What is yoga?

When I started practicing yoga in the early 90’s, yoga was still relatively unheard of and certainly not practiced by many people.   I would often get the question:  “What is this yoga?”  Back then, being new to yoga myself, I didn’t know the answer and so I would often just tell people how it made me feel.  I felt better.  My neck was better.  I slept better.  I was happier, less worried about – well everything.  My body felt good and full of ease.  This to me is what I had experienced on the mat in a hatha yoga practice.

Many years later and thousands of hours of practice I have all those same conclusions and more.  Answering the question of what yoga is, is complex, varied and always brings you to another aspect of your relationship with yoga.  Ultimately this is what yoga is; an ever-deepening relationship with yourself; a deeply joyful and rich journey into your own heart.  Your practice holds a desire to know yourself better, to understand how you tick, what your strengths are, your weaknesses – all of it.

What is yoga then? The history books and Sanksrit language would tell you that yoga means ‘a yoking together.’   If you are bringing things together, whether they were already there or not is remembering you have a relationship to the whole.  Each part of you has a relationship to the whole.

So you could say that yoga is being present to all aspects of yourself.  And not only are you are in a relationship with yourself – all your thoughts, emotions, body parts, but you are also in relationship with the world around you.   That means everything else – your friends, your co-workers, your career, your family, your home, the store where you buy groceries, the car you drive, the music you hear, the books you read – virtually everything.  So where does yoga end and just plain living begin?  You guessed it – there is no line.  Your yoga practice can take place during a conversation with your loved one or with someone you have controversy with.  It can be practiced while cooking dinner, or taking out the trash.   What does hatha yoga teach you?  To be present on the mat, to be accountable to all the thoughts, emotions, movements that are YOU.   You are still you off the mat.  In an argument with someone you may find yourself in that frustrating space of falling out Vrksasana (Tree pose) or Vasisthasana (Side Plank) for the third time.  You try not to be frustrated, but there are times that it happens.  What do you do?  Get bigger and hold the line.  What does that look like in an argument?  Seeing another person’s view, while holding your own; making the choice of agreeing to disagree or of changing your own mind.

This is a tad simplistic and in life, just as on the mat, you are contending with a myriad of factors.  Your wrist may be sore and it is uncomfortable in Vasisthasana.  Your hips may not be open and your foot slips down your leg in Vrksasana.  In yoga, as in life there is always a pathway.  There is always a place of freedom and stability to be found.  You sometimes have to dig deeply and you have to experience all manner of instability and confinement to find it.

Then again, you may have a teacher that has already lived in those spaces and has found a doorway back to space and stability.  In Vasisthasana, turn your elbow crease toward your hand and press your fingertips down strongly to help your wrist.  In Tree pose, keep your standing leg hip firmly to the midline and be sure to extend energy down your bent knee toward the ground to help with that slipping.

Oh, and watch your intake of cheese cake or red wine the night before…

What is yoga is your relationship to it.  This week at Good Life Yoga we explore what yoga is for you.  We’ll encourage sharing our stories, our triumphs and our tremendous difficulties– and I think we’ll see that our yoga has shifted, just as our lives have shifted.  What came first the shifting or the yoga?  It’s the age old chicken and the egg scenario.  We are sure to carry this theme through to next week, because there is a lot to say about it.  It’s life after all.  And it’s your life.  It’s mine.  It’s our relationship to one another – it’s all that and there isn’t more because we’ve included everything already!  It’s deep, I know.  It’s fun.  It’s mysterious.  It’s yoga.

Tapas Continues

Within each of us lives a flame of determination, will power and focus.  This is fire.  It’s elemental to our existence.   It co-exist with air, water and earth in our lives – a constant part of our internal and external landscape.

As with all things in our practice, we look, we feel, we see with all our senses and we try to make sense of the ‘who, what, where, how, and why ‘of our selves – not to mention trying to bring it all into harmony.   This is no small or easy task.  In order to really know something, you have to be willing to dive in and truly look around and experience it.  This is the way it is with Tapas.  When we know something intimately, we can more skillfully wield it, or avoid it, as the case may be.

