Page 92 - Demo

92 || MOST FITNESS || FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016YOGA, a lifetime practiceBy: Yoga Instructor Crystal Milana oga teaches us to love; to love ourselves, to love others and to love the world around us. It teaches us how to trust ourselves and how to listen to our inner guidance through a deeper connection and understanding of ourselves. When we come to our mat we are given the space to let go of anything we had going on before our practice so that we can be there for ourselves; at this time we can see our thoughts as they come up, feel what is going on in our bodies and in our souls. In this space we are able to practice self- love; it%u2019s a time dedicated to exploring within and finding new ways to appreciate our strengths and to acknowledge and accept our weaknesses. If we are not able to learn how to love ourselves unconditionally then we can%u2019t know how to truly love another. I look back on my life before I found yoga and I see moments where my unhappiness steamed from simply not loving and appreciating myself. I wasn%u2019t content with my physical appearance and I would always find something that I wanted to change about myself. Even if someone else was to tell me I was beautiful, there was something in me that would not believe that I could really be beautiful and therefore I could not see the true beauty in others as well. My yoga practice taught me Santosha, www.crystalmilana.netinstagram.com/crystalmilanatwitter.com/crystalmilanawww.facebook.com/crystal.milana.5Photo Credit:Aneese Totahwhich means contentment, it is the Niyama (one of yoga%u2019s ethical practices) that teaches us to stop seeking and to start appreciating. I stopped focusing so much on my outward appearance and I started to see the beauty within me; when I would keep my focus in a difficult posture, I could begin to appreciate my physical strength and how my body was beginning to shift, how I was beginning to trust my strength and balance more. Our yoga postures are tools that grant us access to our higher selves, they show us how to trust our bodies, how to follow our hearts and that who we see ourselves to be is not created by our thoughts. Being able to love and trust who we are, opens our heart to the capability to really being able to love and trust others in our lives. Next time you are on your mat and you come into a backbend, which are heart opening postures; focus on the feeling you get as you trust yourself to go deeper into the posture. Notice the sensations, the burst of energy as you open your heart and then begin to imagine how you can take that same trust and focus into your life. You will begin to see how trust cancels out all fear and makes room for only love.