Alas, the final practice...for the time being. Yoga has always held a place in my heart. From a very young age there were aspects of the body, my body, that I always wanted to reconnect with. Perhaps, in past lives, I was a gymnast, athlete or something in that spectrum of athletic ability, however presently as far away as I have been from any of those physical attributes, within there has always been a knowing, that I could, can, and have been able to attain certain levels of ability. What I didn't consider is that this practice would unite not just the body but also the mind and the spirit. How though, could anything in and of the physical garner such hold over the ethereal? This is the magnificence of what a practice of yoga does.
Throughout the history of yoga, the ancient texts shed light on levels of attainment that can be transcended through the discipline of the practice, to reach a state of bliss, awareness and enlightenment and this is why the practice was brought to humankind, to allow us to find that stillness of the mind and go within to pull forward all the knowledge that has been locked, held, kept inside.
From an elementary standpoint, for some, yoga is an exercise, a means to keep the body in active shape to the desired level of the practitioner. It is the physical aspect of the practice though that teaches the student to focus. As the student engages in different asanas or poses gradually the mind turns towards what is being felt: the placement of the body and the breath. At the focal point of the student's practice, the mind becomes clear and resides only in the moment of engagement.
There are many facets of yoga tradition that can be studied today as it offers a system for each individual to live by. For my part, exemplifying these tenants has become part of my practice although everybody's yoga journey is different. It takes a consistent practice and heart felt desire to decern where yours may take you.