If you have been to a yoga class you might have been involved with chanting the sound Om. When a group of people chant this sound and all the voices find a resonance together a beautiful feeling is created. The benefits of chanting come through participation because it is something that has to be experienced to be understood. However, you may be wondering what this word is all about and why it is chanted so often, before you feel comfortable belting it out in a yoga class.
At times, being human in the modern world just doesn’t feel so good. Stress is caused by many different factors yet I believe they all trace back down to one; the mind, which is the sum of our thoughts, attitudes and beliefs. Stress is a reaction to outside events; and our life is a result of our beliefs and our thoughts.
There are many techniques that I have found helpful in dealing with this type of modern day tension.
The journey of the spirit is a personal one. Yet at the same time the evolution of the soul has a path which is universal to all sentient beings. We can benefit from the experience and understanding gained by those who have walked the path before us. For those who are interested in personal evolution, spiritual awakening or enlightenment it is extremely helpful to have a basic understanding of the chakras. They represent stages in our development, different levels of consciousness and spiritual maturity.
I remember years ago doing the dishes by hand day after day and after every session I always had to go lie down on the floor, rest and stretch my back because it always hurt. I thought that it was just a part of life with the modern world and housework. Yet yogic awareness, awareness of my body and how it felt in the moment, brought a source of insight that cured me of my back pain forever.
I recently took a trip home to be with my family. During that time I hardly did my yoga practice at all. It does not take long for me to start feeling the effects of stress creeping back into my body when I don’t practice: tense shoulders, a cranky spine, stiff neck, poor digestion and elimination, low energy and mood just to name a few! Yoga helps with all of these conditions and more.
Here in the 21st century we live in a stressful world. The stressors are all around, from sitting for long periods of time in chairs, driving in traffic, electromagnetic stress from cell phones and computers, taking in stressful images on television, and just observing the state of the world; what is happening economically, politically, socially and to the environment. All of this stress whether it is physical, mental or spiritual accumulates in our bodies. Yoga can very effectively help reduce the effects of stress on the body, mind and spirit.
