The daily benefits of living like a yogi

Daily benefits of living like a yogi: A look at how to improve the quality of our lives by taking on the ways of the yogi.

The most devout yogis of the world maintain a peaceful and contented lifestyle, so why shouldn’t we incorporate some of that into our own daily lives? Well, first of all we need to understand just what a ‘yogi’ actually is. They have been described as someone who has “realised the wisdom of pure awareness”. To reach this place a yogi practices meditation to an extent that they achieve an incredible level of control over their body and mind. They can totally remove themselves from the outside world and connect with the spirit in isolation for long periods of time. This may seem extreme and unachievable for most of us living a busy, stressful life, yet there are some principles that may be learned and applied.

Connect

To connect with the spirit, the inner you, is the priority for any yogi; use basic mediation techniques and spend some time focussing inward. If our attention is directed this way we can open our hearts and minds and be present. This is a discipline by which any of us can live. Apply a mantra for the day such as “be open, be present, be kind” and repeat this when your outside thoughts start to creep in and interrupt.

Expand

We not only need to look inwards as an apprentice yogi, we need to develop a bigger understanding of our world and surroundings. We must practice the physical as well and the spiritual; connecting with nature, learning the arts, investigating therapies and medicines, look at the science of our planet, and promote positivity within it. Read up on philosophy, take a course, and expand your world within your world. At the very least we can emulate the yogi practice of focussing our thoughts towards the preservation and wellness of the world – this can also be done through meditation.

Create

To create positive change in our lives we need to use the power of our thoughts to really focus our intentions on the greater good. Find empathy and compassion for those around us and find the positive in everything; this is one of life’s greatest challenges, to try to live without ego and see things purely without judgement. It is not impossible and with continued practice can be attained. Once we find this clarity there is no end to what our positive intentions can achieve.

Endeavour

Finding yourself in a position of clarity can then allow you to endeavour to treat every moment, every challenge as an opportunity to express your new found patience and compassion. This will bring such peace and relief in life as you gently master the art of the masters.

Listen

And when yogis say listen, it means really listen. Not just hear the words of a friend or colleague but fully engage and prevent yourself from thinking what you can add to the conversation next – sometimes we completely miss the point of others by involving our own ego. Remove yourself, allow another’s thoughts and ideas to flow and really hear them. This in turn will teach us compassion and understanding.

Breathe

When those general life challenges come in the form of ungrateful, unthoughtful, insensitive human actions and are directed right at you, there is only so much patience we can naturally have, this is when trying to channel your inner yogi becomes most vital on the path to becoming a peaceful human. We need to step out of the box and not necessarily ignore the actions of others but take our own ego out of the situation. One way to give yourself the time and better energy and focus to do so is to have a breathing practice. This will take you out of the moment, avoid any rage or unwanted reaction taking place and give you space to connect with the more compassionate you. Use the breath as a sanctuary. Exhaling sends a message to your brain to allow and urge your body to relax; the heart rate reduces and our stress instinct of fight or flight slips away. If this is difficult for you to achieve alone you can try counting as you inhale and exhale trying to lengthen the number while breathing out to more than breathing in and induce calm. If you have even longer than this takes you can focus on every part of you from tip to toe, one by one in a sequence and really begin to be aware of each part. By the time you reach the peak of your head you will feel far more present and anchored in calm.

Stand

Whenever you’re in a situation of waiting or an obstacle is preventing you from continuing your daily grind, have a quick personal check. Are you slouching? Straighten your shoulders, lengthen your neck, push the tip of your head towards the sky, keep your back straight, hips aligned. Once you’re all in line then you can add a few deep breaths and channel your inner mountain posing in ‘tadasana’.

This is not something which should add stress or complication to your life, and it is a process which may take time depending on your consistency and capability in the moment. However, these are all things which anyone can practice and with time and patience a pathway towards personal happiness and inner peace may be achieved. Become more resilient to life’s challenges by utilising the wise ways of the yogi: use them wisely and apply them broadly for a simpler, more peaceful existence.