Yoga As Moving Meditation

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One of the reasons that many people find yoga so relaxing is that it helps you to consciously slow down your breathing. Each time you move you breathe in or breathe out, noticing how the breath matches the movements.

There is a Buddhist belief that there are a predetermined number of breaths one gets in a life and yoga offers a healthier form of exercise, than say, jogging for this reason.

I find that the combination of opposing movements and conscious breathing makes me feel deliciously relaxed and the final shavasana (corpse pose) allows me to enjoy that feeling mindfully for several minutes at the end of each practice.

It’s surprisingly easy for me to get myself to go out of my way and pay money to take yoga classes and surprisingly difficult to sit quietly on a mat for no cost at all in my living room to meditate.

It’s not the same as meditation, but yoga does have some similar effects and I’ll take my peace whenever and however I can get it.