Many of us have a predisposition to one element or the other.  We’ve all known ‘fiery’ individuals.  Or those that are ‘cool as a cukes.’   You’ve just seen – fire and earth in action.

When we look to Tapas as an ally, we can turn its laser focus and sharp heat on any number of things out of balance in our life.  Particularly, we can bring into balance, all those things that have become ingrained, habitual, stagnant and just plain dammed up.  Fire can blast out that which no longer serves.  It can also burn your house down.

Every time you practice you develop more Tapas.  It’s important to know that if you are producing fire – lots of effort – that you utilize it for something positive.  Adding lots of fire to your system with no outlet can be overwhelming.  Adding fire, just for the sake of fire will burn you out.

Coming to practice yoga with an intention to build fire to help focus, realign and bring harmony means that you have discovered that your house is cold and needs the fire to move forward.  If you’ve already got a lot of burning going on, you’ll want to take advantage of a more cooling practice of release and renewal.

So come prepared this week to continue the odyssey of exploring Tapas – building fire, using fire, and quietly putting the fire out when it is no longer needed.  I promise to add legs up the wall, steady forward folds and a restorative or two.  Tapas is a tool, let’s learn to use it well.

Tapas: Heat, Fire, Discipline

With all the self-reflection going on the last two weeks, you were sure to ‘observe’ something about yourself that you found not completely in alignment with your core beliefs, values or life desires.  Tapas is the power you implore to help transform those misalignments into something fiercely productive and healthy.

Ultimately, it takes fire or Tapas to stay disciplined, productive and yes, dare I say happy and healthy.  Imagine that.  It takes some work to be happy.    Think of every time you were a tad reluctant to get out of your nice warm bed, get dressed and ready for a yoga class.  Or it’s after work and you’re tired from the day and you’d just as soon pick up take out, go home and crash on the couch.  Tapas is the energy we implore that demands we do what it takes to stay happy and healthy.  We exercise some discipline and we get to class, we go for a walk, we eat good food, we find time to laugh.  We do what we can to stay in balance.  There is no pill, no shortcuts; it’s sometimes just a matter of getting your giddy up on and getting it done.

Where does the willpower come from?  From your intention.  You’ve decided to stay healthy, you’ve decided to change something that is not completely in alignment with yourself.  And so, you dig deep.  You also cultivate discipline.  Every time you stick to your good routines – like yoga, walking, eating right, etc. you cultivate the willpower to continue on.  Why?  Because you enjoy the results of that discipline.  You feel better.  You are more peaceful.  You enjoy life more.  Soon enough you’ve cultivated a storehouse of Tapas and you can put it to work.

This week we do just that:  We put Tapas to work.

Identify something you’d like to put your back side into this week.  Make a change for yourself.  Commit to a healthier lifestyle – what ever that means to you.  For me, that might mean cutting back on any coffee after….11:00am.  Or not eating any snacks after 8:00pm (good-bye potato chips…).  Or it might mean, and this is harder for me – talking less, listening more for a change.  Not necessarily in the class room, mind you, you all know I’ve got a lot to say.  But I’m talking about everyday conversations with those I know well and those I don’t know as well.  Coffee, Chips, Listen.  That’s three things right there!

Expect to heat up, get happy and know you have the power – Tapas power to transform a few misalignments this week at Good Life Yoga.  Look for longer held poses, and some good old fashioned ‘stick to itness’ if you will.  And of course, we’ll reward our great effort with some lovely legs up the wall and the like.  Get out of bed, get off the couch, and steer your car to Good Life Yoga.  Together  we’ll keep each other on track!

