Yoga as a Tool for Transformation

Yoga as a Tool for Transformation

Anyone who has taken Yoga on a consistent basis for at least 6 months will tell you that this practice is an effective tool for personal growth, spiritual growth and transformation. The practice of Yoga as it is know in the western world is mostly perceived as just a series of physical poses that are structured in an intelligent sequence to help with flexibility. However, anyone that has taken the time to learn a bit more will tell you that this is a very limited view of the 5000-year old practice and lifestyle philosophy. Classical Yoga is based on the knowledge revealed in the ancient texts called Yoga Sutras authored by a man (or group of men) known as the mythical Sage Patanjali.

These texts reveal the 8 Limbs of Astanga Yoga as follows:
1) Yama – restraints (Actions towards others)
2) Niyama – observances (Actions towards one-self)
3) Asana – postures (Specific Exercises for the physical body that foster flexibility and strength)
4) Pranayama – Breath Control (Specific Exercises that help one control and direct the breath)
5) Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the senses inward
6) Dharana – Concentration (training the mind to become single-pointed & focused)
7) Dhyana – Meditation (the state of profound stillness and clarity)
8) Samadhi – Complete Absorption (Finding our highest true nature. We are fully present, free of our ego’s control and deeply aware of our Oneness with the universe)
*Roughly paraphrased information from Moksha Yoga Teacher Training.

In the western world, Yoga has been distilled to focus mostly on #3, the physical practice. However, the good news is that this distillation is of no consequence. Almost like magic, once someone has been introduced to any of the eight limbs, the system seems to take over the practitioner. Once the practitioner’s curiosity is ignited, they become open-minded, and the universe seems to start responding by placing people and experiences that allow one to continue to grow spiritually. What was once enough (the physical practice), starts to feel like a shell that is missing its original contents. Once the practitioner starts to seek answers, the story starts to unfold and the practitioner is taken on what feels like a magic carpet ride. It’s not all smiles and roses. However, every experience contributes to one’s transformation. The practitioner’s thoughts, perceptions, behaviors and beliefs start to shift in a positive way.

Below is My Own Journey of Transformation:

Background
In 2003 a friend of mine (Vera) encouraged me to go with her for a Yoga class at a gym in our work building. I was nervous because I had never taken group classes and was afraid of chanting. She assured me that there would be no chanting and that I’d be okay. I reluctantly went with her. We did not chant, and I left the class feeling like a new person. All the stress seemed to have melted into my mat, and I felt refreshed and ready to take on the challenges at work. Vera and I made a pact to be each other’s workout buddies, so when one of us said she was too busy to go the other would convince her to go. Later we would add Pilates to our class schedule and another office mate (Vladimir) joined us.

After a while of taking classes, I started to notice small changes. I started feeling less stressed, eating healthier foods, questioning my interests and my motives. It’s almost like I had been sleep walking through my life and woke up to find that most of my actions were unconscious, or partially conscious. It took a while for me to give up coffee (I used to be an addict), and even longer for me to start making decisions based on what I wanted instead of defaulting to those around me. I needed a little more nudging to make big decisions.

On Becoming a Teacher
On two different occasions, my Pilates teacher did not show up and fellow students nudged me to lead the class. I was afraid to get into trouble but they convinced me that if I just did my exercises and talked out loud about what I was doing and they followed along, I would not be actually teaching. After the second class, the manager at the gym pulled me aside and explained that I was not allowed to teach without certification. I relayed this information to my fellow students and a lady named Cindy responded matter-of-factly, “Then why don’t you get certified?”

For the next year or so, more and more people were suggesting that I get certified. I had never seen myself as a teacher and was TERRIFIED at the thought of standing in front of people and speaking. How was I to teach if I was literally mortified by public speaking? I told a friend, Tsitsi, that somehow I was being nudged in a direction that did not seem to be for me. She told me about her teacher that also had a great teacher certification program for Pilates. She suggested that I check it out and if it was not for me, I could just walk away without signing up. I dragged my feet for another 3 months and one day she called me and told me that we were meeting on Sunday outside this teacher’s studio. She introduced me to David Englund and left me there to observe his Teacher Training session. I was so excited by what I saw that I signed up for the program and called Tsitsi on my way home. I was as giddy as a high-school girl who just got a smile from her heart-throb. Tsitsi observed that I could not contain my excitement and confirmed that I’d made the right decision.

