Have you noticed how yoga has become exponentially more popular over the last few years? Ever wonder why?

Think about how our world has changed in general over the last decade. Our society has turned into a digital world. Everyone has a phone, even kids whose hands are smaller than their mobile device. I remember when I was little and kids were given a coloring page and crayons at a restaurant. Now, instead, kids are attached to an iPad, or even to their own phone, for entertainment.

The result of our digital world is that, despite the fact we are virtually more ‘connected,’ people have become increasingly disconnected. They’ve lost interaction with the people next to them, and with themselves. Their identity has become what they project on social media. Thus, there has been an increase in anxiety. One of my friends recently shared with me the reality of society today: most of today’s bestselling books are self-help books for anxiety, stress, and finding happiness. We are so lost.

For many people, yoga has been the cure.

Why Yoga?

Some people think of yoga and imagine bendy girls sporting gorgeous postures on Instagram. But that’s not yoga. Yes, it is a part of it (I admit, I’m working towards those same beautiful, bendy postures just for the pure joy of proving to myself that I am capable of a challenge), but yoga is so much more than that.

In reality, yoga classes at gyms and studios is just one small part of what yoga really is. Yoga is a philosophy of life. Imagine slices of cake, making up one whole. That is yoga. In yoga, there is Niyama and Yama (disciplines toward the self and others), Asana (the postures you learn in practice), Pranayama (breathing), Pratyahara (turning your attention inward), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation and reflection), and Samadhi (superconsciousness, or being able to see yourself outside of yourself).

The biggest part of yoga, which is perhaps why it has been the cure for so many people, is that it allows you to reconnect.

We often are trapped in the past and future, never remaining in the gift of the present. There are only certain moments in life where we actually remain in the present, and those are what Maslow calls the ‘Peak Experience.’ These are moments when we are watching the sunset, looking into a loved one’s eyes, or laughing at dinner with a group of friends. These are moments when time stops and you’re not thinking about anything else but that moment.

So how can we create this manually?

Just Breathe

One way we can reconnect with the present is through breathing. Breathing is funny because we take it for granted, but it’s something so incredibly significant. It keeps us alive. In yoga, we call breathing pranayama, or life force. In yoga, we are reminded that our breath is powerful.

You might have experienced a yoga class before where you’ve been told to sit, place your hands on your knees, and breath according to your instructor’s counts. It feels so unnatural and you might feel silly, but there’s a significance to this practice. It’s making you mindful of the fact that you are feeding yourself oxygen. That this oxygen has an affect on your body. Sometimes, this practice is intending to bring you into the present. Yes, you might still find your mind wandering, but most of the time you’re consciously focusing on your breath. This practice also encourages relaxing. Think about when you sleep – you breath long, and deep. When you do this consciously, you are calming your body down, allowing it to rejuvenate itself with energy. Lastly, we do this to help you realize that you have control. You can actively bring yourself into the present and calm your mind and body through the simple act of breathing. Imagine that.

When teaching yoga to my students, I often encourage students to reconnect with their breathing. We as teachers are there to help students remain in the present, in the classroom, connected to their body and mind, by using their breath. This breath can even help you move deeper into poses, using your inhales and exhales to breathe into any discomforting tweaks in the body. It’s pretty crazy once you become aware of every feeling of your body. It becomes even more incredible when you find your body change, as it more comfortably bends into poses over time. As you match your breath with your movements, you reach a meditative state. It’s a state of now.

Now, you are connected.

Yoga in Everything

Even though there are numerous styles and levels of yoga classes, it’s not for everyone. Luckily, yoga is more than the practice. In fact, you can find yoga in anything.

Think about something you do that you love. When you are doing that thing, do you often feel as if you’re in a trance, finding yourself deep within the moment, present in the now, connected with yourself? That, is meditation.

Yoga has many branches. There is yoga in sound and creation (Nada), there is yoga in books and knowledge (Jana), there is yoga in action (Karma). Not to mention the different slices of the cake, like meditation, turning inward, or the superconsciousness (as mentioned earlier). You can find yoga even in things that have nothing to do with yoga.

One day, a friend taught me how to maintain a beat on the drums. As everyone around me jammed with other instruments, I fell into this trance-like state, following a rhythm, feeling an energy rising around me, connecting me with the moment, the music, and the people in the present. I realized, that was yoga.

I’ve found that same feeling when drawing mandalas, when painting hennas on friends, when walking in the mountains, or when cooking a new experimental meal. It’s this melodious, peaceful, blissful moment of being aligned with the now, with your mind, with your body, with yourself. You’re uninterrupted by judgements, uninterrupted by thoughts of the past or future. And then you look outside yourself and watch life as it is, and are in awe of it.

So, think about it. What is your yoga? Become aware of that power you have within yourself, and reconnect to the now.