Svadhyaya – The Study Continues

Let’s go with the notion that you are a spiritual being having the experience of being human.  My oh, my.  This sets up an entire way of studying the Self.  Where do you begin?  Studying the spiritual side brings you a bigger vision of your existence.  It could be considered the backdrop against the play of the human part of you.  In the spiritual form we develop all the notions of how we are supposed to ‘be.’  We develop our belief systems that are generally concerned with living harmoniously in the world.  Think about it:  be kind, be truthful, don’t be greedy, don’t steal, etc.  You could make the argument that all of these concepts, precepts, and calls to actions or commandments are generally asking for harmonious living conditions.

And though that sounds easy enough – after all – we all get what harmonious is all about, right?  Or do we?  In studying ourselves, in the spiritual form we can formulate a rather utopian view on harmony.  Perhaps something like this:  All things in balance, all things working seamlessly together for the good of the whole, etc.  Now let’s observe the human part of us.  How do we go about living harmoniously?   If you observed your entire day, start to finish you would have to observe how at times you are nurturing your environment, and at times when you are not.  You might observe how many times you are nurturing or harming yourself, how many times you are nurturing or harming others.  It is a play of harmonious intentions from the spiritual side of you, the big Self, on the stage of human drama – ‘self.’  Our intentions are in the right place, we are up against the difficult stuff of life.

In this writing, I do no offer you a better way of staying on the harmonious path other than to say that if you keep your intention there – rooted firmly in the Self, your human side will gravitate in that direction.  And when it doesn’t you’ll know about it.  You are clear about the times you are harmonious and clear when you are not by studying the Self – Self – Inquiry – Svadhyaya.

How many times do we start the day with our mind directed to outside activities and our ‘to do’ lists?  Svadhyaya asks you to sit with your Self.  Step into the playing field of the spirit and let the messages of your innate spirit ring freely.  You will feel the presence of Love, Compassion, and Harmony – all the biggies.  You begin with that backdrop and then move forward to act out, take on the day from a position of harmony within yourself.  And that is all we can really do.  And that is really all practicing Svadhyaya is helping you to do.

Every day you get the chance to set your intention, observe, and act according to your intention.  Next week we take on putting into action the discipline of changing one or two non-harmonious habits that you observe.  So pay good attention this week.  We’ll soon find ourselves knee deep into Tapas…

Take a Good Look At Yourself

The last two weeks we’ve concentrated on Satya, and have deeply contemplated what is True for us and what is Truth.   There is a natural segway this week to the fourth of the Niyamas (observances), Svadhyaya.  While we are challenged in looking for the Truth of ourselves, what we are truly doing is studying ourselves.

Imagine that you look into a mirror and clearly see everything about yourself.  In this exercise we endeavor to be nonjudgmental, to simply see what is.  This is difficult.  We measure, we weigh, we observe by comparing and we observe by absorbing how we feel while we are observing.  This is true whether you are literally looking in a mirror at yourself, or just choose to set your sights on studying yourself in any given situation.

I find that if I take compassion with me, I am less apt to negatively judge myself or others.  This type of observation leaves me open to new points of view and less likely to stay in any self-limiting patterns that don’t serve.   This doesn’t mean that I am not critical.  Just as you can look in the mirror and see beauty, radiance and sweetness, you can also observe a wrinkle, gray hair, or extra weight.  Taking compassion with you sets the intention to keep an open mind and positive attitude.  It does not and should not limit you from making any course corrections.

Secondly, in order to identify everything you see in the mirror, you have to know where it’s all at.  You literally, have to collect yourself; set it in a way where you can clearly observe.  This is alignment.  We move all of our parts in such a way that they are accounted for.  On the mat, we practice ‘seeing’ from inside where all of our physical parts are. In life, off the mat, we practice seeing the patterns in the situations we find ourselves in.  Do they serve?  Do they reflect who we are right now?   Or who we are being right now?  Self-Study can easily become self-reflection.  The real power of either is changing your pattern, or aligning in a way that best reflects the whole.  You take action.  You learn.  You grow.  You move forward.  You set a new pattern in motion and again, observe.

