Did you know that whatever position your body is in right now is considered a yoga pose? Welcome to a new episode of According to The Cassels, where we are discussing all things yoga. We begin to understand Amy’s passion behind yoga while she gives us a sneak peek into her movement history, from practicing body flow for 12 years to moving her practice to pure and Holy Yoga flow. She delves into the power of her breath, how she roots her faith within her practice, and her never-ending desire to learn and grow. We also start to understand where Tray fits into all of this, his personal experiences of restorative yoga, and watching and supporting Amy on her yoga journey. We look at the history of yoga, the misconceptions around its origin, and how it is unable to be bound by any religion. We hope that from this episode, you begin to understand that, no matter your religious beliefs, yoga is a practice of prayer, a time of faith, and a form of meditation.  

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic is yoga!
• The history behind Amy’s 12-year body flow practice. 
• The importance of using your breath, and not music, within your yoga practice.
• How Amy became a certified yoga instructor. 
• How Tray began his yoga journey with restorative yoga.
• The known and unknown history of yoga.
• Discussing how and why Hinduism is connected to the growth of yoga.
• Amy’s experience of deepening her practice by practicing and training in Holy Yoga.
• The importance of correct body alignment while holding yoga positions.
• The significance of the mentioning of ‘unity’ within scripture. 
• Scientific studies that prove the benefits of yoga (and its systems) on our bodies and minds.
• The 8 areas/steps of classic yoga.
• The ways that Amy and Tray incorporated their love for Christ within their faith-based yoga.
• Amy and Tray’s recommendations for those who want to begin their own yoga practice.
• How we can combat our daily struggles, stress, and physiological issues using yoga.
• The importance of proper yoga clothing and mat.

Tweetables:

“Restorative yoga is basically a yoga nap.” — @amy_cassels [0:05:36] 

“There is a common misconception that yoga is rooted in Hinduism. But, on the contrary, Hinduism religious structures evolved much later, and incorporated some physical practices of yoga way later on.” — @amy_cassels [0:06:44]

“There is not a single position that you can get into, with your body, that is not considered a yoga pose.” — @amy_cassels [0:07:09]

“You have the ability to use yoga as your time of prayer, your time of faith, as your time of meditation.” — @amy_cassels [0:08:20]

“Yoga is the movement and the breath. And you can incorporate that movement and breath into a religion.” — Tray Cassels [0:12:01]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Yoga for Dummies

Yoga with Adriene

Yoga with Adriene on YouTube

Amy Cassels

Amy Cassels on Twitter

Amy Cassels on Instagram

Amy Cassels on LinkTree

Amy Cassels on YouTube

ONE Way Life

According to the Cassels Podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

NingxiaRed

Sparkle Dust