Rise in Love – Relationships and Yoga

Yoga could be perfect, even if it’s an unusual tool to sort out your relationship woes.

Relationships and yoga are two words that don’t seem to have anything in common. What could be the connection between my ability to stretch the body and my relationship with my spouse, right? Unless I am particularly talking about sex, which I am not.

To start with, there is a need for clearing the air. Yoga, contrary to the general idea is not just about Asanas (Stretching). True, Asana is one among the 8 limbs of Yoga as enunciated by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra. But Yoga,
in its essence, is a science that caters to all levels of your existence, not just the body. Among the many facets of Yoga is Jnana, knowledge. Yoga gives you knowledge of the body that lies at the periphery and your true self, the
Aatman, at its core. It also throws light at your feelings, emotions and that tricky thing called the mind too, Among the lessons that yoga teaches you, the foremost is of love. It reminds you about your own uniqueness and
the absolute necessity for you to fall in love with yourself. Not just you, but also your significant other is unique too. So treating the other as you would treat yourself should also come naturally to you.

Yoga means union, with your higher consciousness. And any Union can be possible only with Love. As an enlightened master of our time is often heard to say – ‘Love is not an emotion. Love is your very Nature.’ This is the
greatest lesson yoga teaches you. Unfortunately, we tend to turn a blind eye towards our very nature. The fast, stressful lifestyle that we lead often brings out our not so lovable side. So what can yoga do to you? With continuous and sincere practice, yoga develops qualities in you that could be priceless in a relationship. We shall look at each of them and see their relevance in relationships.

Calmness:

The ability to remain calm and maintain equanimity in any situation is a gift that you should not trade for anything in the world. Without this quality, you react to situations instead of responding to them. Yoga synchronises your system and makes you calm.

Patience & Perseverance:

If you want life to work like instant noodles, you are then heading for disappointment. Everything in life takes its own sweet time to manifest,that includes the changes that you would want to see in your loved ones and yourself too. To not give up on both people and yourself is of paramount importance in life’s journey. With Yoga, patience becomes a part of your nature and you start empathising with yourself and your loved ones.

Inevitability of Mistakes:

Mistakes are an inevitable part of life. The trick here is to see the mistakes as happenings, not blaming yourself or your partner and taking lessons from them. With Yoga, as you ascent newer levels of consciousness, this simple
truth of life becomes more and more apparent.

Flexibility:

Most of our relationship troubles arise out of our rigidity towards life. With yoga, your entire being becomes lighter. This lightness makes you flexible and open to others views. And  the openness, in turn, leads you to
better relationships and handling all of life’s situations with maturity.

Words by Hrishikesh Bhat          Photographs from Various Sources