During Self-Study we accept there will be moments of deep clarity and moments of deep obscurity.   In this one breath I understand myself, in the next, I’m not sure who I am again, or why I’m being this way.  We study the Self to lengthen the time of clarity.  But we accept there is a pulsation to the level and quality of our understanding. This is to be expected.  You are after all, a limitless being who has chosen to reside in a limited reality within a limited physical self.  So, you literally know everything and have limited yourself to knowing only so much right now.  How much fun is that?  Totally fun and truly confounding.   Svadhyaya, the study of the Self, is an on-going, passionate art of recognition.  We find joy in knowing and joy in not knowing.  You may know where your feet are right now, but what were you just thinking?  You know what you were just thinking, but where are your feet again?  Wow, there’s humor here.  You are totally amazing, funny and at times you have no idea what’s going on.  But throughout each moment of clarity and each moment of not understanding you remember this:  it’s all Good; it’s all You.  At Good Life Yoga this week we joyfully practice the art of alignment and observation.  Get set to find your feet, and then to lose them again….:)

Satya Saturates Your World

There is no getting around your essence.  Everything about you, is uniquely You.  It starts with genetics and your DNA code – of all the possible combinations, you appeared.  And then there is the life experience of being you.  No one has lived every exact moment as you.  That is the Truth.

Last week we dove head first into Satya and bringing Truthfulness all the way down to the essence of our being.  We looked at Satya representing for us authenticity – or being truthful to ourselves.  When my friend starts a sentence with, ‘this is my Truth’ she generally goes on to explain something she is not happy with and has consequently decided to change something in her world to more accurately reflects who she is.  This is one of the highest ways we can practice Satya.  When we identify what is not reflecting the essence of ourselves clearly, then something must change.  This realigning of ourselves is an on-going practice. There comes a time in all of our lives when something just doesn’t fit anymore.  It was our Truth, reflecting our essence at one time, and then we shifted or evolved and it is no longer appropriate.  This is perfectly natural.  Our essence is designed to move with every phase of our lives.

Think about that lilac tree we’ve been talking about all week.  That same tree looked a lot different in the winter.  Its truth was to hole up, shut down and just be.  Spring is a whole other ball game.  What it needs and how it will adapt in the summer and then through fall is completely allowing for a shift.  And though this tree shifts and adapts skillfully to the ever-changing environment, it doesn’t morph into a cherry tree.  It stays true to its own essence by exactly understanding its true essence.  If it had hopes one day of being a willow and began to act like one, it would run into all kinds of problems.

And so we see that there are many layers and opportunities to support our Satya in the ever-changing environment of our own worlds.  We all do the best we can to continue the pursuit of truthfulness in our lives.  The practice of yoga helps us steep in our essence.  We crave the feeling of empowerment, calm, clarity and joy that comes when experiencing our own truth.  We look for those same qualities in the rest of our lives, and sadly, sometimes there is a big gap.  But we know if we continue to practice, refine and readjust, just like that lilac tree, we will flower when we’re supposed to and shed leaves when the time is right as well.

This week, we continue to look at ways to practice handling Truth as effectively as we can.  We take the time to explore who we are being in every pose.  We push the boundaries when we should and we step back to savor and let go when appropriate.  It’s a joy being You.  Let’s celebrate.

SATYA

What’s Being Said This Week At Good Life Yoga

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Satya – Truthfulness

Satya

What is the essence of Truth?  What is the essence of anything?   It is itself through and through; distilled down it is the very nature of the whole.   The whole remains true to itself because it knows its own essence. ‘Sat ‘– meaning ‘is’ – the ‘isness’ of being true– this is Satya.

The second Yama, Satya, reminds you that deep down, the very essence, the ‘beingness’ of yourself is You, supreme goodness.  Knowing this, we practice allowing the very essence of our self to shine throughout the whole of ourselves.

