Why yoga isn’t just about being flexible, and what it really means.
Yoga beginners often tell me I’m not flexible enough to do yoga or I need to get in shape first. In the West, weโve come to think of yoga as synonymous with the practice (or sometimes performance) of physical postures and the development of super-human flexibility, so it’s understandable that a lot of folks feel they can’t do yoga. However, this is far removed from yogaโs original intention as a spiritual practice, and doing physical poses for their own sake isnโt yoga.โฃ
So if yoga isn’t headstand or touching your toes, what is it? When we dig into yoga philosophy of the tradition, there are a few things that stand out. One key idea to understanding yoga philosophy is that yoga has a lot more to do with the mind than the body.
Patanjali starts out the Yoga Sutras by telling us yogas chitta vritti nirodhaha. Iโm not a Sanskrit scholar so Iโm relying on the translation of others here:โฃ
- ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ข: entirety of mind, consciousnessโฃ
- ๐ท๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ช: oscillation, disturbances, fluctuations, turning/ rollingโฃ
- ๐ฏ๐ช๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฉ: to restrict, restrain, still, quiet, suppressโฃ
Yoga is to still the fluctuations of the mind.
This yoga philosophy tells us that the practices of concentration and meditation are central to yoga, not incidental. Yoga is, at its heart, restraining the whirling of consciousness so that we can unite with the deeper truth of who we are.โฃ
โฃIf the idea of controlling the mind seems impossible, thereโs good news. Yoga provides us with tools to develop these skills. Itโs not simply a matter of forcing the mind to a screeching halt. (If youโve ever tried that, it doesnโt work very well.)โฃ Like any other skill, we start small and build ability and capacity through consistent practice, refinement, and patience.
โฃThe other good news is practice helps. Neuroscience tells us that the more we use neural pathways, the stronger they get, and the easier/ more likely we are to use them in the future. Regular meditation practice strengthens the meditation โmuscleโ so that we can return to a meditative state more easily and under more difficult circumstances in the future.โฃโฃ
โฃFor a personalized practice with a focus on breath, concentration, and meditation, book an online private session and we can work together to build a yoga practice that works for you.
