Yoga cultivates connection and strengthens community
By Shelley Smith
Sun contributor
Yoga is a popular pursuit these days. Once perceived as an obscure or esoteric practice, the millennia-old science of yoga has become mainstream in our Western world.
Here in northern Michigan, we enjoy a vast array of yoga and meditation offerings to serve various interests and lifestyles. There are daily fitness-style yoga classes at luxury studios, and weekly free community yoga sessions in local churches and halls. Traditional practices focused on breath and energy provide a quiet contrast to modern flows with music and dance mixed in. Summer brings yoga outdoors with seasonal classes at wineries, meditation along a river, and yoga in the park or on the beach. The traditionally Indian practice of yoga is now valued by people from all walks of life for its physical, mental, and communal experience.
We know that yoga can bring us strength, flexibility, and a sense of inner peace. But how do the benefits of yoga stretch beyond our individual bodies and minds into our local community?
The meaning of the word Yoga is found in its Sanskrit root “Yuj,” meaning “to yoke” or “to join.” Yoga is union; it cultivates connection. We might experience this union as a feeling of deeper presence with our true selves while practicing yoga, or a sense of harmony between body, mind and spirit. Some perceive a connection of the individual soul with a universal consciousness, or a growing awareness that, despite our apparent outer separateness, when we go deep inside “all is one.”
As a novice yoga teacher nearly 20 years ago, I wrote my first bio wearing rose-colored glasses and embodying the vivid enthusiasm common to a fresh devotee on the yoga-as-career path. “Hi, I’m Shelley! I’m inspired to share these practices because I believe in the power of yoga to create positive change in individuals, communities, and our world!”
I’ve since become a lot more experienced with yoga and in life, and I’m less inclined to place my trust solely in the power of positive thinking. But the long-term practice of yoga has proven itself in its results. Even now, as an expert yoga teacher, holistic wellness coach, and rational, responsible, middle-aged parent, I’d say the essence of my initial sentiment still rings true in my mind and heart: yoga creates positive change in ourselves, our communities, and our world.
A yoga class or meditation is an invitation to connect with our true selves. We slow down and turn our attention inward, beginning to let go of the stress, pressure, and worry we’ve been carrying. Yoga helps us return to a peaceful inner space where we feel our own breathing and truly inhabit our bodies. A place where we can quiet the chatter of our minds to hear the wisdom of our hearts.
And what happens when we let go of the weight of the world and come back to ourselves? We feel good! We become centered and connected. Then, when we step off our mats and into the world, we take that presence with us. It flows outward in a “butterfly effect,” or a ripple of “pay it forward” positivity.
From that deeper sense of peace and ease we choose patience while navigating the adventure of driving home in summer traffic. We pick up misplaced litter we notice on a trail and place it where it belongs. We offer a supportive smile when a grocery clerk struggles through serving that very long line of shoppers. We bring warmth and presence as we arrive home to greet wild and wonderful children, and choose to speak calmly while repeating requests for what feels like the hundredth time. We lean into empathy and seek understanding when facing conflict. And so on.
Practicing yoga leads us to show up to our lives in a way that is aligned with who we really are. It connects us to ourselves, our surroundings, and each other. And the more connected we feel, the stronger and better our community is for all.
Today I’m writing with a strong sense of gratitude for yoga and connections and community, while sitting in the middle of a mess of half-packed boxes. The carriage house we’ve rented in downtown Traverse City for the past year and a half is becoming a short-term rental this summer.
It’s no secret that affordable housing is a challenge in this precious corner of the world, but that’s not the perspective I’m pondering right now. Instead, I’m appreciating the way we found our next space: by leaning into connection. I sought my inner peaceful self often while navigating the search for a new home. And I sensed that our best chance for finding housing in the high season would be to openly share our need with everyone we know and trust. As you can imagine, this generous and supportive northern Michigan community came through! A friend led us to a sweet, peaceful rental in northern Leelanau County, a place I’ve always wanted to live, and just in time.
The value of connection shines over and over in the unfolding of life experience. Practicing yoga helps us to cultivate connection with ourselves, to show up as our authentic and best selves, and that naturally leads us to create connections with others who become trusted friends and caring community. I experience the beauty of that in the friends and neighbors who offer me their smiles, time, love, care and support, and I feel it in the gift of being invited into their lives too, in both good times and hardship, to contribute my own love, care, support and service.
Yoga supports connection, and it ripples outward. It uplifts our community and enhances our lives.
I’m excited to experience yoga and life in our new surroundings this summer, and look forward to sharing more about the people and places offering yoga and supporting wellness in Leelanau. I hope you’ll feel inspired to try a new class or attend an event that deepens your connection with yourself, your surroundings, and your community. Let’s connect and enjoy our community together.
