Integration: to bring separate parts together to form a whole.
When this word popped in my head yesterday it felt vast. It still does as I ponder what makes me whole. In the broader sense, my mind, body, spirit. But as I consider all the aspects of life that come together to form who I am in the present, it is certainly overwhelming. It also has made me pause to consider what I may be integrating into my life that doesn’t align with where I want to go.
Let’s look at it from a philosophical perspective. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to yoke, join, or unite. Often you will hear “Yoga means Union”. It is the practice of life in which we unite our presence, practice, and purpose.
If you’ve been living a yogic lifestyle and exploring its teachings, this likely resonates with you. And if you’re just beginning, perhaps newly arrived on your mat, this is the perfect place to start. Keep arriving.
Through consistent practice, you begin to listen more closely to your own inner voice. You start to notice how the awareness found in movement and breath extends beyond your mat. Gradually, the lessons, sensations, and insights of practice begin to integrate – showing up in how you think, speak, and move through the world.
In this way, yoga becomes more than postures. It becomes a lived experience of connection, a return to wholeness. Yoga moves from something we “do” to something we “become”. I believe that sometimes this anticipation of change is what may make people hesitate to explore yoga, or inversely, push people who are looking for change toward it.
This week let’s work to find a wholeness of body, mind, spirit within our practice. Can we take what we learn on the mat and integrate it into our life.
Provide yourself a 10-15min warm-up prior to beginning any of the below suggested practice for your week.
Close out your practice using your warm-up as your cool-down and offer yourself a 10mins Savasana for rest.
Journaling Suggestion: Write down one thing each day that you feel integrates your mind, body, and spirit. Besides yoga. 😉
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Let’s grow collectively,
-Stephanie
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