What Isn’t Yoga?
What is yoga?
I met an amazingly curious fellow yesterday. 63 years experience on this planet, a runner for most of his life. Started in high school. Still puts in 7 to 10 miles regularly. A busy, successful, longtime business owner, and still into running often. He asked me, "so, what is yoga? Is that like stretching?"
As you might imagine, these are very difficult questions to adequately answer on the street (for me being a practitioner 19 years), when you don't know how much time or attention a stranger you just met is willing to devote to a conversation. It's almost better to answer, "what isn't yoga?"
An open imagination will illicit pathways of deeper understanding. But these are still just words, abstract ideas, Incapable of creating comprehension without experiential frames of reference.
However, I'm going to try to give a glimpse of my experience with Yoga right here in this short little ditty. Many people might say this is wrong, that I'm wrong (And I am, because yoga is more a verb than a noun anyway). Or maybe, yoga is not 'this' or 'that', it is 'these things' and 'those things'. The thing is, things change. Nothing stays the same forever. Even the practice of yoga has evolved for thousands of years. Patanjali had an entirely different perspective on life than we do today. Things today are more complex. Niches are unlimited. Yoga is a cumulative practice, process, and journey. Counting the ways this practice can be utilized is like counting the stars. Nonetheless, it is useful to step back and appreciate how yoga forms a bond with the facets of living a full life.
Here goes…in no particular order, the yoga short list.
Yoga is:
An expressive emotional journey
A Discipline
A Benchmark
A Self Improvement Tool
A Happy Human Production Factory
A Martial Art
Comedy relief
A lifelong friend
An awareness catalyst
Cross Training regimen
A life coach
Respiratory Therapy
Muscular endurance training
Flexibility restoration
Accelerated recovery
A balance optimization practice
Anger management
A Stress eliminator
Cellular enhancement
Truth Serum
Depression therapy
A right of passage
A meditation
Listening practice
A health tool
A health questionnaire
A learning platform
A bone joint refreshment
Zero impact cardiovascular enhancement
Aerobic capacity improvement
Vigorous cleanse
Inner Discovery
You might read some of these and question, "in what way is yoga that?" Or, "sounds like a bunch of baloney." As you'll see after showing up to yoga class consistently, this is a short, incomplete list. The potential of a Yoga practice to improve your life is not limited by the words in your vocabulary.
Many people practice yoga in a class. A yoga class is made up of yoga postures (and often other things). Yoga postures are like internal organs. Multi-faceted, multi-functional…individually important, yes, but also important for the functioning of the whole organism. As we learn about each internal organ or yoga posture, we realize how to optimize its function, on its own and as part of the whole system. Then we can take this to the next level by thinking of this in terms of using the postures to regulate all of the body's functioning systems. A systemic approach is one of the keys of an advanced yoga practice.
The mental process of recruiting the necessary muscles (relaxation and contraction) to hold a posture improves neurological function. As we strengthen/lengthen the necessary muscles to the point where we can hold the posture for 10,20,30, or 60+ seconds, over time we begin exploring greater ranges of motion where we can hold still in the posture. This is safe and simple way to build the foundations strength and flexibility. And of course, where you go from that point moving forward is up to you.
I've heard many people pass off Balance, as though it is something that is not worth working on for 5 or 10 minutes a day. Maybe they think, "leave it up to the gymnasts. Why should I spend precious time practicing to balance better?" Like breathing, balance might seem automatic and not worth applying conscious effort. Having great balance leads to unforeseen happiness! Close your eyes and imagine a world where all of our elderly people are experts at balancing on 1 leg! Maybe there would be fewer hip surgeons in the world!
There are dozens of books and videos devoted to Breathing. Why do we need to say anything about this automatic action? You can learn to breath better to control your mood and give yourself more energy. It would be ridiculously silly to not optimize your breath for different situations in your life. You'll get to know yourself better. Chances are you will surprise yourself at how amazing you truly are! Caution: T.V. Might seem boring when you learn to optimize your breathing.
Starting a yoga practice can feel like a huge uphill battle. Our minds love to make comparisons to the people around us, even when it is totally unnecessary. You might feel like other people will be judging you, or it will be too much of a struggle. Fortunately for you, there are a number of simple ways you can prepare yourself at home. Please reach out to me at YogaDaleville@gmail.com and I'm happy to give you personalized tips and simple exercises to help you prepare for your first yoga class or point you in some good directions to start a home practice. When you email me, reference this article, "what is yoga"
I'm so happy at the courageous people who have begun practicing yoga recently. It brings joy to my heart to see all the little improvements, dedication, and determination. If there's any way I can help you on this journey, Reach Out!!!!!