International Yoga Day: So what can yoga can really do for us?

On International Yoga Day, we asked teacher, trainer and all-round yoga inspiration Sinead Mooney, aka Moons, why we should all be converts 

I’ll have to answer that question by telling you why I practise yoga.

It’s for these reasons: To live with more ease.

To feel life flow a little easier.

To breath more fully and calmly into the unknown, into the challenges.

To experience a greater sense of connectedness and belonging.

To cultivate more awareness in my life, more confidence in knowing and loving who I am.

Way of living

Yoga is a way of living. Not to go straight into the deep end and scare anyone off (and there is still merit in powering through a 90-minute sweaty hot yoga session to distract yourself and burn calories) but, yoga is a practice cultivated on the mat, for our lives off the mat.

Everyday I people contact me over-wrought with anxiety, experiencing disordered eating patterns or so affected by stress that they simply cannot cope with the basic demands of everyday life!

I hear you guys!

In a world that is moving at an increasingly rapid pace, many of us are experiencing these symptoms. However, the glorious news is that we are waking up to the fact that we can do something about it.

No one hits the mat for the first time doing the perfect downward dog. Anyway, why would you want to? That would be missing the point entirely.”

We know that the powerful combination of mental and physical practice is the key to living a happier and healthier life.

The penny has finally dropped that we can’t survive a stress free life but we can armour up with the coping mechanisms and healing methods we need to thrive.

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Beautiful catalyst

We can turn this negativity into a beautiful catalyst for change – a tipping point where we know there has to be a better way to spend precious lives, and we bloody well want it!

Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is about what you learn on the way down.

There is no need to be nervous about starting yoga. It is a practice, something you consistently work on and slowly build. There are no goals.

No one hits the mat for the first time doing the perfect downward dog. Anyway, why would you want to? That would be missing the point entirely.

Enjoy the delicious slow process of exploring your body and mind – it’s a constantly changing landscape anyway (hello injury, age, etc).

Showing up on your mat is an opportunity to connect to yourself, escape home to yourself and work on making that home somewhere you love to be.

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Cultivate an awareness

It’s a chance to use that connection to cultivate an awareness with how you are thinking, reacting, breathing, moving which can be then carried out into your everyday life. This, is living yoga.

Also, I always recommend trying a few classes before making the decision whether it’s for you or not. Each teacher brings a distinct flavour, so make sure you sample a few different styles and approaches.

Showing up on your mat is an opportunity to connect to yourself, escape home to yourself and work on making that home somewhere you love to be.”

Yoga classes, styles, studios and teachers are all like different flavours of ice-cream. So, trust me, when you find the flavour that nourishes your soul, you will never be “too busy” to miss the class (oh yeah, we are all guilty of that ol’ chestnut!).

There are so many beautiful offerings around Ireland today on International Yoga Day, but if you are even in my neck of the woods (Newtownpark Ave, Blackrock, Dublin), drop in to Moons Yoga Loft for cuppa, have the lols with myself and maybe stay to taste our special flavour of nourishment!

Sinead Mooney (aka Moons) is a yoga and meditation teacher and owner of Moons Yoga Loft. She is also a LuLulemon ambassador.

See moonsyoga.com or follow Moons Yoga on Instagram for details on classes, as well as daily calming breath of zen as you scroll.

Moons Yoga Loft is in Blackrock, Co Dublin.

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