On Yoga and Lots of it
This piece and month of nearly 24/7 yoga it is based on, certainly only encompass a small point along one corner of an iceberg that is not only yoga but what I and anyone can ever intend to pull from it in life. In other words, yoga is a lot and this is not to be comprehensive at all, but rather, something.
In the west, yoga tends to be: slightly pricey classes or maybe a good stretch led by a calming figure. As such, it does hold a valid place. Particularly in a world where we tend to focus too much on muscle growth and fat loss and not enough on everything the body may call for in between and beyond.
But yoga is more. It is a tool for connecting everything. “To yoke” mind, body with spirit and all else that is. Below are a few teachings I gathered in this time here in Nepal linked closely to it. The sections, in order, entail general yoga facts, facts about life and being human and some things I learned about myself and my own desires. These may be review for you, or they may be new, but regardless, enjoy the compilation.
Part of the calm yoga shala after a morning lesson in theory
First, some notes regarding yoga itself I may share if you pried for a fact or 2 or 20:
Shiva the Hindu god of transformation was the first yoga teacher as per yogic and tantric scripture. His first student was his wife. He taught her, not to aid her sore muscles, but to help her discover immortality. With its knowledge she could live with Him as a god, enlightened forever.
The “AUM” not, (“OM”) is far more than something a pretentious yoga teacher may bring into a class (as I truthfully had initially assumed). If you ask my teachers, it is rather an essential meditation tool that must begin and end all practice. The A (ahh) sound aims to bring awareness to creation and presence, vibrating the bottom 2 chakras. The U (ohh) brings the mind towards balance, stability and stillness and works to activate the middle chakras. The M (mm) creates a gentle buzzing around the head and opens awareness of the top chakras as well as the inevitability of transformation. In Yoga, AUM is the sound everything comes from. Meditating on or repeating AUM can reconnect one’s awareness and being to the essence of everything within themselves and beyond. Which is essential, remember, because this is yoga. If practicing, and you do not wish to perform this out loud it is also certainly okay to hum it in the mind.
Asana (a Sanskrit word you may have heard) is any position you hold comfortably. Learning to do different asanas of increasing difficulty can help one accomplish aspects of life that hold increasing difficulty.
Yoga is not only asana but its success does largely correlate with success in asana. This success is exemplified through strength, power, balance and relaxation.
The real growth in yoga though comes from challenge. Success is then simply one's ability to sit with and explore this challenge with grace.
According to one of my great teachers Yogesh, because of this, one with a stiff body and monkey mind makes a better teacher than one innately calm and flexible.
As it does encompass every aspect of life, yoga requires keeping a lot of knowledge straight. Since its creation about 10,000 years ago (?), understandably, no one has really kept it straight. Consequently, everyone does get taught slightly different details. Even within my program, often our teachers gave us some directly contradictory points. But as they all told us, no one is really right. What is right for you is simply what works for you best to meet the above. Some may force their word as a teacher over others’ but this may be understood simply, yogically as ego. Remember yoga is an exploratory path, respect their knowledge, but then you do you, always.
Further, regarding asana particularly. All are simply variations of 4 postures, and many are called different things in different ancient disciplines. No one is correct. Just practice the asana because this is all that counts…. for the most part.
At least according to my teachers in Nepal, using Sanskrit for meditation and reference of yoga poses is heavily preferred no matter where you are. Some even stated it was crucial to count breaths in Sanskrit as this is the initial vibration from which yoga was derived. Now again, we can take what we would like here, but this is a notable note.
One thing though that is unarguable and often confused, is that ashtanga, ashtanga vinyasa and vinyasa are not the same thing. To summarize largely, while ashtanga contains 8 limbs and is yoga in its near most broad sense, ashtanga vinyasa is yoga at its narrowest and rigid. Vinyasa is a separate thing altogether and is a more modern western yoga style that basically is any practice that is flowy. It is more complete, each being a complete study of its own, but I am not gunna say anymore here, you can dm me if you have Q.
A female yogi is actually a yogini and at least from what I was told, the only requirement to hold this title is that the individual practices yoga.
So much is about intention. Mudra (hand positions) or Mandra (verbal or mental repetition) themselves do not have power, this power rather comes from your choice to focus on them and what they mean. The power is in your mind. One can only ever accomplish what is focused upon, but nearly anything focused on can be achieved that is focused upon. This goes beyond yoga too.
Traditional yoga anatomy involves the 5 Koshas (sheaths). I will not go into depth about them here but the major point I want to hit is that rather than the systems such as skeletal, muscular and digestive from which modern medicine determines the location and point of treatment for illness, yoga instead identifies and treats ailments by determining first in which Kosha the ailment is held. These can be the physical body, energy body, mental body, intellectual body or bliss body. The treatment method is determined from there. Anyways, just some food for thought.
Meditation has multiple paths. Different paths when practiced can alter the frequency of your brainwaves in different directions. For example, Vipassana which entails a sort of radical acceptance of stillness lowers the frequency while styles that include heating breath work or light visualization increase brainwave frequency. Both are helpful for different people in different contexts. Both offer a highly beneficial form of stretch, if you will, for the brain that otherwise can get quite exhausted stuck in the same small frequency range during most other waking hours. Like any other asana, the more one practices, the more comfortably one can sit in and assume the various frequencies at will.
In this same light. Those who meditate tend to need less sleep. - I can strongly attest to this reality and it is kind of crazy.
Even in the calmest soothing environments, the mind will always find something to bring up and tell you about. It is not our job to control this but to simply see it and learn to work with it rather than be consumed by it.
