
Like the resilient weeping willow tree above (in my neighbors' yard) that bends in a storm, yoga enables you to bounce back from the turmoils of life.
A month or so ago, I read an article by a yoga practitioner who bemoaned the fact that despite her regular yoga practice, she was experiencing a dark night of the soul. And, yes, no matter how many benefits you gain from yoga, it does not shield you from experiencing life's downturns.
Nothing can.
HOWEVER, if you practice yoga regularly with focus, feeling, and attention to your breathing, it will increase the strength and resilience of your mind, body, and spirit. And, when the storms of life arrive, you can endure them and bounce back more easily, just like the weeping willow tree.
The Random House unbridged dictionary's definition of resilience is . "the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. 2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy."
During the gusts of a fierce windstorm, a weeping willow tree may bend almost to the ground. Yet, it doesn't break. And, after the storm subsides, the weeping willow tree can stand upfright again. Likewise, if you experience a major life setback or loss, the accompanying heartache may make you may feel as if you are being knocked almost to the ground.
But, if you have been practicing yoga consistently for a while (at least a few months or so), you will build resilience in your mind, body, and spirit. And although, you won't be able to avoid the pain, the energy, serenity and flexibility that yoga instills in your mind, body, and spirit, will make you resilient. Like the weeping willow tree, you will be able to bounce back. Truly.
As the online Yoga Journal article, "Bouncing Back" noted, "...yoga often provides people with a powerful experience of inner tranquility. Knowing that such a state exists—and that they can get there—has given countless yoga students the support to move through difficult times." I could not agree more!
Yours for gaining another benfit of regular yoga practice - resilience.
Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Beginner's Yoga at Home Coach

TM
Also see: http://www.DoYogaAtHomeNow.com