Can yoga clothes help you heal? 

Welcome back!! This is the final segment of a three part series on the healing power of yoga titled “How yoga clothes can help you heal.” which is an interview series with Jennifer Knight. Jennifer is a ERYT 500, RPYT  Yoga instructor, Creator and Owner of Yoga Tree of Boise and a dear friend.

Our conversation was so incredible it is divided into three parts:

Part 1 (October 17) – Turning judgment into discernment – Click here to see that post.

Part 2 (October 24) – How to cultivate self love – Click here to see that post.

Part 3 (THIS POST) – Meditation as a way to put it all together – This post.

In the first two posts we talked about how to turn judgement into discernment and ways to cultivate self-love. In this final segment of the series, we are looking at meditation as a way to bring this all together.

My initial guiding question for our interview was, can yoga promote healing? I wanted to know – Was it an accident that I healed my PTSD in part through yoga or is that something yoga is capable of doing?

Does yoga promote healing?

The answer has been that yoga DOES promote healing. It promotes healing because it teaches us to accept ourselves (and others) where we are in this moment. Through the practice of yoga, we learn to be discerning rather than judgmental; not only discerning of ourselves but also of the people around us. When we let go of the judgement we can open the door to step into self-love.

Self-love means truly accepting yourself right now, in this moment, as you are. We are practicing self-love when we are willing to recognize and vocalize our own needs. Jennifer reminded us that this is a life long practice and not a one time fix. When we recognize our own needs and are willing to ask for what we need, we are practicing self-love. The very act of loving ourselves often promotes healing. When we love ourselves, we see ourselves as worthy of accepting healing.

Meditation as a path to self-love and discernment

What would you say if I told you that there is something that can lead to discernment and to self-love? Jennifer says that meditation is the path to self-love and to discernment. In fact, they support one another in an almost cyclical way. I love this concept!

Jennifer says that when we sit in silence we are re-organizing the energy within us. The silence we sit in might be literal. It could be that the silence is yours, in the sense that you are turning inward though there are sounds around you. Become aware of your own internal landscape. What are you feeling right now? When we are aware of what we are feeling within physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually we are practicing mindfulness by being aware of this moment. Mediation helps us practice mindfulness and teaches us to be aware of ourselves which helps us understand others. If you are new to meditation, you might be wondering how you get started meditating.

How to begin meditating

Begin by asking permission. Ask yourself, “what is it I need right now?” Jennifer recounts that what works for her is to trust in her intention. By setting an intention for your meditation, you can help guide your meditation. Your intention might be to be more compassionate, to give and accept love more easily, to forgive, or to be in the moment. Perhaps your intention is just to be aware of what is going on within you.  When you sit in stillness in meditation, you begin to really know your own self. Your body becomes a divination tool. You can sense what begins to feel right and also sense what feels wrong. By following those sensations and trusting in yourself, you are lead to a sense of peace.

Using a mantra is a great way to focus your intention and your meditation. She often recommends “So Hum” which is Sanskrit for “I am.” This is a mantra I also often use and find that it supports my meditations in a beautiful way by allowing my meditation to take whatever form it needs. Using an internal (or even chanted if you feel like it) “Om” as a medItation mantra is one of my favorites as well and one I turn to often. I never cease to be amazed at what comes through meditations.

An important component of meditation

Jennifer reminds us that a very important component of meditation is developing a sense of non-attachment to the outcome of the process of meditation. Meditation often leads us in new directions. This is because when we are in meditation, we are creating space for ourselves to listen. When we listen (to our higher selves or higher powers) we can gain insight and intuitive guidance. We can begin to trust the path we are on and go where we are led.

Once we turn down the path and being to follow where meditation leads, you let go of fear and turn towards love. Each time we choose love over fear it is a miracle!

If you would like some free meditations to start with, here are some for you to try.  Or you might enjoy this one. Here is a meditation to promote self-love. 

Do you have a story about yoga? Or are you hoping to try yoga?

If you have a story about the healing power of yoga, please share it with us! You can comment below. If you prefer privacy, email me at [email protected]. Jennifer and I invite your comments and discussion as well.

Boise has a lot of incredible yoga studios. In fact, yoga is so popular it is possible to find studios almost everywhere. I encourage you to check it out! There are often introductory offers. If there is interest on how to find a studio that’s a fit for you, let me know! That could be an interesting blog topic.

Jennifer, heartfelt gratitude for your help on this series and most especially for your friendship. Much love to you!

I hope you have enjoyed this series of posts as much as Jennifer and I enjoyed putting them together. We welcome your thoughts on this. Feel free to comment.

If you liked this, please click “like” and let us know you enjoyed it. Feel free to share!

My mission is to spread love and light far and wide. Every time you click “like” or share you are helping to spread a little more love and light into the world.

All my love,

Brenda