6 Yoga Poses With Spiritual Lessons
When you start a yoga practice, you embark upon a journey of self-discovery that will help you grow and evolve into the best person you can be.
By approaching your yoga practice with an open mind and heart, you will soon discover that each yoga pose you do has a spiritual lesson to teach you.
The wisdom you gain on your yoga mat has the power to create positive changes in all areas of your life.
It can develop your self love, improve your relationships, and give you the strength to overcome life’s challenges calmly and peacefully.
Let’s take a look at 6 popular yoga poses and the spiritual lessons we can learn from them :
Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
All trees begin their journey of life as tiny little seeds buried in the ground.
When the first few days pass by, it seems as though nothing is happening. But with faith, patience and nurturing, the seed eventually breaks through the darkness and rises towards the light.
Tree pose encourages us to keep showing up for ourselves even when we can’t see the results of our hard work, and to remain grounded, stable and even-minded through all four seasons of life.
In spring we approach life with a renewed sense of hope, possibility and growth. In summer we see the fruits of our labour blossom around us. In autumn we learn to let go, slow down and welcome simplicity back into our lives. And in winter we retreat into our souls, reflecting inwardly on everything we have learned throughout the year.
Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana)
We all have a warrior within us that has the power to overcome any challenges life throws at us.
No matter how many times life has knocked us down, warrior pose reminds us to remain disciplined on our spiritual path.
It teaches us that our greatest battles will lead us to our greatest victories, and encourages us to approach life with truth, honour and integrity.
As we step into Warrior pose, we turn our gaze away from the delusions of time, space and matter (referred to as ‘Maya’ in the Vedas), and we tap into our divine nature.
We reconnect with our souls and in doing so we awaken courage, strength and wisdom within us.
Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Pigeon pose takes us on a journey towards freedom.
It reminds us that we are worthy of love no matter what, and it teaches us to express the beauty that lies within our hearts.
It encourages to let go of our fears and embrace all of life’s experiences with open arms.
We learn that it’s only when we take a leap of faith and step outside our comfort zone that we realise that we have the power to fly!
Dancer’s Pose (Natrajasana)
Dancer’s pose teaches us to navigate through the dualities of life with balance, harmony and peace.
In moments of uncertainty and change we learn to surrender control, adapt and go with the flow.
We learn that success in life is the ability to transition from movement to stillness in our minds with ease and grace.
And by tuning into the rhythm and energy of the universe, we learn to follow the wisdom and intuition of our soul.
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Child pose is the relief we need after an exhausting day - it brings us back home to ourselves and draws up feelings of security and comfort within us.
It reminds us that life is an adventure through which we can be playful, happy and creative.
We learn not to take life too seriously so that we can enjoy the moment and be grateful for everything we experience along the way.
It’s ok if we don’t have everything figured out right now. We aren’t ahead or behind anyone else.
The answers we seek are inside us, and by trusting ourselves and the universe we will always end up right where we are meant to be.
Full Body Relaxation aka Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Savasana helps us to detach from the outside world and reconnect with our inner peace at the deepest level.
It is a reset; a reminder that everything we have on Earth is borrowed, so we should strive to remain inwardly content through both loss and gain.
Our material successes are temporary, but our spiritual victories are timeless.
By switching off our senses and stilling our minds, we strip back from any limiting beliefs we are carrying and experience a feeling of lightness, liberation and limitless potential.
When we come out of savasana and gently open our eyes, we are ready to step into the world with a fresh perspective on life.
