29/04/2020
Get Yoga Beautiful, From Inside Out!
Written by Joelle Makwana.
We are all pretty good at glamming ourselves up on the outside. We wear our best clothes, spritz our favourite perfume or cologne, we make ourselves up using the latest cosmetic tips and tricks and there's not a hair out of place (unless by design)! We look great!
Yoga can make you even more Beautiful and I am not just talking about getting a Yoga body. Did you know that according to Yogic philosophy you actually have 5 bodies and, by doing a few simple daily practices for each body, your true beauty will start to shine through with or without make up.
1. THE PHYSICAL BODY - Lengthening our muscles and working our core strength does wonders for our posture. Practising simple Yoga poses daily can bring you into top physical alignment. There is nothing more attractive than standing upright with your shoulders back and down, and tummies drawn in. Your favourite clothes will look even better on you!
2. THE ENERGY BODY - Think of your energy body as being your breath and no, it's not about brushing your teeth, I am assuming you know to do that already! The rhythm of your breathing tells you a lot about what is going on for you emotionally. When we are stressed and nervous our breath is short and shallow; when we are relaxed and confident the breaths we take are long and deep. Just as our breath is affected by our emotions we can positively affect our emotions by controlling our breath. Im sure everyone has been told at some point in their life to take a deep breath and calm down. Well there are specific Yoga breathing techniques you can practise daily to keep you cool and collected (another very attractive personality trait)!
3. THE MENTAL BODY - Your internal dialogue; we all have it going on up there! Going over and over events from our past, obsessing over things that haven't even happened yet, fearful thoughts around what the future holds for us, or fantasising over what might be if only a, b or c would happen. Exhausting... and very distracting from what is actually important... the here and now, this present moment. A huge part of Yoga is Meditation.. in fact physical yoga is a moving meditation in itself. The art of meditation is to quiet the mind. There are many ways to meditate and some great apps available. As little as 10 mins a day will start giving you the space in your head to become more settled within yourself and therefore able to be more present with others and ultimately more fun to be around!
4. THE KNOWLEDGE BODY - Self study.. who am I? We are all muddling through this thing called life together. I personally have been likened to a chameleon; through my searching, changing my look and style from one season to the next.. every hair colour under the sun ... the grunge look to gothic to glamorous.. trying on different masks to find the best fit! Only when you start to explore your inner self do you begin to understand who you really are. The art of Self Realisation, getting to know yourself on a deeper level. There are many different philosophies out there .. explore and reflect.. this is an ongoing practice, as everything is always changing. We ourselves are constantly evolving as are our ideas, beliefs and practices.
5. THE BLISS BODY - This is where we really get beautiful and so does life! The bliss body involves being selfless and tapping into our creativity. Do something for someone, not expecting anything in return. Buy a cup of tea for the homeless man you pass everyday on your way to work, get involved with volunteer work, help out an elderly neighbour, bake and deliver your goodies to everyone on your street. Get creative and practise random acts of kindness every day and let the divine light shine from within you.
So that’s it! My 5 tips to being Yoga beautiful! Have some fun spending a little time each day on each one of your 5 bodies and Get Yourself Yoga Beautiful From The Inside Out.
Joelle Makwana
