Can Yoga Make You a Better Person?

Does practicing yoga make you a better person? I don't know but I do know embracing yoga and the teaching of this discipline have helped me.

And this not only has to do with what a yogi does on their mat everyday but also how to experience yoga in the real world, outside of your practice.

Yoga is more than a physical and/or spiritual practice that we do in a classroom setting with a teacher present. Yoga is also a way of thinking, feeling and reacting to every moment in your day.

Here are 7 attributes of a yogi that can be gained through dedication to your practice.

1. A yogi practices Ahimsa (No Violence)
   
   Ahimsa is a Sanskrit work that means "non-violence" and all styles of yoga that are practiced are based on this concept.
   
   The person who lives yoga has a deep sense of non-violence, or said another way avoids harming others, himself and the environment in which he lives.
    
2. A yogi knows oneself
   
   This is the most difficult part of our consciousness, knowing our true selves. Removing the masks we occasionally put on and accepting that we are imperfect.
   
   During practice, a yogi is not only working on their body and breathing exercises but in each asana nd each class they face fears, guilt, and ego.
   
   When you really know who you are, you become more understanding with yourself and with others because you accept yourself without judgement and understand that you should be just as understanding with others.
   
   
3. A yogi is strong and flexible
   
   Not just on a physical level but mentally as well. Yoga gives you the strength to move forward knowing perseverance is the key to every path and it gives you flexibility to adapt  to whatever may cross that path.
   
   
4. A yogi lives gratitude
   
   When you begin to live the philosophy of yoga in your daily life, you realize that in your life there are small miracles that previously seemed insignificant.
   
   You stop for a moment to think about how you can move for body and understand it's messages. How when you feel a peace, everything that appears around you is also peaceful and loving.
   
   When you live yoga, you thank your past for having brought you here and you honor your present by feeling that everything in your life happens to help you grow and become a better version of you.
   
   
5. A yogi lives happily
   
   A yogi does not need too many things to feel happy. Happiness is  a state that you create with your own way of seeing life and trusting your process.
   
   It is not about living in unreal worlds, on the contrary, it is about looking for meaning in reality in a positive and conscious way.
   
   Enjoy small and great pleasures. Learn from difficult moments and face them with peace and inner strength.
   
   
6. A yogi takes care of the planet
   
   If we go back to the concept of Ahimsa this point is obvious. Those who accept yoga as a lifestyle respect all being and the nature that sustains them.
   
   A yogi tries to minimize the ecological footprint and live sustainably. We can say that a yogi is always united with the universal consciousness.
   
   This on in particular is important to us at REECH. Visit our Sustainability page to see how we're doing on our part.
   
   
7. A yogi loves oneself
   
   Although it seems simple, self-love is often absent in our society. We live comparing ourselves to others, wanting to be like others and every feeling envious of the lives of others.
   
   A yogi manages to accept and love themself because it allows them to move, feel, and communicate with the world better. For a yogi, their practice is perfect in it's imperfection for it reflects their world, needs and personal progress.

Until next week!

~Bernie