikipedia and my old Japanese Art History text for some background on Buddhism)
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LifestyleWhat does Amanda do outside of her crazy, insane exercise obsessed life..? I know you're all dying to know. Check out my previous posts!
March 2018
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