Grow where you're planted...
I didn’t practice yoga consistently when I started college, but while I was studying abroad in Buenos Aires, I was able to take yoga as one of my classes. Shoutout to Pepperdine for offering this class because it was a highlight of my time in Argentina. That was really the catalyst for me starting to find my own yoga practice. Fast forward to 2020. The pandemic hit, sending Pepperdine students home unexpectedly and sending California into quarantine. I figured: what better time to embrace my practice and learn how to teach others? I signed up for a teacher training course and, for the next 8 weeks, I practiced yoga every single day (sometimes twice a day) trying to deepen my own practice in the hopes that I would be able to share this with others. It was a transformative 8 weeks that ended the day before I moved to Calamigos.
As I started to explore what makes yoga unique compared to other forms of exercise, I realized the power that comes from our breath. The breath that God breathes into us is the very breath that keeps our bodies moving and working day after day. Unlike many other forms of exercise, yoga forces you to draw inward. It leaves space for personal and spiritual exploration, and it can also be used as a way to worship God with our bodies.
I’ve struggled with anxiety for most of my life. At the root of anxiety is a desire for control, and our breath is one of the only things that we can truly control as human beings. The intricacies of the human body and the complexity of breath is pretty remarkable to think about. For instance, our breath gives us direct access to control our central nervous system, giving us the power to reduce anxiety and manage stressors.
Our bodies crave balance. We can all agree that 2020 has been the furthest thing from balanced. Mentally, physically and spiritually, everything we knew to be true about the way that society functioned quickly crumbled in the face of COVID-19. COVID was quite a stressor. Something that we know about the human body is that the more stress it is under, the harder every one of our cells has to work to keep us moving towards balance. Whether we consciously know it or choose to deny it, we all cope with life’s stressors. But we get to choose how to cope. That being said, Research shows that yoga is one of the few forms of exercise that enhances your mind-body connection, thereby increasing one’s capacity to be resilient, giving us the ability to bounce back and balance ourselves after experiencing a stressor.
Yoga can also draw us into community. When you attend a yoga class, you mimic an instructor’s movements. Research now shows that doing so activates mirror neurons in our brains that help us emulate movement and cultivate deeper compassion. It is pretty incredible that yoga not only holds physical benefits but is also an active step towards character development.
By no means am I saying that yoga is a simple, quick fix for your mental, physical and spiritual health. My experience as a Pepperdine graduate student amidst COVID living at Calamigos has still been one of the most challenging semesters I’ve gone through. But I’ve found some fun and inviting places around the ranch to roll out my mat and stay grounded. I’ve attempted countless handstands on the patio of our home, unrolled my mat on the top of the surrounding mountains to take in the sunset, and taught community classes in front of the carousel. It’s taught me to make the most of my environment, to embrace the obstacles of practicing in the outdoors, and to meet new students I wouldn’t have met anywhere else.
At the end of every yoga class is an extended period of savasana. From the outside looking in, savasana seems like nothing more than lying on your back. However, savasana teaches us to relax every muscle of our bodies, to melt into our mats, and to embrace the present moment. Because ultimately, regardless of how challenging the present is, it is the only thing we have. Our physical bodies are the homes that God has given us to steward for the rest of our lives and there is no time better than today to start caring for your body as a temple.
As Pepperdine students across the country look to spring with the anticipation of what another semester of online learning will hold, I imagine our community reaching for the last rung of what has been a seemingly endless row of monkey bars. But much of what I’ve learned from yoga is that God's desire for us to care for our bodies comes from His larger desire to invite us on a lifelong adventure of exploration with Him. So if you find yourself with some spare time, a mat, and a craving to get outside, consider unrolling your mat around the ranch. I promise you that your body, mind and spirit will thank you. And who knows? You might even make some friends along the way.
By: Shaya Aguilar