Zion Yoga and Simple Living

Yoga is the Answer

Why?

• Because failure is impossible.
• Because success is inevitable.

How?

• Through understanding.
• With proper understanding adequate discipline will naturally ensue.

Where?

• Practice everywhere.
• Results will manifest in the heart, mind and body.

When?

• Always.

Who?

• The best version of you; the “sublime” self.

What?

• A path.

Begin the Journey

If you have stumbled across this page today it is because you are seeking either healing or enrichment for your life, as am I. I am not accomplished; I am merely on the path. I am confident that I see the way, though and that is why I can perhaps point you in the correct direction and introduce you to the basic tools. Each individual, once upon the path, will advance at different speeds and from different perspectives we can offer each other a boost and that is the fiber of life.

Once you decide that you wish to improve your well-being you can easily slide right on to the path which leads you towards improved health and happiness because making that choice is the first major hurdle.

It is natural to stray from the path from time to time, the important factor here being attitude; honesty with oneself is of the utmost importance. It is essential in this practice. You will easily distinguish between improper justifying of your actions and simple wrong behavior. Accept bad behavior but do not justify it; acknowledge it and lavish love and forgiveness upon yourself. Laugh at your stupidity and move forward.

There are no sacrifices or compromises to make if you are truly ready; this evolution is a process and has no time qualifications.

No rigidity is involved in this process. Awareness is the key factor and beyond awareness comes action, discipline and exponentially, noticeable progress.

Why We are Here

We are here because we know that engaging in yoga practices can certainly not harm us while inevitably bringing increased peace of mind and well- being into our lives.

Once we accept that these practices will certainly enhance every aspect of our lives there comes a natural pleasure to applying the necessary discipline and maintaining it.

Yoga is a way of life. Every action in your life will become infused with yoga including your perception of all people, animals, objects and situations.

We are perfect beings, at our core. We are inhibited by information we have received throughout our lives; social conditioning. Some behaviors have been so deeply instilled in us as “correct” or the only “acceptable way” that we are unable to realize that they cause us anxiety. Modern society increasingly uses fear based persuasion for marketing purposes and we accept, support and even cultivate its claims. Stress is rampant in our culture and it makes us sick. We are slowly losing our connection with our sublime selves. This can be reversed through yoga.

The progress we make through yoga practices is comparable to developing wrinkles, grey hairs or the like; it does not happen over night but will be noticeable in retrospect. Everyone will start from a different point, many variables come into play and each path is unique. It is impossible to compare individual progress with any other person’s and furthermore, it is not relevant. Occasionally, there may even be backward progress but that is part of the journey and it will not last.

On the Path

Meditation is proven to increase well-being and peacefulness. It also improves brain and bodily functions. There are levels of meditation which can be reached with practice but every level bears rewards. Yoga asana (physical yoga poses) are designed as a means to achieve the ability, through strength, stamina and peacefulness, to sit comfortably in stillness for extended periods of time.

Pranayama, yogic breathing techniques are a fundamental and essential component of a yoga practice.

Asana, yogic postures, is another component of a yoga practice which is commonly used in the West as an exercise for fitness. While asana will, indeed, improve fitness, a yoga practice is incomplete if we exclude the other essential components.

A well rounded, beginner’s yoga practice must also include familiarity with basic yoga philosophy. It is not necessary to make sacrifices to adopt a yogic attitude. Once a basic understanding of this attitude is assimilated, the life enriching behavior will automatically ensue. Not overnight though!

There are many more components but for now we will focus on meditation, pranayama and asana.

Little by little, I intend to post valuable instruction, images, videos and text here for you to explore and enjoy. It benefits all of us to help each other however we can so…

Just follow this blog and we’ll have an adventure!