How are you living life on and off the mat?

Welcome to Tales from the Mat - a space where people can express themselves. What it means to live a yoga lifestyle? What does the real practice of yoga mean to you?

Written by N. Raja K My childhood and teenage years were very happy. In my adulthood, I suffered from many hardships (stress, anxiety, a stiff body due to long hours and hard work for many years, supporting my own plus my fathers family of 12 for 30 years, bladder cancer and subsequent surgery than went wrong, hypertension for 8 years, blurred vision for about 5 years, a urostomy, and an ileostomy). Despite all this, at 64, I am one of the happiest persons in the world. Partly this is due to my will power. But partly and certainly, it is due to the practice of YOGA over the last 30 years or so. The first thing I do each morning without fail is yoga for 30 to 45 minutes in a very gentle slow way where all limbs are stretched gently and slowly to the maximum until there is a tingling sensation in all of my body's cells or at least in those limbs I am stretching. I can even do the shoulderstand - I had practiced this before the operation but even now with my two bags (urostomy and ileostomy), I can still manage it. It is extremely invigorating and uplifting. Despite the fact that I have to rest every 3 hours, and that I have lost 2 stone since my operation since I only digest 50% of my food, I am still able to work up to 8 hours a day after that without getting exhausted. I have much enthusiasm for my work, run a full time business and have time for my hobbies. Could I have come this far without my morning practice? I certainly wouldn't like to find out! random    next »

* Please note these stories are written by individuals, and in no way reflects the view of Yoga in Canada.