What Yoga is and is Not

Dear Friend,

I haven't sent one of these emails in a while.. Hope you're well!

In case you haven't noticed, summer days are long and hot, yoga may feel a bit different in this kind of climate, so take care and make sure you don't get overheated on the mat, and at the same time enjoy all the benefits that this kind of heat can bring to the body, like more elasticity and the wonderful detoxing effects of some good sweating ;-)

Occasionally I come across people comparing yoga to other forms of physical movement practices such as Pilates, gymnastics, dance, or even martial arts or contortionism. Every time I hear one of these comparisons, which often tends to be somewhat critical of yoga, I am reminded how common it is for people who practice yoga, sometimes even for many years, to completely miss the entire point of it. I've also come across cases in which people know what yoga is on an intellectual level but keep on running into these types of misunderstandings because they haven't embodied the core of the teachings, meaning that they haven't gone beyond the intellectual comprehension towards a deeper realization or insight which brings about real transformation in perception, one that then inherently prevents these confusions from arising.

I would like to take this time to try and clarify what yoga is and what it's not with the hope that it may allow some of you to refine your practice and maybe move closer to fulfilling yoga's tremendous potential to transform ourselves at the deepest level.

Nevertheless, it is important to mention that if you feel that this is irrelevant to you and that you are satisfied with the current benefits your practice is giving you, please ignore it. The wonderful thing about yoga is that it can give much value at any level in which we meet it, and for many people whatever they are getting from it, even if it's simply some form of workout, stress reduction, or a sense of community, is exactly what they need.

There are two main goals or paths that the yoga process is meant to lead us towards:

1. Spiritual Liberation - reducing levels of dukkha, which is unnecessary psychological suffering or a constant state of unsatisfactoriness, to the point of complete elimination of it.

2. Self-Realization - through a process of calming, steadying and refining our awareness we become more and more able to observe it with clarity and gain significant insight into the nature of the mind, to the point of direct and clear perception of the true nature of our own Self. 

These two paths are very much interwoven and feed one another along the way. The more we reduce dukkha in our system, the more the mind becomes susceptible to seeing things as they are (not as we think they are). And the more we get insight into our own nature, the more inner peace and calm that is cultivated and we find ourselves content and happy regardless of any external object or outcome.

This is a simplified way of explaining the yoga project, anyone curious to know more can study this in-depth and more importantly - practice in a way that is inline with the essential purpose of yoga and then get direct experience of these objectives. 

When we compare the physical aspect of the yoga path which is called Yoga-Asana to any modality that appears to be similar on the surface, we tend to overlook what is happening on deeper levels of the practice. We may then feel some concern about yoga's ability to teach us how to perform a certain physical task or overcome some challenge with our body, it may seem limited in many ways. Afterall, yoga is not ideal for building strength or even flexibility, it has very little benefit for the cardio-vascular system, it may be even missing some necessary types of movement, and if one wants to perform a handstand or get into deep backbends or splits, a conventional yoga class is definitely not the optimal settings for it. A yoga practice session done well is meant to create a much deeper effect, one that works on subtle levels of experience, not to accomplish some physical task or to put the body in some position just for the sake of that. Yoga can obviously have significant benefits for our overall state of health and wellbeing, but that is just added value.

The main difference between yoga and other physical movement practices is how we utilize breath and attention. That is also a way to determine whether a yoga class we are participating in is actually about yoga or is just some form of projection of a misinformed teacher. When we practice yoga postures we want to prioritize the way we breathe and how we pay attention to what is happening within the body and mind at any given moment. Yoga is primarily a mindfulness practice mixed with very specific breath work.

We want to breathe in a way that creates what is called in the yoga terminology a "Sattvic" effect, meaning it is calming, soothing, and relaxing but also cultivating alertness, clarity, and vitality. There are different techniques and patterns to pay attention to in order to develop this way of breathing, and then it may take years to refine it so that it works more effectively. This is one of the major aspects of yoga which makes it unique, as far as I know the other seemingly similar physical methods don't emphasize this, and even if breath is part of it in some shape or form, it has a very different purpose.

However, the biggest factor, the one that ultimately makes yoga yoga, is the mindfulness aspect. We are not actually practicing yoga until we are starting to shift our attention inward and make it the core of the practice, and we want to do it in a very particular and refined way which means that we aren't simply paying attention to things in a conventional way, meaning thinking, judging, evaluating, analyzing, commentating, or any other filter we tend to attach to it often unconsciously, but rather we notice things while staying in an equanimous state, non-reactive, fully receptive and clear, calm, steady and open. This is what mindfulness is, and it too requires a long-term committed practice to get established in and then refine and eventually master.

If a professional athlete, a dancer, a performance artist, or even a circus contortionist, claims that just like yogis, they are in the zone, in their body, undistracted, when they are doing their thing - they are obviously misunderstanding what yoga is. The missing ingredient that makes their experience entirely different is that whatever they are doing, as fully present as they are, they are not simultaneously looking inward and observing their own body, breath and mind with equanimity. If they did, it would very likely jeopardize to some extent their ability to perform as it would shift their priorities substantially. In yoga we prioritize mindfulness because the goal is to gain insight that eventually becomes a profound realization. That is what it's about. It is not about standing on our hands or dropping back, or any other acrobatic endeavor, which can all be quite enjoyable in and of themselves but have very little to do with yoga.

Having said that, I think it's also important to remind everyone that facing physical challenges in yoga can be very useful and is highly recommended, and that attempting difficult postures or movements is often necessary for making meaningful progress. However, the benefits this gives us have to do with getting to know ourselves more deeply while we face these challenges, and also developing the ability to keep the mind calm, still and at ease in situations that present some form of hardship. We can grow and evolve in our practice if we attempt these postures with the right attitude and real understanding of what yoga is all about, otherwise we can easily get stuck in the stage of being identified with the body and seek all sorts of ego-driven accomplishments that can definitely bring a temporary sense of fulfilment and even joy but at the same time prevent us from enjoying the life-changing potential of yoga to lead us to a permanent state of inner peace, happiness, and wisdom.

If you find yourself curious about these kinds of topics - join a workshop, a retreat, or any other event on offer.

Looking forward to sharing yoga with you in July.

Wishing everyone peace and happiness,

Oren

♡

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