Imagine this – you step onto your yoga mat wearing state of the art virtual reality goggles, switch the power on and as if by magic, you are surrounded by hot yoginis from your favorite vinyasa class  – all from the comfort of your bedroom. NO… this is not a new product yet, but I am sure it will be soon. (I should actually patent this idea!)

Virtual reality is a new type of consciousness brought to you by our friends from places like Silicon Valley.  They have created a whole new world to explore and experience – just by putting on a pair of fancy glasses.  But think about this, what if what we see, feel and experience through our unadorned eyes is just another kind of reality, no more or less real than this new technology. What if that which we understand as what is, may be as real or unreal as VR.

Yoga is not some acrobatic feat performed by lithe, bendy, beautiful happy people.  On the contrary, its long history reveals that it has been used for taming and healing the mind and the body.  There are many variations of yoga but they all connect the breath to movement; moving meditations. Breath  is said to be the link between the physical and the conscious, universal , spiritual (whatever you are comfortable calling it) energy.  Many times when you step on your mat you may not be happy and blissful at all, probably just the opposite. You could have just had a fight with your significant other, been assigned a time consuming irrelevant task at work – there are countless things that create frustration, stress and anxiety.  One purpose of yoga is to take these negative, toxic energies and transform them into something useful. Life will never be without anger, anxiousness or stress but you can learn not to be at the effect of these negative energies. The breathing and moving asanas can help you connect to an understanding of a greater reality. You breathe into the uncomfortable spaces and learn not to deny what is, but rather sit with your upset and and try to identify its source.   You may find clarity with what is really bothering you and why, for example you ate that pint of ice cream or yelled at the kids for well, just being kids.  Your yoga practice can create the space for you to develop insights on how to handle stressful situations, people feelings…whatever is irritating you.   It will actually give you the tools to be more in control  and effective in dealing with the challenges in your game of life and  guess what….you don’t even need fancy glasses!