Yoga Can Strengthen Your Relationships. Here's How

Yoga is more than physical exercise: it's our much-needed respite from the world. We turn to yoga to relax, unwind, and repair. Whether you've argued with your partner or become disgruntled with your boss, taking the time to cool down and reflect is pivotal. The remarkable peace we endure in yoga practice holds the key to better communication and stronger relationships.

Yoga isn't an exercise; it's a philosophy. Western cultures have a habit of taking practices from the East and stripping them of their spiritual message. Yoga is no different and often times yoga becomes synonymous with flexibility or simply physical exercise. While incredible for building strength, yoga is more about communicating with one's own body. Concepts such as sukha (ease) and sthira (steadiness) are critical to yogic philosophy – but their lessons are intended to apply on and off the mat.

We are supposed to approach our lives with the same comfort, ease, and openness with which we do a forward fold or downward dog. That means listening to our friends, family, and colleagues, being open to their ideas and feedback. Meanwhile, the strength of sthira help us to support those in need and weather criticism when it arises.

Yoga is a metaphor; the mat is a microcosm of the wider world. It's up to you to learn its lessons.

Yoga is meditation in motion. Try to hold onto your angst, and you'll struggle – with yoga, it drifts away. Your mind calms, tranquility descends, and you reflect on the argument you had with a clearer perspective.

And while solo sessions are an insightful and meditative experience, when we delve into our own psyche, it doesn't always have to be so isolating. In fact, pursuing yoga with your friends or partner can build intimacy, develop communication, and strengthen your relationship.

Yoga is the flow – the prana, or life energy that we all have both individually and together.