Exploring the Benefits of Yoga for Mind, Body, and Santosha
- Gill Buchanan, Author
- Mar 18
- 2 min read
The thing I’ve learnt about yoga is that it works for your mind as well as body. By stopping and taking to my mat for thirty minutes a day, I am able to calm my mind as well as stretch and flex my body, soothing aches and pains away.
Yoga poses to calm Mind and Body
Pigeon pose (yes, interesting name) is a powerful hip opener that stretches the glutes relieving tension and improving your range of motion. I was getting quite a bit of pain in my right hip area and so I include this pose in my routine every day. And it works.
Warrior Two is my favourite pose as I find it quite easy and it makes you feel strong and mighty!
A kind forgiving, Yoga Teacher
My teacher, Sarah Beth, (Sarah Beth Yoga on YouTube) has a calming voice and her instructions are very clear. She offers modifications for the harder postures and recognises that we are all different. Good to know.
Santosha - Contentment
Recently Sarah has talked of ‘Santosha’ which is part of yoga philosophy and means ‘Contentment’.
It is about being content with what you have in the here and now and not wishing you had more or that things were different. I’ve tried to carry this thought with me on and off my yoga mat and am finding it very useful. When something challenging pops up in your day, you can remind yourself of Santosha.
Using Santosha in your everyday life
It is a 45-minute drive to my art class on a Friday and having grabbed a take-away coffee I am always pleased if I get there on time. Recently I got there to find that no one was there and the door was locked. At first, I felt frustrated. Then I looked up to the sky, felt the warmth of the sunshine and sipped my coffee. Being outside in the daylight is good for setting your circadian rhythm, helping you to sleep well at night. This was a happy coincidence. Santosha.
In my novel Life beyond the Garden Gate, which I plan to publish in May, my character, Annie, practices yoga to help her get through difficult times in her life. Despite being homeless, she carries with her a sense of calm.
Life beyond the Garden Gate will be available on Amazon in Paperback and on Kindle.
In the meantime, you might want to read: The Artist who married a Farmer
To find out about all of my novels: https://tr.ee/gill_buchanan
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