Building Your emotional muscles

Have you ever noticed the effect that your yoga practice has on your emotions?

What we think, we become. —Buddha

Ah, yoga asana, the position that's steady and comfortable; the place where you can feel completely in the moment. From this sacred silent backdrop, you can watch your own busy, controlling, determined, agitated mind. What fun!

For most of us, it takes quite a while to awaken to the emotional side of yoga asana, but when we do, look out (or in) - you've just consciously learned how to flex your emotional muscles. There it is, that dart of discovery when you abruptly feel an increase of sensitivity, perception, and reaction, on your yoga mat and... wait for it....off your mat too.

When you dig even deeper, that sweaty vinyasa flow or crack handstand are a delicious warm-up to the substance of yoga mind. The doing yoga part is in your consciousness. When you put your mind to it, practice becomes a purifying method of listening to the inner workings of the mind and emotions. Let yourself feel the sadness, anger, worry, and guilt so you can release them and all the other depleting, festering, nagging emotions.

Once you find yourself throwing shade your own way ( hey, we all do it), acknowledge it

then steer clear of the negative emotions that lead your daily story. Yoga asana is for observation; there’s no place for judgment. When you pay attention to the details, you're flexing your emotional muscles.

Pay attention to the details, feeling, releasing, and flexing your emotional muscles.