Yoga - North Providence, Rhode Island

AURA Wellness Center

21 Park Street, Suite 202

Telephone: (508) 222-0092

What Do You Really Want From Yoga?

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Are you looking for a healthy mindset, fitness, spiritual guidance, holistic health, self-improvement, success, or just more oxygen? Yoga can deliver all of these, but I doubt you find all of this “under one roof.” The reason is that there are many kinds of Yoga, and some ashrams, or Yoga schools, will address some of the above-mentioned needs as priorities.

Do you ever wonder why some people are so successful in life? I am not talking about someone who has “everything handed to them.” What I am referring to is someone who has taken the time to know what they want from life, pursues it, and then attains it. This comes from self-analysis, meditation, and goal setting skills.

Do not confuse yourself with someone else’s dreams or expectations of you. You must know your particular strengths, weaknesses, passions, and desires to move forward in your Yoga practice. Remember when you were a child and adults asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

If you are not sure, you should compile a list of ideas. Here are some things to consider when deciding “how to find yourself” and “where to go from here.”

What is your concept of happiness?

Please be honest with yourself and go after your dreams. You cannot abandon responsibility, but you can make small changes in your lifestyle. Wake up each day and pursue your goals with happiness in your heart.

What are your real passions, obsessions, and desires?

These are ideas you think about all the time. Listen to your heart; the answers are within. They should not cause harm to anyone and should be morally sound. Whatever they are, they will keep you going when you have any doubts. This is your fuel for daily motivation.

What does any of this have to do with Yoga?

Everything – Yoga is a daily path of self-discovery and self-improvement. Yoga literally means “Unity,” and applies to all things. If you know yourself, you can help yourself. Help usually starts from within. Most of us have to ask for help, and you must know when, and who, to ask.

Seek and find the Yoga that will help you find yourself. Yoga’s many branches are over 5,000 years old. They are the origin of many self-improvement and health maintenance systems. Achievement is realized by habits. You alone, have the power to create or change your habits.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995 and an E-RYT 500 with the Yoga Alliance. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence and Attleboro, MA areas. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher.

By Paul Jerard E-RYT 500

Walking meditation is more difficult for most Yoga students, than breath awareness meditation, but it is very beneficial to those students who have difficulty sitting still. Some Yoga practitioners are more restless than most of us, so this is when walking Yoga meditation comes in handy, but we should all give it a try. You will find walking Yoga meditation to be a very rewarding practice.

When you first start practicing walking Yoga meditation, you should set a steady pace and breathe naturally. Once you have established your pace, you should then try to focus on your breath without controlling it.

The first exposure I had with walking meditation was in Kundalini Yoga practice. We would establish how many foot steps per inhale and how many foot steps per exhale. This is your own natural breathing pattern and it may be difficult to get the typical Yogic one part inhale to two part exhale ratio.

An example of the one to two Yogic breathing patterns would be: You inhale for three steps and exhale for six steps. Please bear in mind that each of us will breathe differently. Some of us may find the one to two Yoga breathing to be a strain, so your natural breathing pattern is important to establish.

It will take a while to focus on your natural breathing pattern and determine what the correct ratio is for you. Whatever you do, it should be easy and this should not be a strain.

Later in life, I learned Sanchin Kata at the Uechi Karate School in North Attleboro. Sanchin is an Okinawan Karate form that may seem simple from the outside looking in, but is, in fact, a form of walking meditation.

The breathing is different in Sanchin practice, but the movement is repetitious enough to qualify for an example of meditation in motion. This exercise can teach you many things, but one valuable component is not to worry about your breathing, or anything else in life, if possible.

When you decide to try walking Yoga meditation, you should choose your location carefully. Choose a course that you are familiar with. This must be a safe place for walking Yoga meditation. During day light hours, the Balfour River Walk, Capron Park in Attleboro, or the World War I Memorial Park in North Attleboro, are three places you could try a walking Yoga meditation session. Walking across or through traffic would not be recommended.

Although, it is very beautiful up north, during the foliage season, you would want to keep your awareness very keen. Bears, bucks, wolves, coyotes, and some people, do not have the same appreciation for walking Yoga meditation and you want to be careful about what you stumble across. You should also be aware that people do hunt in season, or out, and are not always where you expect them to be. Once I ran into a hunting party, with a complete entourage of dogs, in a wildlife refuge.

Therefore, carefully choose a walking course that will keep you out of harm’s way. Morning hours are always my favorite. Take the time to develop mindfulness of each step and each breath. Try to walk without talking, when you have a companion with you. This silent walking will keep your mind in the moment and you will be able to take the surroundings in, without disrupting your meditation.

Yoga and Yoga meditation can be carried into many aspects of your life. Walking Yoga meditation is just one example of this.

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Aura Wellness Center is located in downtown Attleboro, MA. At 21 Park Street, Suite 202.

Telephone: 508-222-0092 for Yoga class information.

We have Yoga, Pilates, Personal Fitness Training, and many more programs for mind / body health.

To see our current schedule online, visit: