#102 ❘ Practice Yoga ❘

Man and woman sustaining the tree pose. Photo by myyogaonline under Creative Commons License.

I’ve been meaning to go to yoga since the start of the semester. People commonly associate yoga with relaxation, but yoga is much more powerful than that. It helps your mind, body and spirit unite in many ways. Controlled breathing, meditation, elasticity, better circulation, a detachment from your troubles are all benefits that you achieve.

The word yoga can’t be translated into one word. It comes from India, and like its benefits, the word has many meanings: “to unite,” “to control, “to join”.

Yoga is about balancing opposite energies inside yourself. Let’s say there’s a yin and a yang force in your body, and each is pulling into different directions without a focus. Yoga channels these forces, focuses them, directs them to return to our natural balance that is often interrupted by the fast-paced jittery lives we lead.

Free yoga class at Ruta Maya. Image taken off Ruta Maya's website.

Ruta Maya offers classes there for free as long as you make a purchase (a bottle of water, an apple, whatever). I had never practiced yoga like I practiced it there. The setting is extraordinary. Tables and chairs are pushed to the sides so yogis and yoginis can accommodate themselves in the middle of the shop. During the practice they hear coffee machines whirring, beans blending, glasses tinkling and people carrying on conversations. This, my friends, is the real yoga challenge. Placed in such a setting you’re really forced to zone out the sounds of your surroundings to be in the moment. Studios don’t offer that. They’re designed to foster a quiet atmosphere with incense and Indian chants. But when you’re placed in an urban setting with all the noises of daily life you can really see how a yoga practice can be beneficial.

There are other places in Austin to practice yoga, like Bodhi Yoga, Yoga Yoga, Dharma Yoga, and the UT RecSports Center offers classes as well.