All Possibilities Within

By guest blogger: Susan White

Om namah shivaya.

As a mantra to invoke a sense of awakening, respect and honour for one’s self, these are powerful words.

Used at the beginning of a yoga class, Om namah shivaya helps me awaken an intention to try what’s being taught and accept what I can and cannot do that day. At the end of a class, these words encourage me to take the lessons I’ve learned on the mat – lessons of resilience, peace, power and strength – and apply them to my daily struggles.

Om namah shivaya is a chant, a mantra, an affirmation that reminds us we have all possibilities within.

Recently, Melanie Caines focused her core vinyasa class on om namah shivay. Core yoga, she says, is a fiery practice, through which we can learn to stoke our own inner fire by cultivating heat and passion at the core of our being. Through core yoga, we can discover the capacity within ourselves to deepen our focus and in doing so, learn to bring that same fire to our everyday lives.

“Om” is an incantation to generate energy.

“Namah” is a salutation or bow.

“Shiva” refers to the Hindu god, Shiva, or the ultimate source of energy.

“Ya” indicates an offering.

Literally, these words are interpreted as “I bow to Shiva.”

Figuratively, they are commonly interpreted as “I honour the divinity within me,” where “Shiva” refers to one’s true inner self. “Om namah shivaya,” therefore, is an invocation to honour one’s self and the divine power that lies within us all.

It’s an important concept in yoga, both in practicing its teachings in life and its asanas on the mat.

Core vinyasa classes at Nova Yoga incorporate and support this mantra by focusing on connecting to the core of our bodies and developing inner strength.

A challenging class that’s typically not for newcomers to yoga, core vinyasa builds physical strength in the muscles of the abdomen, sides and back – our core, which supports the rest of our body.

Core vinyasa also challenges students to build inner strength. It takes focus to master arm balances. It takes confidence to tackle inversions. It takes a willingness to try to push past the discomfort that can come with ab work and understand that it will make us stronger in the end.

In yoga, as in life, it’s by challenging ourselves and pushing outside our comfort zones that we develop inner strength. And it’s by realizing we have those possibilities within ourselves that we begin to try.

Susan White is a communications professional and online health and wellness coach. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/susanwhiteNL, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/SusanWhiteNL or check out her blog at https://joyfulnoise2016.wordpress.com.