What does it feel like to be truthful in your asanas?  You fill them out completely.  You leave nothing behind, no pushing forward harder than you can hold – you don’t spill out, your muscle and organic energies are in balance.  You work the pose from the inside and not try and conform to some ‘ideal’ your mind has about what this asana ‘should’ look like.  The pose remains true to your capability.  Your mind is relaxed, expansive; your breath is clear and refined.  In that moment your essence shines through to the whole of your being.  Satya reigns supreme.  This is truly your yoga.  No one else can do the pose like you can.  The experience of being You in the pose, truly, fully – truthfully – this is Satya.

In our asana practice this week we will practice standing in our own truth.  We will look clearly at ourselves and see what lies within.  We’ll let go of any thoughts, past experiences, and attachments that do not support this shared truth.  Let’s explore the ‘beingness’ of our poses.  There’s no need to be anywhere else except fully alive in each pose.  Expect time in your poses to simply be, truthfully and honestly the only expression of You there is.

Spring Transitions

We’ve turned the corner into spring and it has stepped into our lives in a big way.  Everywhere we look we meet life finding a way.  You can’t help but smile as you look at the big buds on the trees and see the beautiful tender shoots popping up through the cool ground.  There are crocus blooming and daffodils patiently waiting just a few more days.  There is bursting and there’s waiting.  Last week we thrilled with the ‘bursting’ of spring.  This week we savor the many transitions of spring.

Our landscape is rapidly changing right before our eyes.  It does so in a symphony of transition.  There are slow transitions and ones that happen right before your eyes.  This week on the mat we play with transitions.  We savor them and we swing through them – it is our mindfulness in either case that is the yoga.  This year winter to spring has been like – Trikonasna to Vasisthasana – rapid and unexpected. (Triangle to Side Plank)  It is also presenting itself slowly – dogwoods and cherry trees are patiently holding the moment like Eka Pada Rajakapotasana to Ardha Matsyendrasana – a sweet low riding pose that asserts itself upright and twists just for fun.  (Pigeon to Half Lord of the Fishes – boy that just doesn’t come out right does it?)

This week on the mat we embrace transitions – look for some to happen quickly, and some to unfold quietly – with the breath, always with the breath and your full presence.  You’ll come out of class renewed, refreshed and eagerly looking around to see if you can catch the next buds opening.

Spring Time – Fling Time

Spring is usually a laborious time of major seasonal discord here in MN.  One day almost warm and one day definitely still winter.  This spring is much different.  This spring we are in the midst of Mother Nature flinging the winter off her back and seizing spring with a vengeance.  I say, we take a cue from her startling abruptness and follow our own urge for sudden shifts and new growth.

Mother Nature has taken it upon herself to open the flood gate to spring.  You are invited to harness this fast paced transition and leave behind the darkness of winter.  Take this sudden surge of creative energy and start something new.  See how quickly Mother Nature is pushing for growth.  If you had a conversation with her she might say something like:  “Seasons change, my dear.  This year I’m doing it very quickly.  I like this change of pace, myself:  full, sweeping shifts in landscape.  You, know, ‘out with the old in with the new,’ type of thing.   Sure I loved winter.  I love all my seasons.  But right now, I feel like busting out all over.   Today I ask you to take a deep breath and let the darkness of winter be at your back.  The light of spring is shining equally on your front side right now.  And it is bright!  I am shining that light with all the magnificence of my being.  It is shining clear back into the darkness.  What do you see?  Make sure that what you find there will serve you.  Be fearless in your scrutiny.  Change it up, ship it out, or churn it over and let it settle into fertilizer.  And then hang on.  Do your practice and stay centered.  There’s a rush coming.  Keep your feet on the ground and your heart lifted to the sky.  This is how everything grows.  My roots are waking up, I’m feeding them and soon you’ll see the tiny tendrils of my heart, shaped like petals, and leaves.  They’ll open soon to the full Grace of sky and it’s all good.”

This week we challenge ourselves to stay balanced while the churning excitement of spring rushes through our bodies, hearts and mind.  We harness this magnificent energy and make plans to ‘grow.’