When asked the question, “what is yoga ?”, many people in Western societies think of the uber-bendy people who have the capacity to move their bodies into amazing configurations. The image is of lithe and flexible people, most often younger, white women who can easily touch their toes. And indeed, that element does exist within the realm of yoga. The renunciate yogis of India often perform extreme contortions as a representation of their devotion to their practice and how they overcome the limitations of the physical self. To me, however, yoga is not about the pose.
It’s true…I, like thousands of other people, love how my body feels through the practice of yoga and to see where my current edge is each time I step onto the mat. But when the poses become the primary aim of the practice we start to deviate from the full spectrum of magic that is inherent within the more classical approaches of what yoga is all about. In the yoga sutras of Patanjali, an ancient Indian text, yoga is described as having eight limbs or facets with only one of these eight being asana (physical postures). The other limbs comprise internal and external observances and behaviors; breath work; withdrawal of outward focus of the senses; concentration; meditation and enlightenment. So if our focus is only on the poses we are only tasting a sliver of the full yoga buffet.
This blog is inspired by a long-time yoga student who for the past few years has been working on getting into an inversion without assistance. It happened to be during her birthday week that we were practicing when she kicked herself up into a headless headstand all by herself. Having seen many repetitions of attempting to turn upside down sans assistance, the moment she found herself upside down through her own effort I threw out a cheer and reached my hands to the sky. “You did it!” I enthusiastically beamed and when she came down I said to the entire class, “that is the perfect example of persistence and patience! It’s not about the pose, but the determined and disciplined effort it took to get there.”
How many times have we focused on the end result, the destination rather than the journey? We look ahead perhaps holding an expectation of “I should be there by now” and in the process we miss the beauty of where we actually are. A couple of years ago, we hiked the Inca Trail in Peru to Machu Picchu. We had four days on the trail and early on the fourth day arrived through the Sun Gates to see the incredibly beautiful and iconic image of this ancient city. However, upon reflection when asked what our highlight was we felt that the entire trail was the highlight. Each step we took along the path, sensing that we were walking in the footsteps of Incans, seeing other ruins, glaciers and incredible vistas completely enriched the moment of arrival at the destination. It wasn’t about just getting to Machu Picchu, it was the experience of how we got there that made it such a profound experience.
So the next time you step on your mat, realize that there’s something beyond the poses. Allow yourself to become aware of the many experiences that you have with your body, thoughts and emotions. See if you can practice a sense of kindness throughout or give yourself permission to not compete with your neighbor. How often can you notice what is happening with your breathing? How often does your to-do list arise? And if you’re curious about learning more, pick up a book on the yoga sutras, many translations have been written. One of my favorites is by Nischala Joy Devi, The Secret Power of Yoga.
And just like my long-time student who persevered for years toward one pose, keep at it. The magic is in the journey and it might just turn your world upside down in the most beautiful way!
