Practice yoga on the mat, live yoga off the mat.

We know the benefits of doing yoga.
We’ve felt them from our practice; we are stronger, more flexible, energized and relaxed.

The physical and mental benefits of asana practice are amazing, but let’s remember the deeper essence of yoga and its subtle teachings in everyday life; off the mat.

1. Yoga teaches us our capacity to build strength to withstand life’s obstacles: The ‘aches’ that accompany life are merely growing pains on our journey–making us stronger. Do you remember your first Vinyasa class? All the warriors that made your legs ache for days later? They don’t sting that much anymore, right? Let’s take the strength built in yoga off the mat.

2. Yoga teaches us to be flexible and resilient to smoothly bounce back from life’s chaos: When we quit resisting, and simply surrender our bodies into a posture, this is how we can increase our flexibility. Much like when we resist something in life, it persists; and the moment we surrender to life’s challenges, it opens up a new door of opportunities. Let’s take the flexibility and resiliency from yoga off the mat.

3. It teaches us to inhale that which nourishes us, and exhale that which is our poison: breathe in love, and breathe out anger, inhale gratitude and exhale greed, draw in acceptance and release resistance. Let’s breathe through every interaction, event, and situation in life, bringing our yoga off the mat.

4. It teaches us to exhale the fear of falling in life: Much like the first time we tried headstand on our own, and to trust that if we fall, we fall back and land on our feet, enabling us to try it all over again. Falling is not failing and bending is not breaking. We practice letting go, surrender, being, ease.

5. It teaches us that every Savasana is a rebirth: Every practice is new and fresh; just like every morning we wake up is brand new and loaded with endless potential.

Next time you meet your mat, I invite you to notice the subtle and metaphorical teachings within yoga as you balance, breathe and invert and consider how you can take these lessons from your mat and apply them into your daily experiences.

How do you take your yoga off the mat? I want to hear about it below!

-Britney