Guest Blogger
Finding Peace through Yoga
Guest Blogger: Kate Croston
We face an array of different pressures every day. Pressure to fit into certain stereotypes, 
pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle, pressure to get married and have kids, to buy a house and get a dog… and that’s just to name a few of the more common ones. It can be stressful trying to live up to the sort of life that we’re expected to live, while at the same time being true to ourselves and the person that we are striving to be. Taking a little time each day – or even just every couple of days – to pause, reflect, and honor our bodies and minds can be just the refresher we need to help us carry on with life with renewed vigor. Regular practice of yoga helps give us this “me” time that we need to get more in tune with ourselves and to help rejuvenate our drive to succeed in our everyday lives. Through regular yoga practice, you are able to learn so many different things about the way both your body and mind work. For instance, you are able to learn to:
- Accept Yourself
There is an underlying theme in yoga to really accept and embrace yourself for who you are instead of falling into the continual comparison trap of contrasting yourself to other people and letting negative thoughts about yourself overwhelm you. So many of our thoughts are focused around where we’re failing in life and how we should change to be better, when they should really be focused on our strengths and successes. When you view yourself in a more positive light, you begin to exude that same positivity to others around you, which is something everyone can benefit from.
- Let Go
As soon as you enter a yoga practice, you are instructed to shed away the day’s stresses and any nagging concerns that you’ve been holding onto, and to really let yourself exist in the present. You spend the entire class letting go of any and all negativity that may be clinging to you and holding you back in your everyday life, so that you can more openly embrace what life has to offer you. By holding on to our stressors, we’re only holding ourselves back from achieving our full potential.
- Focus Inward
Our society has placed so much emphasis on how we appear outwardly to others, both in physical appearance and behavioral characteristics, that we tend to get caught up trying to live up to those expectations. However, yoga challenges you to focus on and celebrate your inner beauty and strength. It helps wash away all of the unimportant stereotypes that are present in our lives and to really see ourselves from the inside out. When you can channel your inner assets and gifts, you can continually and positively grow as a person.
- Openly Accept Others
Gaining a greater self-acceptance helps us to also find a greater acceptance of others for who they are as a person, instead of focusing on what we perceive as their shortcomings. We are all unique individuals with our own stories to tell and lives to lead. It’s not up to us to zero in on the flaws in others, but to help encourage them to reach their full potential while simultaneously working to reach our own personal best version of ourselves. Helping others to grow will help us to grow.
- Promote Openness
Regular yoga practice teaches you to maintain an open mind, to better accept yourself for who you are and others for who they are. It promotes open communication so that you may honestly speak with others around you and be true to yourself. And it supports an open heart so that you may find peace through your own actions and those of others and openly love those around you.
The personal growth that you obtain through regular yoga practice is unparalleled and unlike anything you will experience otherwise. There are no mistakes in yoga, only encouragement to continually try to exceed new boundaries and gain new strengths—both inwardly and outwardly. By finding peace and acceptance in your own life, you are better able to find the same with others around you, helping promote balance to your own life and a more positive outlook on the world. We spend so much time trying to fit as much as we possibly can into each and every day; it’s a nice reward to you to set aside time to relax and focus on bettering yourself.
About the Author
Kate Croston is a freelance writer with a bachelor’ degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to: katecroston.croston09@gmail.com.
