Yoga: A Multi-Tiered Elixir By Louise Applebome

By Louise Applebome

Here’s a Pop Quiz:

“What’s most important…the spiritual, psychic or physical effects of an ongoing yoga practice?” 

Beep!  “Time’s up!”

Of course, it’s a trick question, and the answer is all three…and much more. Yoga is multi-tiered.

Let’s deconstruct the possibilities. 

Firstly, I can’t think of a compelling argument that can be made against physical strength, stamina, flexibility, and stability being essential tools in the aging and fitness arenas. That reality doesn’t require training to run a marathon or to compete in the yoga olympics. A fitness level that improves and maintains mobility, function, and quality of life pays dividends. Perhaps we strived as younger “athletes” to achieve elite status, but as we age, ability, capability, priorities, and range of motion change. 

Given all the variables and personal proclivities, there is still a yoga practice for all levels that will foster strength, balance, better breathing, and flexibility. No muscle, joint, bone, organ, tendon, or ligament gets overlooked and ignored if one follows a comprehensive yoga program. 

Adjustments and modifications are always available. And props provide support and intelligence to time on the sticky mat. 

Okay, if you’ve already stopped reading because your knee-jerk reaction is, “I can’t do yoga, I’m too inflexible,” THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU CAN AND SHOULD DO YOGA. 

This remains one of the great misconceptions and myths about practicing yoga. The beauty of yoga is that each pose and shape and stretch must adapt to you and your body. And by dialing up sensory awareness, listening to the body, and allowing it to be the teacher, over time, students become more and more skilled at pivoting and making nuanced changes to get the most out of their yoga practice…safely.

Yes, “over time…” This is why it’s called a “practice.” 

Repetition and discipline are required. Staying well and staying fit demands dedication, healthy habits, and the desire to do what it takes. 

No easy outs. 

And it’s never too late to start.

Feeling better and having more energy ought to serve as a pretty darn good incentive. And in itty bitty increments, even flexibility improves and stiffness and resistance diminishes. 

All it takes is commitment and patience.

The sensory awareness that we cultivate during the physical practice transforms us from robots on auto-pilot into living, feeling, mindful, curious, sentient beings. It can only be coined “yoga” if you’re paying attention to what’s happening in the moment. This requires concentration and  the filtering out of external distractions.

What a gift!

Your psyche is benefitting in concert with the body.

It’s all connected.

Time on the mat is an invitation to “travel light” and to stop obsessing about problems at home, or down the block, or in the next county over, or in Washington D.C., or around the world. 

The brain really needs a break from all the busy-ness, insanity, and chaos. A sensible yoga practice gives you time to refresh,  restore, and relax. 

The brain gets to rest. 

And the benefits follow us off the mat and into our daily lives. 

If you’ve read this far but are now thinking, “But my mind wanders; I can never concentrate,” then welcome to the human race. It’s natural for minds to wander. But the more one practices, the easier it is to redirect the focus and to come back to the present. 

Hint: Just concentrating on the rhythm, sounds, movements, and feelings of your breath can bring you right back from daydreaming and restore concentration.

I spend a lot of time these days espousing the pluses of the spiritual tier of an ongoing yoga practice. I know the word “spiritual” can be sort of loaded and/or off-putting. It carries a lot of baggage for some. And it can be interpreted in so many ways. But what it is not, in the yoga context, is dogmatic or doctrinal. 

The word, yoga, translates to the melding together of mind, body, and spirit in perfect harmony. Dogma and rigidity would certainly mess with that austerity.

But if accessing peace and quiet and calm inside of yourself appeals to you, much of the time on the yoga mat and in meditation is all about that. And, although meditation may evoke images of a plump Buddha figure sitting cross-legged in complete absorptive, undisturbed contemplation and immersion (samadhi in ancient Sanskrit), it’s much more accessible than that. It goes part and parcel with the physical and the sensory practice. I invite students to find the “meditation” in every pose, every stretch, and every pause. It simply involves consciousness, intention, an open heart, and letting go. Bliss might be closer than you think.

Well…perhaps it isn’t so simple. 

Practice, practice, practice…

I’m also a big fan of pausing, taking the time to wait, watch, and listen. This is when much of the work, growth, and revelation happen. 

These are the moments during which one can find that divine spark present in each of us. It’s during the stillness that we can connect with the tangible, the imminent, the earth, and, at the same time, merge with the transcendent, vast, perpetual, and mystical. 

The two terrains intersect. 

Equilibrium and equanimity flourish at the nexus of the finite and the infinite.

If this concept raises questions and doubts, that’s exactly its essence. Definitive answers in this complex and confounding world may be hard to come by. Questions abound. 

Interpretations and resonance do, too. 

Again, I know pausing can be hard for some. It can be a challenge to submit to seemingly doing nothing. And our Type-A-driven western culture frowns upon it. But I’m certain there are more than enough times when you’re overdoing, rushing, or hurrying to make up for what appears to be an abundance of pausing and slowing down (if there is such a thing).

Restorative Yoga is also a great way to slow down. 

Yes…it’s a thing. 

(More tiers…or maybe tears, depending on how many emotions get jostled.)

Restorative Yoga poses are the perfect conduit for syncing up the spiritual, psychic, and physical facets of yoga. They are, by design, about pausing and stillness. Their supportive and gentle nature and their constructions allow us to rest in them for ten minutes, more or less. They include forward-bending shapes that gently stretch the back of the body and the spine. Conversely, there are back-bended shapes that open up the front of the body…the perfect antidote to too much time spent in front of screens and/or round-shouldered and slouching. 

Come on…admit it…It’s very easy to slouch and neglect proper posture, but it’s not so easy to maintain a central vertical axis, lifted sternum, and to sit or stand well. 

There are also Restorative twists and inversions. 

Restorative Yoga poses are passive; they’re no-effort positions. But they provide enormous physical benefits and provide time for the mind, spirit, heart, and psyche to fuse and to soar.

They also teach patience. 

Once again, the exploration and ethos cultivated during a well-rounded yoga practice have applications, advantages, and implications in our daily lives. 

Then, there’s another scenario.

Perhaps you’re already living a euphoric, harmonious life without a care, ache, or concern in the world. Maybe you have achieved perfect balance and nirvana in all aspects of your existence. Perhaps you find fluidity, symmetry, and synchronization with everyone and everything you encounter morning, noon, and night. So, if this describes you, you may not need yoga at all. 

Namasté. 

Louise Applebome, 71, is a Certified Yoga Instructor in Dallas. After “retiring” from a vibrant and varied professional career, she became a yoga teacher. She teaches all her classes on Zoom right now and accepts students, young or older, from wherever they are, both geographically and in their pursuit of a yoga practice. Louise will help you stay fit and flexible, and release tension, aches & pains from the body…and the mind. Her yoga studio in Dallas is del norte yoga. You can reach out to her at [email protected].