Intuitive Yoga is Listening Within

Once upon a time, I would not have been able to get on these rocks, let alone balance in a funny pose barefoot. These pictures for me reflect major progress on a journey. Major injury recovery and trauma recovery extend beyond the physical limitations and challenges. The emotion, the story of the trauma settles within the body, holding tight in joints, organs, muscles, and tissues until we release them.

Yoga is a powerful healing tool, unique to each individual. For me over time and with dedication yoga assisted my body to move in places that had been stuck frozen for years. With each breath, with each surrender energy moved and shifts occurred. As my body began to open again tears of joy streamed down my face and the inner story shifted too.

Our breath is essential in yoga and is not always embraced to one’s full capacity in yoga. Moving too quickly for our personal needs can cause stress and anxiety in a yoga class. Without the ease of breath our prana, the life force energy cannot move freely and nourish our cells as it is intended. Without listening to the guidance of your body and breath one will find themselves very much in their head, watching others who appear to move with ease and feeling like they just can’t keep up. This is not yoga! Pushing through a class and trying to keep up with a pace beyond your own is not yoga, in fact, it is likely to leave you stuck in fight or flight.

I am a supporter of intuitive yoga, of listening to the body, feeling the energy move through me and creating space where you are guided internally. Taking it slow, taking it deep with a breath, and allowing your body to guide you to its healing - this is yoga.

Yoga is a tool for healing your body, your heart, your life. Without listening to my body, I would have placed more stress on my joints and ligaments who were already working overtime and compensating for muscle and bone loss. Yoga that pushes the body beyond what it asks for can lead to serious injury and no yoga at all.

An intuitive, self-loving, compassionate approach to yoga is essential - yoga is a union with the body, breath, and soul.

My healing came through the listening - I was not on a mission to walk on my hands but I was on a mission to move pain-free again and live life more fully. To live with my natural spark shining bright.

Are you living lit up? Is your inner light shining bright? Listen to your inner voice, let your body tell you what it needs. Slow down and let the shapes within a yoga class open your natural energy channels, let the life force flow freely.

Picture: Bunker Bay in Western Australia where I connected with the land, mother nature and we breathed together.