What is Yoga?
The Real Practice Happens Off The Mat… 🪷
Did you know that ancient yoga wasn’t about handstands, backbends, or working up a sweat? It was all about spiritual advancement, calling it the science of the mind. The postures we practice today—what we call āsanas—were originally created to prepare the body for meditation. To quiet your mind. To balance energy. To create the stillness needed to go deeper into oneself.
At its root, yoga is a spiritual discipline. A union. The Sanskrit word Yoga comes from Yuj, which means “to join” or “to unite.” And that union isn’t just about body and breath, it’s about merging the Mind, Body, and Spirit.
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Your Mind shapes the way you see the world through thoughts, beliefs, and the stories you carry.
Your Body holds every experience, your habits, your emotions, even your unspoken truths.
Your Spirit is the spark of the eternal in you, the part that’s always whole, always connected, always guiding.
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When these three come into alignment, you remember who you truly are. Not just a body moving through poses. Not just a mind replaying old patterns. But a complete being, alive in this moment, carrying both the human and the Divine.
This union is what yoga points to. It reminds you that you are more than your body, more than your mind, you are the bright and beautiful soul within. When thoughts arise, or when the body speaks through sensation, there’s no need for judgment. It’s all part of being human. Instead, meet it with curiosity.
Ask yourself: To whom do these thoughts and sensations arise?
In this inquiry, something shifts. You slowly begin to see that you are not the passing thought. You are not the fleeting sensation. You are the awareness behind it all, the radiant, beaming light that has always been within you.
So when did we become so quick to judge? As if every moment, every feeling, every person needs a label: good or bad, happy or sad, pretty or ugly.
Yoga invites us into something different. To step into the role of the observer. To pause before we label. To feel instead of categorize. To notice instead of judge.
It’s not about deciding whether an experience is right or wrong. It’s about meeting it with awareness. Feeling it fully. And then choosing how to respond from a place of self-love and respect.
The deeper yoga is how you choose to live, love, and let go, on and off the mat. That’s the real practice. The poses are only one doorway.
Now ask: What would shift in my life if I stopped striving for perfection, stopped labeling, stopped judging myself and everyone around me?
How to Build Up Your Yoga
🌟 inspired by the 8 Limbs of Yoga, outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 📖
✨ Ahimsa: Non-Harming (5 points)
Choose kindness over criticism, toward yourself or someone else.
💬 Satya: Truthfulness (10 points)
Say something real and kind. Bonus if it feels a little vulnerable.
🌍 Asteya: Non-Stealing (15 points)
Share freely. Offer your time, attention, or resources with no strings attached.
🤲 Aparigraha: Non-Grasping (20 points)
Let go of one thing you don’t really need—clutter, a worry, or an old story.
🤍 Saucha: Purity (25 points)
Clear space around you or within you. Drink clean water, tidy a corner, or take a mindful breath.
💓 Santosha: Contentment (30 points)
Pause and name three things you’re grateful for right now.
🔥 Tapas: Discipline (35 points)
Do one thing that strengthens you physically, mentally, or spiritually.
🌌 Dhyana: Meditation (50 points)
Close your eyes. Sit in stillness for 5 minutes. Just breathe and notice.
As a yoga teacher, I acknowledge that my learning journey never truly ends. I will never stop studying or seeking growth even after obtaining my certification— that was only the beginning. I remain committed to ongoing education, self-reflection, and exploration of different yoga traditions to continually grow, personally and professionally, and provide an informed and embodied experience for all of my students.
The best teachers never stop learning, and the best healers never stop healing.
XO, Liv
