YOGA HAS HELPED ME SO MUCH THIS WEEK…
And I have not done a single downward facing dog.
When I first came to my yoga mat, I did all the hard flows- the heat, the bikram, the dynamic vinyasa classes- the harder the better! I loved the sense of achievement I got from nailing pose that initially seemed impossible. Don't get me wrong, I still get the buzz, and there is nothing wrong with that!
But the poses- the asanas- are such small part of what yoga really is.
"In the West we are taught from an early age that what we do and what we own are the sole components for measuring whether we are "successful." We measure our success and that of others through this limited vantage point, judging and dis-mussing anything that falls outside these narrow parameters. What yoga teaches us is that who we are and how we are constitute the ultimate proof of a life lived in free-dom.
It you do not truly believe this, it is likely that you will measure success in your yoga practice through the achievement of external forms. This tendency has produced a whole subculture of yoga in the West that is nothing more than sophisticated calisthenics, with those who can bend the farthest or do the most extraordinary yoga postures being deemed masters. Because it's easy to measure physical prowess, we may compare ourselves to others who are more flexible, or more "advanced" in their yoga postures, getting trapped in the belief that the forms of the practice are the goal. These outward feats do not necessarily constitute any evidence of a balanced practice or a balanced life. What these first central precepts the yamas and niyamas ask us to remember is that the techniques and forms are not goals in themselves but vehicles for getting to the essence of who we are.
One of our greatest challenges as Westerners practicing yoga is to learn to perceive progress through invisible" signs, signs that are quite often unacknowledged by the culture at large. Are we moving toward greater kindness, patience, or tolerance toward others? Are we able to remain calm and centered even when others around us become agitated and angry? How we speak, how we treat others, and how we live are more subjective qualities and attributes we need to learn to recognize in ourselves as a testament to our own progress and as gauges of authenticity in our potential teachers. When we remain committed to our most deeply held values we can begin to discern the difference between the appearance of achievement and the true experience of transformation, and thereby free ourselves to pursue those things of real value."
-Donna Farhi ‘Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit’
This week has challenged me- from a panic attack in Heffron Park at 5am, to crippling migraines- my body has been stuck in flight or fight mode.
And this is where my yoga practise has come in…
Sitting on the park floor doing some pranayama- inhale for 3, exhale for 6- until my heart rate slowed down enough for me to stand.
Listening to my brain as it raged, taking time off (that I never do), resting with my legs up the wall and a sand bag across my hips.
Talking kindly to myself as I healed.
THIS is yoga. And there ain't a down dog in sight!
Yoga has taught me what freedom in my body and my mind feels like, and I am able to recognise earlier when I am not feeling that way- well, sometimes… the 5am park panic attack was a bit of a shock!
So I get you to consider what yoga means to you and how it has helped you, and hopefully you can see that it is so much more than the poses- it is a feeling- and-you cannot take a photo of that.
The very first yoga sutra-
Atha Yoga Anushasanam
NOW the practise of yoga begins…
Not when we nail a pose, or put the fancy pants on, or even roll out the mat. It is the minute that we come home to ourselves and sit in the present moment. THAT is yoga. And thats what I have done this week.