Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Ohm, is a chant. This is something I learned many years ago, while practicing yoga. I would have to say that all told, I've probably spent a good ten years or more studying yoga in varying forms, depending on the teacher, or yogi, as some like to be called. Yoga is not for wusses (someone ought to put this on a bumper sticker!). It is a very strenuous form of exercise, that while challenging to the body, is also challenging to one's mind and spirit. Every teacher has their own unique approach to inspiring their students and while yoga is not a competitive sport, I've come across more than one teacher who went against the basic philosophy of yoga, which is "listen to your body". There were times when my inner voice told me in no uncertain terms, "stop what you're doing, you're going to hurt yourself", while my yoga teacher would promptly move from body to body, readjusting and repositioning until the pain was unbearable.....I should have listened to my body! I have, in fact, hurt myself numerous times while trying to achieve the perfect posture. I've cracked a rib and pulled a number of muscles and ligaments, all in the name of perfection. These days my yoga mat doesn't see much action and I have gone from yoga to Pilates since I find this to be less taxing on my body, while pretty much achieving the same thing...a longer and leaner posture. I will always love the idea of yoga and, to this day, still stretch in the morning to limber up my body so I can actually stand up straight, but I think I'll pass my yoga mat on to someone else at this point. For more information about everything yoga, visit www.yogajournal.com.