What is yoga? - don't be confused by the confusion #yoga
Don’t be confused by the confusion - #Yoga
What is yoga? As a Western teacher and practitioner of yoga, I hear and see so much confusion about what yoga is - and it’s not surprising. There is a misconception in our society perpetuated by social media. I would like to try, in my most humble way, to help you to understand what yoga is.
Let’s start with what it is not -
Yoga is a NOT specifically for one gender, age group, ethnicity or body type. It is my unwavering belief that yoga, in some form, is for EVERYONE and we all can and will benefit from practicing.
Yoga is not the ability to stretch and mold your body into a certain shape. It is not a handstand, or a split or touching your nose to your knees - That doesn’t make you a “good” yogi. The real reason we practice asana (poses) is first and for most to cultivate, control and direct prana (vital energy). When this happens our minds become clearer, our emotions calmer, our bodies healthier and ultimately we begin to understand that there is so much more to us than our physical bodies. Yoga helps us to become self aware. With Asana practice we do become stronger and more flexible - I like to think of it as a welcomed, secondary benefit - not as the sole reason for practicing.
“However beautifully we carry out an asana, however flexible our body may be, if we do not achieve the integration of body, breath and mind we can hardly claim that what we are doing is yoga. What is yoga after all? It is something that we experience inside, deep within our being. Yoga is not an external experience. In yoga we try in every action to be as attentive as possible to everything we do. Yoga is different from dance or theatre. In yoga we are not creating something for others to look at. As we perform the various Asanas we observe what we are doing and how we are doing it. We do it only for ourselves. We are both observer and what is observed at the same time. If we do not pay attention to ourselves in a practice, then we cannot call it yoga. “ T.KV. Desikarchar, The Heart of Yoga
What yoga is -
Yoga is something that we do, but more it is a state of being. Asana, pranayama and meditation are tools to help us discover (or more accurately, uncover) this state of being.
Yoga is a practice of self reflection, nurturing, devotion and gratitude.
Yoga is Divine connection - to yourself, to nature, to others.
Yoga is the ability to slow down and listen and breath - To stop judging and start understanding.
Yoga is an expanded heart. It is falling in love with being human - with the miracle of existence itself.
Yoga is looking into the eyes of a stranger and finding compassion. It’s looking into the eyes of someone who has hurt you and finding forgiveness.
Yoga is stillness.
Yoga is the recognition of peace that is forever present in the center of your heart. Yoga is a reminder that we are Love.
“the ultimate goal of yoga is to realize the brilliance of your soul” ~BKS Iyengar, The Tree of Yoga
And to my beautiful yogi friends, before you post your next instagram photo, ask yourself what your intention is and maybe ask this question - is the image I’m projecting contributing to the understanding of yoga and does it empower others to begin or continue on their own yoga journey? If yes, fantastic! If no, you can still post it. Just please don’t #yoga.
I’ll leave you with a few images that capture what I know yoga to be. What it might look like but more, what yoga feels like to me….
Let’s stop the confusion. #yoga What does it mean to you?
