What is Yoga?
This is such an important question to answer!
For many, yoga is considered to be a form of exercise. Something that you practice in order to get “in-shape” or become more flexible. This is certainly how I was introduced to yoga and how I practiced yoga for many years.
But this alone is not yoga.
The word “Yoga” comes from the sanskrit term ‘yuj’ which means to yoke, join, or unite. So when we practice yoga we practice joining two things together.
But what ‘things’ are we joining together, and how?
Simply put, the practice of yoga encourages us to unite our individual consciousness with universal consciousness. When we practice yoga we work towards acquiring self-realization and overcoming suffering.
But what do these words mean!?
If this is a concept you are encountering for the first time then this probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, I get it.
So let me put it this way.
Universal consciousness is the force that makes everything we experience in life possible. For example, it is the force that causes a seed to grow into a sapling, and a sapling to grow into a magnificent tree. No one tells the seed to grow. No one makes sure the seed gets the right amount of sunlight and water. It just happens. And the force behind this ‘happening’ can be referred to as universal consciousness.
Individual consciousness is, of course, our own individual sense of being. The innate knowledge we each have that we exist as an individual body-mind experiencing life.
So in yoga we practice uniting this individual sense of being to the universal force of beingness everywhere. The force that causes the sapling to grow into a tree is the same force that allows us to know that we exist. They are not separate.
Practicing yoga teaches us to drop out of the mind and become pure awareness. When we are in this state of consciousness the individual self begins to slowly dissolve as we become more acquainted with this sense of universality. This happens as our mind chatter slows down and we become aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting lost in them.
Is Yoga a religion?
When we speak about yoga, in regards to uniting consciousness, some of the philosophy and terminology used to describe this practice can seem to misrepresent yoga as a religion of sorts.
Yoga is not a religion. There is no theology, or one way in which to view ‘God’ or the universe. People of all faiths and spiritual backgrounds can benefit from the practice. There is also no priesthood, hierarchy, or dogma associated with yoga. Meaning there are no beliefs that one MUST believe in, in order to practice yoga.
Instead yoga is considered to be a science based purely on observation and experience of our own inner world and the more subtle aspects of our being. The only way we can prove to ourselves that yoga is a practice of uniting consciousness is by practicing it ourselves and observing how our own sense of self changes as we slowly become less influenced by the body-mind and more attuned to the nature of our true selves.
How Do We Practice Yoga?
If yoga is the science and practice of uniting our individual consciousness with universal consciousness - how do we do this?
There are many different ways in which one can practice yoga. In fact there are many different traditions and lineages which all have a unique take on how to practice yoga effectively. I am of the opinion that there are as many different ‘right’ ways to practice yoga as there are people. Just as there are as many different spiritual paths as there are people. There does not exist one superior way to practice, nor should we all practice in the same way. The beauty of our unique individual existence in this form is that we all get to discover our own paths and the best way to practice yoga for our own bodies, minds, and souls.
However, to give a more traditional answer there are a few practical ways in which we can practice yoga as we begin to bring this way of living into our everyday lives.
Asana
This is the physical practice of yoga that you see so clearly plastered on the front of magazines today and throughout your instagram feed. Unfortunately, the physical practice of yoga has been corrupted by western-capatalist views and marketed as a trendy workout that you can only practice if you are thin and flexible.
This is NOT the case. The physical practice of yoga can range from one seated pose to a collection of various dynamic poses practiced over a period of time. This is one of the beautiful things about yoga. It allows you the opportunity to discover the ways your own body wants/needs to move to release and come into the parasympathetic nervous system. That is to come out of the sympathetic nervous system (our fight or flight mode) and into our rest and digest mode (the parasympathetic nervous system).
Traditionally, the purpose of Asana is to move energy through the body so that the body itself is better prepared for a formal meditation practice.
Pranayama
This is the practice of breath control. Breathing with intention brings our body and mind in sync with one another, allowing us to more comfortably settle into a meditative state. So often in our daily lives our mind runs its own show and tells itself stories that impact how we see ourselves and the world around us. By bringing our attention to our breath we are able to calm the mind and rest in awareness.
Meditation
Once we have settled the body and brought our awareness to our breath we can then enter the practice of meditation. As a formal practice, meditation often requires you to sit comfortably and maintain your attention on a single point of focus, such as the breath or an image, for a certain period of time. This gives you the opportunity to discover the more subtle aspects of your being, such as how thoughts and feelings arise in your body and mind. I think it is important to mention here that the goal is not to have no thoughts whatsoever, but rather to discover that you are not your thoughts and you are able to watch your thoughts appear and recede without getting caught up in them.
These are simply three ways in which we can practice yoga. They do not encompass the totality of ways in which we can practice, as there are many other ways to practice yoga which I hope to be able to write about soon.
It is also important to mention that yoga is an ancient practice that can not even begin to be summed up in one short blog post. The history of yoga, which I have not even touched here, is vast and ever changing as yoga is adapted for modern sensibilities.
If I can get just one point across in this post it is this;
Anybody can practice yoga, and everyone’s yoga practice can look different.
References
Basavaraddi, I. V. (2015, April 23). Yoga: It's Origin, History and Development . Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.mea.gov.in/search-result.htm?25096%2FYoga%3A_su_origen%2C_historia_y_desarrollo
Doyle , A. E., & English , B. T. (2022). Philosophy and Ethics: What is Yoga? In Anuttara Yoga and Meditation Training Manual (pp. 21–24). Anuttara's Turiyatita School .
