Living a happier life through the practice of Yoga

Element: Earth in Fire or Air in Fire

Resilience is the ability to stay calm during crisis and to be capable of acting competently and well-considered instead of emotionally driven. In terms of the elements that means that one is able to stay connected to the earth even if one´s thrown into fire by life or to develop a sense of ease and joy – air – in these intense periods of time. The good news is: We can learn resilience! This is due to the amazing capability of our brain to change, which in neurosciences is called “neuroplasticity”. That means that almost like a muscle, we can train certain patterns in our brain we want to grow bigger, while not training those patterns which don´t serve us, e.g. being reactive or stressed out by challenges.
So if we want to live a more happy and fulfilled life and to stay connected to a sense of deep joy even facing challenges, we need to train – metaphorically speaking – the “happiness muscle” in our brain. The more often we intentionally decide to be happy by focusing on the positive experiences right now, the more often our brain will let us experience happiness! 
This is where the yoga practice comes in: Try to concentrate in every asana on what feels great right now and develop a feeling of happiness about it. 
That will set you on the path towards becoming a more resilient person, meaning with practice, your brain will naturally choose this option of happiness, even in situations facing challenges. 

Connect with Johanna

Instagram @johannayoga
Gratitude for Our Roots: Stronger Together by Genell Huston

Gratitude for Our Roots: Stronger Together by Genell Huston

Many traditions over time have spoken to the veils being thinner this time of year. The space between our dense tangible bodies to the formless self becomes less, and therefore, lies an offering to deepen connection. We can lean into this time and steep deeper into...

read more
Ball Rolling the Piriformis with Pam Godbois

Ball Rolling the Piriformis with Pam Godbois

What is the Piriformus? The Piriformis is one of the 'deep 6' hip muscles responsible for external rotation of the thigh bone. It is also a muscle that sits right in the middle of the gluteals and often responsible for that pain you get right in the middle of your...

read more
Changing the Patterns of the Mind with Pam Godbois

Changing the Patterns of the Mind with Pam Godbois

Thought Patterns Our thought patterns develop as a result of our life experiences. The interesting thing is, it doesn't take a large number of negative experiences to product negative thought patterns. We all have patterns that do not serve us, the sneaky truth about...

read more
The Chaturanga Breakdown with Matt Giordano

The Chaturanga Breakdown with Matt Giordano

Engagment Vs. Alignment There are so many opinions about how to do each posture in yoga, and they each of their benefits and their draw backs. The major confusion however comes from not understanding the difference between a muscle engagement and an alignment....

read more
Water Meditation with Corinne Farrell

Water Meditation with Corinne Farrell

The Flow of Life Embracing the flow of life can be challenging, but with the right tools it is possible. Picture the river of your life, it might be deep, it might be rapid, and there may even be several obstacles standing in your way. Are you in the flow or are you...

read more