Yoga and Intimacy

What does yoga and intimacy have to do with each other? Everything! Yoga is about connection, oneness, unity. The word yoga itself means to unite in Sanskrit.

It can look like a very individual practice; everyone on his or her mat, concentrating, doing his or her own yoga. And yes, because first we are cultivating an intimacy with ourselves. We get to know all the aspects of our own being through the awareness that yoga is all about and which differences it from other gymnastics or workouts. We become aware of our bodies, its limits, its joys, its needs and desires. Through all the stretching and bending and twisting and breathing we get to know all the corners and pieces and parts we didn't even know we had. Absolutely essential for a good yoga practice is to cultivate respect for the body, which comes naturally when we start to pay attention, to listen , to be aware.

The breath and the body work in deep connection in the hatha yoga practice and the breath also works as a bridge between the body and our innermost being. Becoming connected and intimate with that part of ourselves opens the door to intimacy with other people and the world around us. We realize that we are part of it all, that we are part of a huge ecosystem called the universe. Out of that insight comes respect, compassion and love for our fellow human beings, for the animals, for the nature and the whole planet.

Yoga can guide you to a full experience of being you in your body, relaxed and grounded in consciousness. Your body's movements emerge from deep inside and are brought forth by the breath. That body-breath-soul connection is the very first intimate relationship one has. (I am not saying that yoga is the only way to find this connection but it is a good way. And maybe that's the reason why yoga is so popular these days; it fills a gap, giving people something they miss in their lives; that intimate connection with ones inner being.) In the beginning it can be challenging to drop images and ideas of perfection and goals to reach. But after a while we learn to relax and accept every moment as it unfolds, starting with our own bodies as we move with awareness exploring its limitations and needs.

When we can relax, rest and just be in ourselves, without the need to control or change things, the same will effortlessly happen in our relationships. When our yoga practice has become profoundly integrated in our whole being, a desire is born. A desire to embrace life in all its aspects.