When most people think of yoga, they are thinking of the physical practice - the asana. While some may question how strenuous it is, it is generally considered to be a type of exercise. And, beyond a few breathing exercises and maybe even a couple of minutes of meditation at the end, this is how mainstream yoga is most often taught.
This has certainly been my experience in yoga classes. Up until recently, I would say that 90% of my yoga practice was dedicated to the physical practice.
Which was cool. I knew that the physical aspect was just one part of yoga - and that there was a lot that I didn't regularly practice or even really know about - but I got so much out of the physical side, that it didn't really bother me.
And no - I am not just talking about being more flexible or slimming down. I found that through my practice, I was calmer, more in control of my emotions, more focused, more energised, more positive, more in tune with what I needed (be it physically or emotionally). All good things that you didn't necessarily get from any other form of exercise.
So I must admit to be somewhat shocked and a little confused when, on the first day of my yoga teacher training, our teacher told us that he didn't really practice asana anymore.
Don't get me wrong - my teacher knows his asana. He has spent decades perfecting poses (I mean, he even used to practice and teach Ashtanga-style yoga, which is a very strong, physical practice). But, as he constantly reminds us in class, doing asana is not yoga - it is just one component of a greater system that is yoga. And it is only a small component at that. And, he has explained, he has reached a point in his yoga practice where generally speaking he doesn't need to practice asana.
But, if it isn't about handstands and backbends like we have all been lead to believe, what is yoga?
Well, at its core it is a system or method through which, if followed and worked at consistently and with dedication, we can reconnect with our true self. Which I know sounds a bit hippy. But basically it is a way of stripping back all of things that we identify with as being part of our "self" - the external possessions and our ideas and thoughts that make up who we "think" we are (i.e. the identity that we have created for ourselves - or let others create for us) so that we just be ourselves. And when we are ourselves, we can be the happy, loving and calm beings that we are all meant to be. Kind of nice, right?
To get to this point though, we need a strong, healthy and balanced body. Which is where doing a regular asana practice comes into it - stretching and strengthening our bodies to bring it into balance and remove any pain or tightness that keep us from feeling physically at ease. But that isn't the end of it. We also need to calm and bring ease to our nervous system, which we can do through regular breathing exercises (pranayama). And we need to bring stillness to our minds, which is achieved through meditation to bring our mind to a single point of focus. And we also need to act in a way that is kind, truthful and compassionate - both in our relationships with others and with ourselves.
When the bigger picture was explained to us in class, what struck me was that the yogic path was kind of where I was heading anyway - I just wasn't aware of it. This is not to say that I have been living this perfect, balanced yogi life up until now. But it is what I strive for - what I thought life should be all about. So all this time I had been thinking that I wasn't being a a proper yogi because I didn't really know what the 8 limbs were about, it turns out that I had been heading in the right direction all along!
But in spite of this revelation, I still can't picture me ever getting to a point where I no longer want or need to do my asana practice. It just brings me so much joy! I love how I feel after I have taken my body through a long and thorough practice. And I feel that it plays an important part in my larger yoga practice - it teaches me discipline and patience, it challenges my ego (especially when I face-plant in the middle of a full class), it makes my body feel strong, my breathing even and my mind alert and calm. And it can be fun! And I am pretty sure there is nothing in the Yoga Sutras that say yoga can't be fun (although, admittedly, I have not read - definitely do not understand - all of the Sutras yet).
So while I am enjoying learning and embracing all the other aspects of yoga, I am not going to be giving up my mat anytime soon.
Namaste!
This has certainly been my experience in yoga classes. Up until recently, I would say that 90% of my yoga practice was dedicated to the physical practice.
Which was cool. I knew that the physical aspect was just one part of yoga - and that there was a lot that I didn't regularly practice or even really know about - but I got so much out of the physical side, that it didn't really bother me.
And no - I am not just talking about being more flexible or slimming down. I found that through my practice, I was calmer, more in control of my emotions, more focused, more energised, more positive, more in tune with what I needed (be it physically or emotionally). All good things that you didn't necessarily get from any other form of exercise.
So I must admit to be somewhat shocked and a little confused when, on the first day of my yoga teacher training, our teacher told us that he didn't really practice asana anymore.
Don't get me wrong - my teacher knows his asana. He has spent decades perfecting poses (I mean, he even used to practice and teach Ashtanga-style yoga, which is a very strong, physical practice). But, as he constantly reminds us in class, doing asana is not yoga - it is just one component of a greater system that is yoga. And it is only a small component at that. And, he has explained, he has reached a point in his yoga practice where generally speaking he doesn't need to practice asana.
But, if it isn't about handstands and backbends like we have all been lead to believe, what is yoga?
Well, at its core it is a system or method through which, if followed and worked at consistently and with dedication, we can reconnect with our true self. Which I know sounds a bit hippy. But basically it is a way of stripping back all of things that we identify with as being part of our "self" - the external possessions and our ideas and thoughts that make up who we "think" we are (i.e. the identity that we have created for ourselves - or let others create for us) so that we just be ourselves. And when we are ourselves, we can be the happy, loving and calm beings that we are all meant to be. Kind of nice, right?
To get to this point though, we need a strong, healthy and balanced body. Which is where doing a regular asana practice comes into it - stretching and strengthening our bodies to bring it into balance and remove any pain or tightness that keep us from feeling physically at ease. But that isn't the end of it. We also need to calm and bring ease to our nervous system, which we can do through regular breathing exercises (pranayama). And we need to bring stillness to our minds, which is achieved through meditation to bring our mind to a single point of focus. And we also need to act in a way that is kind, truthful and compassionate - both in our relationships with others and with ourselves.
When the bigger picture was explained to us in class, what struck me was that the yogic path was kind of where I was heading anyway - I just wasn't aware of it. This is not to say that I have been living this perfect, balanced yogi life up until now. But it is what I strive for - what I thought life should be all about. So all this time I had been thinking that I wasn't being a a proper yogi because I didn't really know what the 8 limbs were about, it turns out that I had been heading in the right direction all along!
But in spite of this revelation, I still can't picture me ever getting to a point where I no longer want or need to do my asana practice. It just brings me so much joy! I love how I feel after I have taken my body through a long and thorough practice. And I feel that it plays an important part in my larger yoga practice - it teaches me discipline and patience, it challenges my ego (especially when I face-plant in the middle of a full class), it makes my body feel strong, my breathing even and my mind alert and calm. And it can be fun! And I am pretty sure there is nothing in the Yoga Sutras that say yoga can't be fun (although, admittedly, I have not read - definitely do not understand - all of the Sutras yet).
So while I am enjoying learning and embracing all the other aspects of yoga, I am not going to be giving up my mat anytime soon.
Namaste!
