Did you know that September in the US is National Yoga Month? For some of us, every month is yoga month! But why turn down a special reason to shine the spotlight onto yoga’s multifaceted benefits?
Today’s blog is provides an overview on National Yoga Month and offers ideas for celebrating body, mind, and soul, 5 Element style!
The Origin of National Yoga Month
National Yoga Month is an annual observance in the United States that promotes the practice of yoga and its many benefits. It aims to raise awareness about the positive impacts of yoga on physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
National Yoga Month was first initiated in 2008 by the Department of Health and Human Services as a response to the growing interest and popularity of yoga across the country. The initiative aimed to encourage people of all ages and fitness levels to try yoga and experience its holistic benefits.
The primary purpose of National Yoga Month is to educate the public about the health benefits of yoga and inspire a healthier lifestyle. It encourages individuals to incorporate yoga into their daily routines to improve flexibility, strength, balance, and mental clarity. The celebration also emphasizes the importance of stress reduction, relaxation, and mindfulness that yoga offers.
Celebrate National Yoga Month
through the 5 Elements in Your Yoga Pracitce
🌳 Wood — Wood can represent new growth and inspiration in your yoga practice. Do you remember what first brought you to yoga? Perhaps it was a friend who invited you to class. Maybe you had a drive-by encounter with a studio and decided to finally stop in for class. The paths to yoga are as varied and unique as the estimated 38 million people in America who come to the mat each day. How can you honor that initial inspiration?
Reach out to that initial person, studio, or teacher and thank them for introducing you to yoga! If a personal reach out is not possible or feels inappropriate, dedicate your personal practice to the person, people, or universal forces that brought you onto your mat.
Pay it forward by inviting a friend of your own to class with you. Of course, never force anyone. We are all ready in our own time.
Try something new in your practice to move you forward into that next stage of growth. This can be a new experience like a class or teacher, or simply taking the next small step in a posture your regularly practice.
I remember the day I finally decided to kick out in Standing Head to Knee of the Bikram Series. After 18 months of holding steady in the first part, fearful to move forward, I tentatively took that next step. This was back in 2003 and it transformed my practice forever, searing the moment of that choice into my memory.
This experience continues to inspire me to encourage my students to tap a similarity profound moment of growth in thier own practice.
What posture in your pracitce is just waiting for you to step into that next phase of growth?
Pro Tip for Yoga Teachers
Take responsibility as a yoga teacher to help students move toward next level growth. Knowing when a student is ready for that next step takes experience, so be cautious, not careless. If you are an seasoned yoga teacher with a consistent, familiar student base, offer specific individualized instruction to those students. Provide specific steps each one can take to enter the next phase of growth and inspiration in their yoga. As students, we all get stuck in the comfort of familiarity. A teacher’s insight and compassionate guidance can reveal the path to lead us forward.
🔥 Fire — The Fire element embodies unconditional love. How does your yoga practice manifest as love? Recognize all the ways your practice expands your heart and resonates love.
Practice with a smile. This doesn't have to be a big toothy grin, this can be a quiet inner smile just for you. Smiling creates space in the body and allows prana to flow through the center channel more easily. Through increased energy flow, not only will your practice will be stronger, in time, your powers of manifestation (also a Fire element attribute) will increase as well, both on and off the mat.
Find music that resonates with the heart chakra. If you’re looking for something different, I’m drawn to this album for that, composed and performed by my Taoist Master Teacher who is also a musician: Find it here on spotify: New Opera - Primal
Pro Tip for Yoga Teachers and Students
For affirmations on love and Fire element attributes to call into your practice, meditation or daily life, click here.
🌏 Earth — Element element rules balance and embodies center. How does your practice ground you? How can you strengthen the grounding characteristics of your practice during National Yoga Month?
Ground through meditation. Like yoga, meditation is a vast category with many styles teachers, and philosophies. You likley won’t easily connect with every style out there, but don’t write off the whole practice. Ask a friend or yoga teacher you trust for a meditaiton style recommendation. A balanced and centered mind translates into a deeper mind/body/soul connection.
Focus on balancing postures. Set small, manageable goals. I always tell my students there are no little bits in yoga. Even the seemingly tiniest adjustment or improvement or mindset shift can bring about tremendous change, improvement, and forward momentum in a yoga practice.
Embrace being on two feet! Relish all of the warriors poses and triangles and all of the opportunities your practice provides to feel stable in your own body with both feet on the ground.
💎 Metal — The Metal element embodies the harvest and the rewards of your practice.
Slow down and awknowledge your accomplishments on the mat. Too often, as soon as we improve one part of practice, we move directly to the next thing to “work on.” At your next practice, don’t “work on” anything. Just be. And enjoy.
Show gratitude. Metal embodies the harvest season and giving thanks. Infuse your yoga practice with intentions, dedications, and Anjali Mudra.
Engage with your yoga community. Yoga class has a collective energy, so we can all share in each other‘s triumphs and support one other’s practice. Because like attracts like, community increases abundance where isolation amplifies lack.
💧 Water — Water element rules self-transformation. It embodies the completion of a cycle. Reflect on your yoga accomplishments and how you‘ve transformed with your practice.
I’ve kept a yoga journal since 2009. I jot down weekly notes, sometime more often, but never less, about anything relating to my practice from emotional feelings, to physical insights and sequences, to items in my yoga business that need attention. I also mark down any specific goals and note my progress, success, obstacles, or direction changes. I love that I can reach for any of these journals on my shelf and be instantly transported to a specific moment in my yoga life.
If you’re looking for a boost to your practice and persoanl transformation, consider joining us on our next Yoga Sanctualy Retreat. If you haven’t already, join the VIP invitation list now becasue we are in the planning stages for our upcoming programs.
In Conclusion
National Yoga Month is an opportunity to celebrate your unique yoga journey and explore new dimensions of your practice. The 5 Elements provides a viewpoint and practical implementation for your exploration. Choose activities that resonate with you and support your goals.
National Yoga Month aligns with the continuously growing interest in holistic health and self-care, promoting a balanced lifestyle that nurtures the body and the mind. It encourages us to embrace the philosophy of yoga beyond the mat, fostering a sense of well-being and mindfulness that can be integrated into daily life.
And the fact that the US Department of Health believed yoga was gaining so much traction that it needed its own whole month is pretty cool!
Please share how you celebrate your yoga practice this month in the comments or on social.
Namaste,
Lara
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