Ganesh Mohan's Module 3 culminated in applying what we've learned the last 4 days to real-life case studies and developing appropriate programs for each, as well as, a brief overview of heart disease and how yoga can be a tool to help manage it.
The most powerful piece of knowledge I came away with from this module is that while the practice of yoga may not be able to fix problems, it may help manage them and help us in improving the quality of our lives if we do suffer from certain afflictions....and let's be honest, so many of us do.
I once took an Iyengar yoga class with Kevin Gardner, who said that for the most part, when we reach 30 years old our bodies slowly begin to break down, so to prevent injuries, pain or other physical ailments and to maintain our physical vigor we need to put in more effort and place more emphasis on alignment and process. This proved to be very true for me. This year, for the first time in my life, I developed an injury. In the process of pushing my body slightly beyond its edge, without proper engagement of certain muscles I should have been paying more attention to, I pulled my hamstring. I began the healing process a few months ago and it still continuing. Sitting in a chair most of the day isn't helping, but I do what I can to keep moving and engaging in exercises that help break up the connective tissue and scar tissue, strengthen both hamstrings and bring back proper movement. In a crazy way I feel blessed to have had this injury happen because I'm learning so much about my body, where my weaknesses are, and what my body needs to be health and prevent injury.
What does this have to do with breathing? The process of learning how to tune into our breaths and understanding the dynamics of the breath trains us to tune into other aspects of our physicals selves. We develop an inner intuition that permeates into our everyday lives and not only helps us catch small issues before they become bigger, but if we don't catch them in time, gives us the tools to manage them properly so as to maintain a certain balance and peace within.
The beauty of yoga is that it can be applied and practiced at various levels of rigor. Yoga is breathing, it's meditation, it's the asana practice, it's how we nourish ourselves, it's a lifestyle. Yoga is also a process and not an end in itself. So if something does happen that prevents us from diving right into a rigorous asana practice and we need to give our bodies a break, we always have our breath and we can always start there, just as we did when we were first born. And everything else is just another step in this beautiful process.
I will leave you with this incredibly precious and completely thought-provoking video: Baby Liv
(This video presents a snapshot of the practical applications and principles of the Feldenkrais method, developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, developed for anyone who wants to reconnect with their natural abilities to move, think, and feel. For more info: www.TheNExt25Years.com)