Spending time with friends brings great happiness but what role does our yoga practice play in enjoying and even creating friendships naturally?
“You are, or will become, the average of the five people you associate with the most.” – Brian Carruthers
Yoga reminds us that to have a friend we have to be one.
The first person that we see in the mirror is our self.
“Hi there friend!”
Yoga gives us the opportunity to get to know ourselves again. We can fall in love with ourselves over and over again each time we step on the mat, in a love affair that never ends. As we “re-remember” how awesome we are, we become our own best friend and this feeling naturally flows off the mat and into our life as we easily look forward to getting to know and encourage our friends at a deeper level too.
Yoga gives us the gift of self acceptance.
This is a very necessary gift because most of the time we are seeing our self “at our worst,” having just rolled out of bed, messy hair, still sleepy or dragging ourselves in after a trying and tiring day at work, to save our sanity!
If we can find acceptance in this capacity, we can accept others too!
As we grow more comfortable in our own skin while on our mat, it becomes just as easy to accept our friends as they are too, without judging them or trying to change them, simply enjoying their presence.
How beautiful it is, to be in the company of those who love us for who we are.
Yoga reminds us that there is more to us than what we see in the mirror.
The mirror in the yoga room is a powerful tool for transformation. It is a “metaphysical mirror.”
Looking at our self in the mirror can be uncomfortable at first, but worth every minute of it. Over time we begin to like and then to love our own reflection.
As we love our self more and more, the light from within, our true Self, begins to shine through. This is our Spirit, this is who we really are; a soul, immortal and eternal.
The realization that our body is simply the container for our soul and not who we really are, makes it easy to look past the reflection of others and to even interact with them at a much deeper level.
Our yoga practice gives us an opportunity not to speak, but to simply listen, for an hour.
By being silent and not speaking for an hour a day, we begin to hear the small still voice inside us. This still voice that begins as a quiet whisper can become like bullhorn to get our attention and it is a guide to all of our hearts desires.
By finding the stillness within we become better listeners in our friendships.
We begin to be fully present in our friendships; not feeling the need to interrupt, to look away or to get distracted. Ultimately this creates a bond of comfort and care by being there for our friends in their time of need.
Our yoga practice inspires us to live our yoga off the mat.
At the end of each class the teacher says Namaste’ and we respond in the same way.
Namaste’ is an ancient Sanskrit blessing. We are sent out into the world to live in a way that is a blessing to others.
To be able to see the Divine in our self first and then through our practice to be beautifully reminded to look for and see the Divine in our friends is the ultimate gift of our practice.
“I honor the place in you where the Universe resides,
I honor the place in you
of Love, of Truth, of Light and of Peace.
And when you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
there is only One of us.”
“If you don’t see God in all, then you can’t see God at all.”~ Yogi Bhajan
What are your thoughts on how yoga helps to build friendships?
I’d love to hear from you!
Karin xx
photo credit Ariel Leckband * all rights reserved
Epic Life Yogi 