My personal definition of yoga has evolved over the years (especially the last 2). What started out as a physical pursuit came to mean so much more to me as time went on (I know, I know -- I've talked about this in this blog ad naseum). When people would ask me why I practiced yoga, I would only touch on the surface by saying that it was relaxing and that it increased and balanced my strength and flexibility.
Years later I find myself having difficulty giving the ole 60-second elevator speech about the benefits of yoga and the reasons I practice. Shallow definitions like the one I used to give just don't cut it anymore. Just this past weekend, I attended the second session of my Healing Yoga Foundation training. Like most students of yoga, we are examining the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Patanjali describes yoga as guiding the functions of the mind, or concentration. For anyone out there who's studied yoga, you know that there are many definitions of yoga yet Patanjali doesn't offer a laundry list (although he does discuss the "benefits" of practicing yoga). Yet, I find myself coming back to these definitions in particular time and time again. They work for my 60-second elevator speech...
And they remind us that yoga isn't simply a physical pursuit. The deeper work of yoga -- when practiced with breath, body and mind, not practiced as an exercise -- works with the quality of the mind. And we all know that when you change your mind your life changes. I can personally vouch for this, as my life has changed as a result of my years of regular practice. This is one of the joys of my private sessions with clients -- to see them transform their mind, bodies, and lives is one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive. Of course when I start working with someone and I take them through a sequence they're skeptical at first -- Why are these movements so slow? How am I supposed to coordinate my movements to my breath -- that's hard!?!?!? Shouldn't I be sweating more? How am I going to lose weight doing this? Can't we put music on? I simply smile and proceed with the session.
By the end of the session the client is visibly calmer and, in many cases, shocked that such simple movements could have such a powerful effect. Again I smile, remembering my first taste of true, body, breath, and mind yoga. And I remember how I felt when I discovered that what I thought was going to help my body only became a truly holistic practice. So the definition of focusing the mind/concentration takes on a much bigger meaning. Focusing the mind ultimately leads to freedom. Now when faced with a situation, there is a feeling and a response rather than a feeling and a reaction. A reaction implies that we're not driving the bus -- instead, our perceptions of reality, or our ego, or our emotions are taking over. Consider what happens when we feel and respond instead. We experience something but rather than let our perception of the experience dictate our behavior, we simply see the experience for what it is, allow our feelings about the experience, and move along our merry way.
So now when I think about my 60-second elevator speech on yoga, I think about the simple yoga equation...
Yoga integrates the mind, body, and the breath into a moving meditation. Over time the practice of yoga changes the quality of the mind. As the mind changes we experience self-knowledge and freedom.
Yoga=holistic practice+focused mind=a new way of being with yourself and in the world
In his new book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, Eckhart Tolle discusses the concept of "still and alert attention" in the very first chapter. Are you getting the connection here? When you're practicing yoga, you're focusing your attention in the present moment, on the relationship between the body, movement, and breath. Tolle's book isn't about yoga but the concepts are the same.
Oprah is turning the powerful message of Tolle's book into an opportunity to change by offering a free online course complete with free weekly webcasts with Tolle. The course lasts for 10 weeks and includes an online workbook (this is actually one of my favorite features of the course), a forum to connect with others, awakening exercises, and the opportunity to pose questions to either Oprah or Eckhart to be answered in a future webcast. Here's the class schedule:
- Monday, March 3rd – The Flowering of Human Consciousness
- Monday, March 10th – Ego: The Current State of Humanity
- Monday, March 17th – The Core of Ego
- Monday, March 24th – Role Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego
- Monday, March 31st – The Pain-Body
- Monday, April 7th – Breaking Free
- Monday, April 14th – Finding Who You Truly Are
- Monday, April 21 – The Discovery of Inner Space
- Monday, April 28th – Your Inner Purpose
- Monday, May 5th – A New Earth
I'm a huge supporter of the concept of people changing their lives -- whether it's through yoga or another means -- so I've already registered for this unique event. If you'd like to join in -- it's free -- simply click on the banner below.
Namaste!
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My personal definition of yoga has evolved over the years (especially the last 2). What started out as a physical pursuit came to mean so much more to me as time went on (I know, I know -- I've talked about this in this blog ad naseum). When people would ask me why I practiced yoga, I would only touch on the surface by saying that it was relaxing and that it increased and balanced my strength and flexibility.
Years later I find myself having difficulty giving the ole 60-second elevator speech about the benefits of yoga and the reasons I practice. Shallow definitions like the one I used to give just don't cut it anymore. Just this past weekend, I attended the second session of my Healing Yoga Foundation training. Like most students of yoga, we are examining the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Patanjali describes yoga as guiding the functions of the mind, or concentration. For anyone out there who's studied yoga, you know that there are many definitions of yoga yet Patanjali doesn't offer a laundry list (although he does discuss the "benefits" of practicing yoga). Yet, I find myself coming back to these definitions in particular time and time again. They work for my 60-second elevator speech...
And they remind us that yoga isn't simply a physical pursuit. The deeper work of yoga -- when practiced with breath, body and mind, not practiced as an exercise -- works with the quality of the mind. And we all know that when you change your mind your life changes. I can personally vouch for this, as my life has changed as a result of my years of regular practice. This is one of the joys of my private sessions with clients -- to see them transform their mind, bodies, and lives is one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive. Of course when I start working with someone and I take them through a sequence they're skeptical at first -- Why are these movements so slow? How am I supposed to coordinate my movements to my breath -- that's hard!?!?!? Shouldn't I be sweating more? How am I going to lose weight doing this? Can't we put music on? I simply smile and proceed with the session.
By the end of the session the client is visibly calmer and, in many cases, shocked that such simple movements could have such a powerful effect. Again I smile, remembering my first taste of true, body, breath, and mind yoga. And I remember how I felt when I discovered that what I thought was going to help my body only became a truly holistic practice. So the definition of focusing the mind/concentration takes on a much bigger meaning. Focusing the mind ultimately leads to freedom. Now when faced with a situation, there is a feeling and a response rather than a feeling and a reaction. A reaction implies that we're not driving the bus -- instead, our perceptions of reality, or our ego, or our emotions are taking over. Consider what happens when we feel and respond instead. We experience something but rather than let our perception of the experience dictate our behavior, we simply see the experience for what it is, allow our feelings about the experience, and move along our merry way.
So now when I think about my 60-second elevator speech on yoga, I think about the simple yoga equation...
Yoga integrates the mind, body, and the breath into a moving meditation. Over time the practice of yoga changes the quality of the mind. As the mind changes we experience self-knowledge and freedom.
Yoga=holistic practice+focused mind=a new way of being with yourself and in the world
In his new book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, Eckhart Tolle discusses the concept of "still and alert attention" in the very first chapter. Are you getting the connection here? When you're practicing yoga, you're focusing your attention in the present moment, on the relationship between the body, movement, and breath. Tolle's book isn't about yoga but the concepts are the same.
Oprah is turning the powerful message of Tolle's book into an opportunity to change by offering a free online course complete with free weekly webcasts with Tolle. The course lasts for 10 weeks and includes an online workbook (this is actually one of my favorite features of the course), a forum to connect with others, awakening exercises, and the opportunity to pose questions to either Oprah or Eckhart to be answered in a future webcast. Here's the class schedule:
I'm a huge supporter of the concept of people changing their lives -- whether it's through yoga or another means -- so I've already registered for this unique event. If you'd like to join in -- it's free -- simply click on the banner below.
Namaste!