Yoga is known for its ability to improve the lives
HOWEVER, the continuous practice of yoga also affects the way you deal with the inevitable ending of your life as well. Just as yoga restructures bodies, so it restructures minds and often has profound effects on the way you consider and approach death.
The idea of unity
While it is impossible to lump all of the massive variety of belief systems that deal with yoga into one unified whole, it is possible to make some generalizations about what most people will experience in its practice.
Some argue that yoga is inherently tied to spirituality…
…that it is only a small part of a much greater idea of “yoga”…
…one that encompasses the entirety of how you live your life. Others prefer to approach yoga as an advanced form of exercise and practice it for its notable mental and physical health benefits.
Whatever how you view yoga, at least a little of the original philosophies are likely to rub off on you. One of those ideas, that of unity, or the inherent interconnectedness of everything, will certainly change the way you view death.
Some people find they experience an increased feeling of calm when they consider how life and death are so necessary for one another. Something dies, something is born, on and on. Each individual is just one small part of this, almost inconsequential on one hand, and yet just as important as any other piece.
Living in the now
As you enter your practice each day, you leave behind the world you were just in, forget about the world you will return to, and focus on the now.
This focus is intended to become an absolute awareness of where your body is in each moment.
As yoga teaches you the importance of the now, future events, even death, are put into perspective.
You come to understand that death, while it could arrive at any moment, is not happening right now. Of course, you could also argue that it is happening with every tick of the clock, but you are not dealing with it at this moment.
Right now, you are pushing into your pose, you are holding your child, you are eating a meal, you are doing your job. Death is a moment you will face, but you come to gain perspective when you realize how important the now actually is.
You cannot help but live in the now
The past has already happened and the future is unknown. Yoga teaches you to embrace this truth, one breath at a time.
Learning non-attachment
Humans are known for their grasping nature, and everyone falls into the trap of attachment. Yoga, as it teaches you to adjust constantly to the reality of how your body is doing at any moment, and to deal with it as it is, pushes you to understand that attachment is undesirable.
You have two choices as you approach your practice each day
Your first option is to practice like it was yesterday – push as hard into this pose as you did the day before, move at the pace you were able to maintain yesterday, etc.
Or, you can respect where your body is at this moment. Every day you are different, and you will grow fastest if you learn to work from where you actually are, instead of where you imagine yourself to be.
This respect for the current state of your body and mind, and the injuries that often result from ignoring it, teach you the value of non-attachment.
While you may want things to be constant, for you and the people around you to act as they always have, you come to see that these attachments only cause pain.
This understanding of the dangers of attachment will change the way you view the ending of your life. Change is constant, and embracing this fact minimizes the pain and discomfort of reality.
Yoga improves your health
According to the Yoga Health Foundation, numerous studies have proven the health benefits of yoga.
Chronic back pain, depression, diabetes, stress management, obesity, heart disease – almost any ailment you suffer from can be helped through the practice of yoga.
It is an unfortunate reality for many unhealthy people that life is often filled with discomfort. Physical pain, depression, lethargy – all of these can do much to diminish an individual’s inner light. Hopes and dreams are more easily ignored when you are buried under the avalanche of ill health.
In contrast the return of health tends to bring back that light ?
You begin to remember the things you wanted when you felt better. You recognize that you want more for yourself, and you feel good enough to pursue those dreams.
Death is coming regardless of what you do, but the life you live up until that point can be fulfilling. Regular yoga practice reminds you of the joys of a fulfilling life and encourages to you seek them.
Learning to let go of fear
At first glance, yoga may appear to consist of gentle stretching exercises and breathing patterns.
As you learn to face these fears and release them, your fear of death subtly alters as well.
Few people spend much time listening to their bodies. They ignore all the signs their bodies give, all the pain and stress that builds up. When someone starts practicing yoga and begins to acknowledge these things, the experience can be overwhelming.
Almost every yoga practitioner has at least one freak-out story, or crying story, where they were just swept away by mental anguish in a pose. Yoga requires you to move into a pose and stay there, sometimes for an extended period of time.
The goal is not to overstretch yourself or sit in extreme pain ❗
Alters mind, body, and spirit
If you ask a yoga practitioner what has changed in his or her life as a result of practice, the answer will almost always be “everything”.
Yoga truly does affect everything, even the way you think about death. ?
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Sources:
http://yogahealthfoundation.org/health_benefits_of_yoga_explained
