Just breathe.
This is one of the many teachings of yoga, an ancient practice dating back more than 5,000 years.
It's a commonly held belief that yoga is all about the poses, but this could not be further from the truth. Yoga is actually an extensive collection of spiritual techniques and practices aimed at uniting the mind, body and spirt to reach a state of enlightenment.
However, countless people are introduced to the mind-body-spirit connection of yoga through the practice of asanas (yoga postures).
People like Roxanne Moreau.
"I started doing yoga about four years ago," said Moreau, who is from Bellegarde. "I was training to run marathons and I was so stiff, sore and tight. I needed to find something to help me avoid injury and relieve some of the tightness. So, I started doing yoga just by watching TV, and I found that I really loved it. [I found I loved] not just the stretching side, but also the spiritual side that came with it, and the philosophies of it."
Moreau decided to take her training to become a certified yoga instructor, so she could share this newfound love of hers with others. In the past, she has taught classes in many different area communities including Carlyle, Redvers, Antler, Bellegarde and Moosomin, though she currently holds her yoga classes in Moosomin.
Many of Moreau's students were introduced to yoga through asanas, as well. But they, like Moreau, have gained an insight into the many wonders that accompany its practice.
"Very few of them come just for the poses," said Moreau. "It becomes a lot more spiritual. It goes a lot deeper. It's not the poses, which I think is a big misconception. A lot of people think, 'Yoga, oh yeah, that's turning yourself into a pretzel,' but it's so not that."
Yoga was developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India more than 5,000 years ago. Since then, other civilizations have put forth their unique ideas, beliefs and techniques regarding yoga. The ancient practice was brought to the Western World in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when yoga masters began to travel and share the yoga teachings.
Hatha Yoga is what people commonly call yoga in the Western World. Yet, Hatha Yoga ("ha" meaning "sun" and "tha" meaning "moon") is really one of the four main yoga paths.
Through the practice of asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (yoga breathing), mudra (body gestures) and shatkarma (internal cleansing) in Hatha Yoga, practitioners can attain a mind-body-spirit union.
Yoga can be incorporated into people's lifestyles in countless ways and doesn't require hours of time.
"Practicing yoga can be just sitting and focusing on your breath," said Moreau. "Practicing yoga is even just being kind to someone out on the street or smiling at someone. Sharing your time is practicing yoga. Often this time of year, when you're thinking of giving, well give someone your time. That right there is the philosophy of yoga: the yoga lifestyle."
Moreau is an avid yogi and tries to incorporate as many of yoga's philosophies into her life as possible.
"Sometimes it's not a lot," said Moreau. "Sometimes it's just sitting down, closing my eyes, smiling - because that makes a huge different - and breathing. I'll just focus on my breath. Every night when I go to bed, I usually meditate then. And you fall sound asleep so much quicker because you are shutting off the voice."
"A lot of the philosophies are just about living a life that is not wound up in worrying about the things you don't have and the stuff you can't do," continued Moreau. "It's more just being grateful for the things you have and the things you can do. [And] practicing gratitude in your every day life [by] being grateful for your friends, your family, your health, and the things you are able to do. [It's] sharing the gifts that you have with everyone around you."
Yoga can have a profound impact on those who incorporate its philosophies into their lives. Moreau herself admits yoga has led her to grow and change as a woman.
"The philosophies that you learn through yoga can be applied to your life, and it just leads to a happier person, I think," said Moreau. "You just feel so much better on all levels. Also, the big main [philosophy] of being less judgemental with yourself, and then with everyone else [is beneficial], because, as a woman you're just terrible for criticizing yourself. I have found that yoga is really able to change that inner voice. And I feel it too when I've been away from yoga for awhile - that negativity comes back."
"It helps you to turn your awareness inward so you are there in the moment, inside your body, listening and attuned, even just listening to your own breath," Moreau continued. "By just listening to your own breath, you quiet your mind. That constant chatter will go away, and it's just so relaxing and peaceful."
Practicing yoga can help in countless situations. By developing the ability to turn one's focus inward and to breath deeply, emotional, mental and physical stress is reduced. A person can handle frustrating situations much easier when he or she can take deep breaths to calm the body and mind before tackling the challenge that lies ahead.
Breathing is a vital part of yoga. Breaths are used to determine how long a person stays in each pose, and it is used to assist with flowing from one pose into another. By focusing on the breath, people become present in the moment, rather than allowing their mind to run off in a million different directions.
"That's what I love about yoga," said Moreau.
One of the first yoga techniques taught to a new yogi is learning to control one's breath, as breathing forms the basis of everything else. However, some people can become so preoccupied with the pose that they forget to breath.
"I think the biggest thing is not to get so hung up on the poses [and not to] try to push your body as far as it can," said Moreau, of advice to first timers. "A lot people think their pose needs to look a certain way, but that's not it at all. You need to feel what the pose feels like inside your body. That's where people get hurt doing yoga."
"You have to watch, too, if you've doing a program on TV, a lot of them are very advanced," she continued. "There's only like one per cent of the population who can actually do that kind of yoga. Then you think, 'Oh I suck' because you can't do it and become depressed and sad. But that's not the idea. That isn't what yoga is."
While there is a definite mind-body-spirit connection in yoga for those who are looking for it, there is no denying the physical benefits one receives from regular yoga practice.
"Definitely flexibility, because you need flexibility before you can start strengthening or before you can start working cardio," Moreau explained, of yoga's physical benefits. "You need to have the flexibility in the muscles first. Physically, that way it is very important. As we age, our muscles generally tend to shorten, so it's a good way to keep you healthy and active longer in your life. That's a big thing too, as you age you want to be able to self-sustain. So flexibility is very important."
But more often than not, people who begin with yoga just for its physical benefits, stay with it for its mind-body-spirit benefits.
"In this day in age when less people are going to church, I think people are craving some sort of spiritual aspect in their lives," said Moreau, "and this is a way for them to get that."
