More than Asana – Refreshing our practice with deeper understanding

November 13, 2010 at 6:15 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Often times in the fall/winter, we can wake up feeling sore, tired, stiff, depleted and so on. This, of course, does nothing to help us get motivated for exercise of any kind, even yoga…but maybe yoga is moe than we had known it to be and there are more options to practice than we had realized! As yoga is everything – not merely a set of postures that serve to improve our health, but an attitude, a devotion, a prayer, an act of selfless service; all these things are yoga.

The difficulty in much of the teaching of spirit, (or yoga in this case) is that it is based on the acts, the performance, the things that others can see and we can talk about, when in fact, these pursuits of the ego, have precious little to do with yoga and spiritual development. As a result, many do not know that there are other options to practice that will still serve to create a higher and clearer sense of self and the world. The asanas (postures) are designed to filter, cleanse and loosen ones’ body to ease the process of spiritual development in meditation and connection to spirit / God/ Universe/ Buddha. This is what Kabbalistically is known as moving through the four worlds – physical/material; mental; emotional; and spiritual while we ascend.

 Now, realizing this introduction is moving far more than many will wish to, or feel inclined to, we can simplify nonetheless, our yoga practice in whichever way it manifests. It is my belief that students of yoga asana might be given the sliver of information that is more than physicality. Whether they wish to travel forward into that part of the path is not important, it is just important that they know so as not to proceed in complete ignorance of the beauty of Yoga in its fullness. Ultimately, in physical practice, we wish to gain the spirit of objectivity with ourselves, to move through difficult places in our body with gentle, peaceful thought, to move into ourselves with breath and peace and allow for our body to open up and cleanse itself while we remain loving, patient and kind to ourselves in the process.

This attitude on the mat, can serve us well when we are out in our daily rounds. We hope to learn through ourselves on the mat; compassion, love, patience and gentle grace that we can then lend to our fellows while we are out in the world. Of course, the asana aspect of yoga is wonderful, I would not practice and teach otherwise. It is easier to carry oneself well in the world if they feel clean and clear of physical limitation, however, when we begin with those, it is comforting to know that there are other ways to keep the feeling of freedom alive for themselves. To sit at the mat, cushioned and blanketed, drawing in fresh air and vitality and exhaling that which does not serve until one is relaxed, soft and gentle, is a yoga practice that brings oxygen to the body, increases well-being and peace of mind, and creates a feeling of ‘looseness’ in the body, mind and spirit. Similarly, to lie on the floor in savasana practice for half an hour at the end of ones day, is a yoga practice. To pray fervently for peace is a yoga practice. To be, to love, to feel, is a yoga practice. The point is, we do not get into a practice to create new ways to debilitate ourselves by self-abuse and judgement, so we find ways to do what we can, a little each day, and feel at peace with ourselves and our community. To know within ourselves that we are doing what we can in a day and that to be a good person on the planet is enough, to do 15 minutes of breath work is enough, and to do an hour and a half of strong, physical asana is enough also; that none are compared, better; worse, more pure, more knowing. That one yogi/ini is not better than the other, as all these things are missing the point. We come when we come, with what we have, at our level of experience, for the reasons and inspirations that came to us, from spirit, and that to compare, concern, worry and so on, is to miss the point of yoga. Simply be compassion, be love, be truth, and be who you are each day; practice is what way is best for you in this moment, do a little each day to keep yourself feeling well and in touch, and do it for you and you will come to know yoga in a new and freeing way!

Blessings on the path!

yogini on the go

* for classes, retreats, private sessions, please contact Tara @ taraleechristensen@hotmail.com or call 250.927.0589

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