Though not a direct instructional text on yoga, there is a highly respected and frequently referenced Hindu text that goes over Krishna's conversation with the prince and warrior Arjuna in a great battle that marks the end of the age of doubt in Hindu belief and the start of our current Kali era or age of destruction. This book it called the bhagavadghita Lessons and general life tips within it include: always do one’s best regardless of expected outcome, do not run away from responsibility fore it will only create suffering, it is crucial to become a master of one’s own mind and senses, always aim to see god in all.
Buddha never worried about ashtanga but he got enlightened. In other words, though formal practice is important, just being and being aware is also important- this is practice too.
According to my teachers and traditional yoga generally, it is far better to master a few asanas than to practice many. This is fascinating as it directly contradicts the slight western preference to have a class that never repeats.
Ultimately, if one would like to master many asanas, all one needs are open hamstrings, a developed core, open shoulders, developed hip flexors, some arm strength and a stable mind.
Alongside this, yoga is not about becoming like or pursuing a path of anyone else or about attempting to reach any particular destination. It is simply about listening to your body. Not all yoga is for everyone all the times, just like not everything is for everyone all the time. For example, about halfway through my program, I developed an allergy to downward dog. Each time I did it I became so nauseous I began to dread it and every pose that would follow. It wasn’t until I accepted that I couldn’t do it in that moment (as bizarre as it felt) and allowed myself to rest that I could eventually return to it. In yoga, in life, listening to the body is crucial. Become its close friend, it may just make your time together more enjoyable. - Yoga can help with this.
If yoga is not practiced with mindful breath and full awareness of the body it is truly nothing but an inefficient form of exercise and perhaps a slightly sufficient stretch (sorry my teachers said it not me). But with mindfulness, it is everything.
Regarding being human, I may tell you that all this yoga taught me:
Flexibility is not linear or binary and it really touches everyone differently. I, for example, cannot, no matter how hard I have ever tried, do the splits, nor can I get my leg over my shoulder. I know others though who can do this effortlessly. I can though, quite easily (if I do say so myself ;), touch my feet to my head in a king cobra or pigeon. While, I know some said others, who cannot. In flexibility, we all have our super powers, limitations and challenges to overcome. It is not our job to try to do it all, but simply to be adventurous enough to explore which are our strengths and weaknesses and perhaps play with their arrangement. This is a description of physical flexibility characteristics but all the same stands for mental.
Pain in most muscle groups is likely a lack of practicing counter (opposite) movement. Often to relieve pain from strain, one can consider the position that brought it and simply move, stretch or hold the muscle in the opposite position. Sounds so obvious and simple but I don’t know, once I started considering this and mindfully working counter movements into my practice it was a game changer.
To teach anything, it is best to be a practitioner yourself. This is contrary to the western statement “those who can't do teach”. But come on, this statement is so lame. The best teachers who best hold student engagement and respect always practice, and exemplify the fruits of this almost effortlessly.
Silence, not speaking, can do a lot.
Once silent for a while, say just while doing asana or even taking a day or week, it quickly becomes apparent that much of speaking is simply complaining, ruminating or making judgements. While a good vent is sometimes necessary, excess is not only a waste of energy but a hindrance to others. With silence, one also misses speech and becomes more aware of what speech they are holding back. When they speak again they are automatically more aware, in control and gracious for the ability. How could this not lead to better use of this speech tool?
To drive this whole big point home one more time: to quote a teacher, leading us into a sound bath “silence is meditation, sound is a guide”.
Now some, just a few, notes regarding me and what this journey taught me about myself in particular to perhaps bring some realness into the above:
In connection to listening to the body- We have a 2 hour class in the morning for which we are told to be empty-stomached. Now, I get its purpose: be pure, be light. So I did try it for the first few weeks, but I would without fail get so nauseous and a little too light in the head by about 30 mins in. Eventually, I accepted that though perhaps this was for ancient gurus, it isn’t for me. Against my school’s wishes, but towards those of my own body, I began a ritual of enjoying a meditation over coffee and a granola bar in the morning before class. Suddenly I was actually able to participate, enjoy rather than simply struggle through the entire morning class. This, as an avid rule follower, was a big learning moment for me.
I would very much like to take a good look at the bhagavadghita no matter how hard people tell me it is to read. - Once I do I’ll update you all over here.
I am quite monkey minded, a natural worrier. Even in the most calming meditative environment, I will find a thing to worry about. I can’t fight this, I tried lots through yoga, but the yoga also taught me that this is in my nature. I can only work to be highly aware of this nature, love it, then harness it, so that I can live with it and begin to find its power.
Regarding silence again. I can’t overstate this learning enough. I think I want to try one of those retreats where you are silent for 30 days I think. At the very least, I want to work some 24 hour periods into my routine. There is so much value in silence. I think the single day I grew most in Nepal was the day I was silent.
The rest are for the personal journal, coffees and cocktail chats sorry.- but f you do want some one on one, dm me because I would be happy to share more always.
So in terms of general takeaways…
One big thing is that even though this was the maximum training on the World Yoga Alliance thing, I do not feel fully trained. And that makes sense because yoga is very much something to be studied and practiced throughout life.
Also, formal teachings exist and the wisdom of others who have followed the path thoroughly today and throughout history, is exceptionally valid and helpful. But ultimately yoga is about listening to and getting to know oneself. Then with this forever-increasing knowledge, through practice, doing what is best to harmonize the workings of this self so that it can be and provide the most possible to the greater world in this life.
I do plan to teach one day and can’t wait to share more of my own wisdom and continual learning with others through both direct asana teaching and more writing. I don’t know everything about yoga and I am certainly not yoked, but the door is now open.
