What do we mean in yoga by honoring the body?

After living and experiencing life we may forget what it means to honor our bodies. Taking care of the body is one of the pillars of self-care (Monk, 2023). Avoid abusing your body.

We all do it. Cheat on a diet, have that extra drink, skip your regular exercise. That's okay on occasion, because you may need it, but get back on the wagon as soon as you can.

Honoring the body means going to scheduled healthcare appointments

Honoring the body means listening to the body. What does your body tell you it needs right now to stay healthy? Sore muscle? Should you work through it or pull back? Only you know when you listen carefully.

In beginning a yogic journey we explore different poses and go deeper in the poses as the body responds to new-found awareness of places within. Honoring the body means when you go into a pose, you find your edge and then feel safety first and pull back from that edge, as needed.

What Honoring the Yoga Body Means

As you do the practice more routinely you may feel comfortable going deeper into a pose. As you feel stronger, you may even find yourself going beyond what you know. The physical and mental benefits of going deeper are manifold. This type of deeper focus brings more mental clarity as different body parts generate chemicals that have an effect on the brain and thus, elevation of one's mood.

The Journey Within

Listening to your body is one of the most important parts of a yoga practice. Honor the body by going within. First start by asking yourself, “How do my different body parts feel at this moment?” Send your breath to these parts. The body is telling you to pull back or go deeper. It always depends on what you feel in this moment, in the present. To honor the body, listen to it.

Finding Your Comfort Edge

When you find calm in those body parts, whether by doing a pose or pulling back, it is much easier to either modify the pose or settle in. This calm relaxation in a pose begins to bring your journey inward. The body aches and pains become less of a distraction and you may find yourself moving the body in ways you haven't in years. Listen well. If you are not ready for it, you are not ready.

Finding the Edge

As you hold a pose you may feel different sensations. Your body speaks to you here. The longer you hold the pose, the more energy flows throughout the body softening the parts that were at first difficult or painful. Come into awareness of these sensations and determine whether it is pain or a certain body ache that you can gently work through.

Finding the edge means going into the pose slowly and deeply, once the depth gets too difficult, pull back from there and try again to go up to the edge a little later. Notice how your body has opened up. Eventually, you may even go past your current edge.

Giving yourself a challenge and always listening to your body is the best way to honor your amazing and very unique body throughout a yoga practice. No matter how broken down you think that your body may be, the body remains a true gift. It is there to help you find out who you really are.

References & Other Resources

Pilgramage of the Heart (n.d.), Honoring Your Body.

Monk, L. (2023). 4 Key Dimensions of Self-Care. Crisis & Trauma Research Institute.

Before introducing a new movement regimen, consult with your healthcare provider first.