And The Winner Is...

This morning I was thinking about what yoga means to me and how that can differ from a generalized view held by our Western population. When people ask the question, "what is yoga and what do you do?" I begin by saying that from my perspective, it's not a short answer. That the root of the word yoga is "yug" meaning "to yoke, to bring together". The practice of yoga is a method for bringing into balance our body, mind and spirit.

This comment often draws a blank stare and is sometimes followed by the question, "yes...well...what do you actually do? What does that really mean?".

Keeping to the long winded answer theme, I can tell you what it doesn't mean. It's not simply another form of exercise. It often gets thrown on the menu of choices between a spinning class, body pump and Zumba. The fitness industry has added it to their list of classes to broaden their appeal and offer more "mind-body" options. Dedicated yoga studios will often have a different slant with a variety of yoga styles on offer-Vinyasa, Anusara, Asthanga, Iyengar, restorative, gentle, Yin and any other hybrid or lineage that seems appealing to the audience, but all have their roots planted in the yogic traditions.

I also firmly believe that yoga is not competitive. I have heard of so and so being a "World Yoga Champion" which causes me to slightly recoil as I have a difficult time understanding how the words "yoga" and "world champ" go together. Is a world yoga champ simply somebody who is really good at doing yoga tricks? If they win, do they become "the enlightened one"?

It's like saying that the Queen of England is the "World Royal Champion". Sounds somewhat ridiculous as she was born into her role and didn't enter a competition to see if she would bring home the title. It's an inherent part of being a royal...not something that you enter a contest to win. She just is Queen. That's it. (She's really good at being Queen. Better than any of the other competitors).

We practice yoga as a way to deepen our own awareness and connect to our inner selves. The physical part of doing postures (asana) and breath work (pranayama) are inherent in the practice but only represent a thin slice of the whole pie.

The entire practice of yoga is a complete entity. We don't need to go outside of ourselves to benefit from the practice. We need to be guided along the path, taught what to do and how it can be part of keeping our lives in optimal balance, but it's more deserving than simply being whittled down to an exercise option.

People are neither good or bad at yoga. If you can breathe, you can do yoga. I'm here to squash the rumor that you have to be flexible to do yoga. We simply practice yoga. That's it.

Robert Butera, MDiv, PhD recently wrote that in India "it's assumed that if you decide to do yoga that it's a lifelong commitment, not meaning that more people are apt to practice it, but that they have a basic understanding of Yoga as a path to enlightenment" ("Yoga Therapy in Practice". Yoga Therapy: East-West Synthesis. IAYT Journal - No 20 (2010) pp. 83-85).

In the West the current image is of a health-conscious woman in form-fitting clothes with a designer mat and bag on her way to class. A class might be the only time in her week that she practices yoga. I'm not placing judgment on the fact that this is our go-to image. I'm simply saying that yoga as a tradition has been passed along for thousands of years. Any doorway that somebody steps through to get onto his/her mat is one that can lead to a greater understanding of our connection to ourselves, others and this planet. It can be through the yogic practices of postures, devotion, meditation, service, breathing or all of it.

And The Winner Is....

All of us who choose to step onto our mats.