I was 17 years old when I first experienced yoga. It was during Denise Austin’s morning exercise program. Instead of the usual cooldown stretching, she instructed her audience to breathe into the back of their throats with mouths closed and move with the breath. The long held, intentional poses stirred something deep in my soul. It was a remembering that suddenly poked a dormant part of myself. From a clumsy television in my parents’ bedroom, I found a lifelong friend.

Yoga has been my companion throughout my life. It was a practice that allowed me to turn inward and gave me permission—no, it demanded me—to downsize my world to just 2’ by 6’. In that small rectangle, I processed some of my most traumatic and harrowing experiences. The safe cocoon of my practice allowed me to cry through vinyasas, nurture my inner child in balasana and triumph at reaching my edge.

My practice was the place where I went to rediscover myself. When the congestion of life, activities, work, family and disappointments were roadblocks to me entering my heart, yoga was the portal. It never demanded more from me than I could give. In return, I allowed myself to surrender to the direction of the teacher and the breath always went where I needed it most. I simply had to follow it. Yoga is the place where I didn’t have to have the answers. Again and again, it was my source of remembering. It activated the part of my soul, my ancient DNA, that I needed, and it offered me sustenance for this world.

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit language and the root word “yuj”—meaning “union”, to unite or to connect to. Approximately 2,500 years ago, Hindu author and sage Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras in which he defined yoga as chitta-nirodhah, which means a state where the mind ceases to exist. It is through the eight limbs of yoga that one weaves together their spiritual, mental, emotional and physical bodies—thus experiencing samadhi. Samadhi is the state where the self and God are one. It is described as ultimate bliss. Yoga offers one harmony, balance and the ability to quiet the mind so one can hear the navigation of one’s heart.

As we welcome the new Earth and the reemergence of the ascended human and the collective conscience, yoga plays an even bigger role in our lives. At this time, we can use yoga not only to strengthen our bodies for the incoming light codes, downloads and upgrades to our spiritual DNA, but also as a means to cleanse and purify our subtle bodies. We have entered into the Age of Aquarius and shifted from 3D to 5D reality. The fifth dimension carries a higher frequency based on unconditional love, support, collective consciousness and the sacred balance of masculine and feminine energies.

The ascending human is searching for ways to unite humanity and support their own dharma. Yoga offers the sojourner the map. It unifies the mind, body and soul into oneness, just the way humanity is weaving itself back from fragmented pieces to oneness.

Yoga is our remembering. As citizens of Earth, we are remembering our gifts. We are remembering our true essence. We are remembering that love must be our guiding principle. With the support of a yoga practice illuminating the way, the divine blueprint can be realized.

Christy Abate is co-owner of The Angel Cooperative, in Ridgefield, and teaches Gentle Yoga on Tuesday mornings. The Angel Cooperative offers a variety of yoga classes at The Angel Wing, the divine spiritual center next door. Class options include vinyasa, gentle, yin with sound bath, kundalini with gong and restorative with tarot, as well as yoga workshops. Connect at 203-431-2959 or TheAngelCoop.com/yoga. See ad, page 21.

The Angel Cooperative - 51 Ethan Allen Hwy Route 7, Ridgefield, CT

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The Angel Wing - 51 Ethan Allen Hwy Route 7, Ridgefield, CT

The Angel Wing, A Divine Spiritual Center. Located next door to The Angel Cooperative Wellness Center: The Angel Wing is next door to The Angel Cooperative. It has a large yoga room an... Read More »