Training Your Mind Through Your Body
The author during her Asana practise. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Cheek
BY ELIZABETH CHEEK
I started practising Yoga about 3 years ago, and after exploring for a few months, I found Traditional Hatha Yoga at Atmavikasa in Mysore, India. My initial reaction to attending my first course was:
“The first few weeks were a complete mental battle. Everything I thought I knew about Yoga or myself was shattered leaving my mind in a broken mess of emotions (frustration, confusion, pain and self-doubt). I moved through the days being exhausted, with a body ache while also mentally preparing for the next class. We lined up outside the shala in silence and when we were inside, we waited for the next posture of pain that Acharya Venkatesh would make us hold for an eternity. “Enjoy the breath. It takes time”, he would say. Everything inside of me was screaming and my mind was running, if there was an asana for frowning, I would have mastered that.” (more…)
