Yoga means so many things to so many people. To think that someone has the one yoga, the one way and the only way that will lead to enlightenment is one of the funniest concepts to me. It’s like one branch of Christianity saying “we are the only path to Christ and if you do not follow our way, your soul will suffer eternal damnation”. We can read ancient texts, study the words of different yogi’s throughout the ages and find a teacher who has been doing the same for 40 years and still only brush the surface of what yoga has to offer us.
Yoga is a science that teaches us to connect with pure consciousness of which all reality is a part. That consciousness can be understood as dieties, God, The Force, prana, chi, the universal life force that connects all things, or whatever helps an individual relate to the concept. There are as many forms of yoga that speak to many kinds of people. We can all practice the style of yoga the speaks to us the most.
The art of yoga is finding ways to practice, teach and share yoga that enhances the dream we call everyday existence. We think of yoga as a practice on a mat, and certainly the mat is place we practice asanas and posture and breathing. But yoga can be practiced anytime of the day, anywhere you are. The more you practice yoga on the mat, the more you will find that it starts making its way into the rest of your life.
You might be in a stressful situation at work, or having an argument with a loved one, or maybe just getting angry at a stranger for stealing your parking place. And then you take a deep breath, feel your energy ground through your body on the exhale, and your shoulders relax, chest drops and spine lifts just as if you were in yoga class. All of sudden your single breath transformed your emotional state, and you did not even realize that you were doing yoga, it just happened. Your yoga just made the world a little better.
It is said that yoga as a science came to the ancient sages as they were meditating and communing with nature and the universe, and that asana came later after the wisdom was channeled through these sages. Traditionally, asana was only taught when a student was fully indoctrinated into the philosophy, learned prana yama and understood the science and wisdom of yoga. Now we teach asana at gyms as another workout. I love the idea that the practice of yoga for the sake of a workout to improve our bodies can lead to spiritual growth, and the practitioner had no intention of starting out on a spiritual journey.
Whatever yoga means to you, enjoy it because it is all good. Share it because it will grow as you share, and let it fill your soul until it spills out and touches the rest ou us.