Upon completion of my Pilates Teacher Training program in February 2007, I sent an email to Tsitsi thanking her for her support and encouragement. She responded with a link to Moksha Yoga Center and said, “just in case…you feel motivated to pick up something new.” I was shocked and thought she’d completely lost her mind. She sent the email on a Thursday. By Friday, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to click on the link simply to check out what she had sent me. It was an informational session for a teacher training program for Yoga that was to be held that Sunday. I told myself I was just going to hear what it was about. They had a program starting in 2 weeks and another starting in the fall. I decided to wait and to think about joining the fall program, but I think my heart joined on that day and it was truly a transformational journey.

Small Changes, Big Changes
The more I practiced, the more I found myself making more small changes. I found myself not craving junk foods anymore. Instead, I actually found myself drinking more water, eating healthier snacks, being able to handle stressful situations in a better way. Above all, I started to realize that I could be an active participant in the course of my life. I could really be present and bring more awareness to my everyday living. Over time, I started asking deeper, more philosophical questions: questions about the purpose of my life and the meaning of my relationships. The more questions I asked, the more it seemed that people were being placed in my life for a reason. I strongly believe that all the people that we cross paths with are meant to be there for a reason. It is up to us to be fully present in our relationships in order for us to learn how we are supposed to serve each other’s spiritual and personal growth.

In June 2009, I was laid off from my position as a Senior Data Analyst. I was still in Yoga Teacher Training. I had just started my own health and wellness company in February 2006. Initially, I struggled with feelings of rejection, anger, dejection, helplessness and fear, but I soon came to the realization that this was a big opportunity: a chance to take a “Leap of Faith” and do what I believed I was meant to be doing on this earth instead of being a slave to a job that simply translated to a paycheck and recognition. This was my opportunity to really serve individual needs directly, to be there for my students, to help them realize that they too can listen to that inner voice and embark on the journey of spiritual and personal growth. Soon after making the decision to leave the corporate world and focus on my career as a health and wellness professional, I was invited by my beloved teacher, Elesa Commerse, to pursue studies with her to become a Meditation teacher. I immediately recognized this as a sign and said YES!

Many Blessings, Many Guardian Angels
Once I recognized that I was on this journey of spiritual and personal growth, I was better able to pay attention to events, experiences, and people that came into my life just at the right time. Meditation became an essential practice to helping me quiet my mind enough to listen to what my soul has been whispering to me all along. I have started to welcome each day as a precious gift and opportunity to help those around me find their light, their voice, and their call to service. Some (including I) may not yet know what that calling is, or the details of their “soul-story” but in due course, the story always reveals itself. We have to decide for ourselves if we choose to fight this calling, or to accept our mission with beauty, sincerity and grace.

Yoga and meditation help me to find ways to recognized and accept my mission. Sometimes I falter, sometimes I fail, sometimes I fall, but with yoga and meditation in my toolbox I know that I can pick myself up, dust myself off, ready myself for more transformation, and be thankful for another opportunity to serve my fellow beings and the planet we live on. Yoga and meditation have helped me recognize that even the great tragedies in my life are learning experiences and catalysts for growth.

Each and every day, I am grateful and thankful for my guardian angels, for my many blessings, and for this magical journey we call “life”. So I embrace each new day with hope of continued growth and transformation. With this growth I have a better understanding of who I am, what my purpose is, and where I am going. With this understanding and I am more likely to be compassionate and loving toward myself. I am better able to laugh at myself, learn from my mistakes and let go of my fears.

Writer’s Biography:
Bridgit Gooden is Owner and Director of Core Transformations, LLC, a company that is dedicated to helping people discover their life purpose and to courageously live an authentic, happy and fulfilling life. Bridgit has been practicing Yoga and Pilates since 2003. She believes in life-long learning and continues to explore studies foster mind-body-spirit connection. She can be reached at 708-466-9821 or bridgit@ctransformations.com.

For more information, you can visit her website at: www.ctransformations.com