First, let us ask an essential question. What is Yoga?
Is there an image that comes to mind when we hear the word Yoga? Is it an image of a gorgeous body doing a beautiful pose? Is it a picture of a robust and empowered human, sitting in meditation? Is it this image above that drew the mind into reading this post? Have we ever thought or said the words' just stretches' or 'just exercise' when referring to Yoga?
What if we were to say that these images that come to mind are not what Yoga IS? Not even close. Those images that come to mind are just Asana Practice. Only a tiny superficial fraction of Yoga as a whole. Yes, on an unconscious level, it is 'just' deep stretches. The moment we call it 'just stretches' is the moment we need to realize how unconsciously conditioned we are.
The moment we say Yoga is 'just' this or 'just,' that is the moment we devalue this life-saving practice entirely. That is the moment we must realize that we need to all consciously dive so much deeper, as individuals.
To save ourselves.
To save our planet.
Going to a Yoga class is excellent. Keep investing in yourself. You will feel freaking amazing after every pose, especially during savasana (my favorite). You will leave that class with the most fantastic head high that you can't even describe with words. Many call it Zen. I like to call it 'waking up.'
It is highly encouraging to keep going to these classes or lessons. But go with the intention that we want, no, we NEED to dive deeper. Start asking the teachers more about the 'why' aspect of Yoga. Don't waste energy trying to talk to the teacher about how horrible of an experience we once had at Chili's restaurant. That is mindless chatter. That is the senseless babble we use to try to find a connection to others that we so desperately need.
Ask the teacher about the 3 Gunas. Or about the meaning behind WHY we practice Yoga. Ask the teacher who they learned from, or how that experience felt. Ask the teachers about the eight elemental layers to the gross & subtle body or about what lineage they prefer in their practice. Ask the teachers to explain Sat, Cit, Anada. Challenge them (and yourself) to connect on a REAL level.
Keep in mind that HOW we ask is very important. We need to ask as though we are a curious child. Curious and nonjudgmental. Children hold a special place in our world for many reasons. Their ability to inquire without judgment is the best way to learn. Get back in touch with your inner child when talking about Yoga.
And leave the Ego at the door. A good Yoga teacher will see right through that mask. Be aware of the language used. The moment we say "I am this..." or "I am that..." we are unconsciously speaking directly from our Ego. The Ego itself is possessive, so we must begin to be very aware of "my, mine, me" when we speak with others. And the Ego is always judging by using divisive words such as "you, yours." Try observing this language as it is coming out.
Teachers, I beg you, schedule a long buffer in between classes to connect to your students. On purpose, Intentionally. Create space and time for them to cultivate room for more growth. If we schedule back-to-back classes, we are only going to burn ourselves out from teaching. I understand as a teacher (especially one who works independently) time is money, and we need money to survive, but if we can't afford time with our students, then maybe our standards of living are too high. It's time to start consciously lowering our standards.
Intentionally. Yep, you heard me. Downsize!
If we can not afford a buffer to cultivate a connection to students, then consider the fact that we might be living beyond our means to survive because our culture has unconsciously conditioned us to believe that we 'need' all this 'stuff' to survive. We don't need a three-bedroom house if we live alone. We don't need fancy condos in the 'nice' part of town. If we want to give back to the community, we can choose to live in a tiny home or a studio. Live like the ancient sages and rishi's, detached from all that nonsense.
If you have small children, this may be your opportunity to teach them about minimalist living. It's quite a fantastic feeling. Our kids will thank us when we are older. As parents ourselves, we fell in love with teaching our kids to avoid materialistic ideals.
As I sit and write this post, I am a total hypocrite. I am living in a three-bedroom townhome with a spouse and two small children. We have put ourselves in a situation where our prior commitments obligate us. We will pay that price off soon, though! We are counting down the days until we are free of living for our 'stuff.'
We look forward to living for our purpose, our Dharma, our bliss.
The literal translation of Yoga from Sanskrit to English is "Union." Yoga means union. Plain and simple, right? Sounds super easy? But what if the symbolic meaning behind what Yoga IS, to us as a western culture, is far more significant and vastly more profound than any words can express. Yoga is how we cultivate our collective consciousness evolution.
It does not mean fancy yoga pants and expensive classes (as I sit here wearing Lululemon lol). It does not mean putting others down for not practicing asana for two hours every day. It does NOT mean that you have to be skinny, white, or female to be a part of the 'click.' These myths are what western culture has morfed our minds into thinking. That all of this nonsense is what Yoga means. These are examples of the false-self mindset that we are stuck in but don't even realize.
Have we, as Yoga teachers, been failing to see the point in all this? That we are all a bunch of hypocrites? We go and spend thousands of dollars on training and fancy yoga gear and leave thinking that we can 'change' the world. Only to realize the hard way later that the only people we need to focus on 'changing' is ourselves. We need to evolve. We as Yoga teachers work so hard at 'waking others up' that we forget to wake ourselves up FIRST.
Want to learn more about what Yoga is?
Yoga can not be described in so many words, it is better to try to feel it to know what ‘it’ is…
Go, volunteer, go pick up trash and be detached from the outcome.
Don't be afraid to be devoted to others, but also do not fear to be devoted to yourself. Work on overcoming all addictions, not just the ones society deems "bad" or "good."
Go search for the real you, the you that once upon a time, believed that fairy tales could come true.
Go find God, the Universe, the Earth.
Make your hobby your career. Start a blog, podcast, video channel.
Turn off the TV and sit outside and do NOTHING... literally concentrate on nothing for a while.
Find your truth.
Find your consciousness.
Find your bliss.
Because that is what Yoga IS. Yoga is being unafraid to be just a tiny bit selfish without the least bit of shame, guilt, or greed. Yoga is doing good things for others, even when no one is watching. Yoga is a living, breathing life science that has no limits or expectations. Yoga is the unconditional love for yourself that our parents forgot to give us when we were growing up. (Forgive them, they didn't do it intentionally, they did in unconsciously). Yoga is forgiveness, not just forgiveness to those around us, but the sincerest form of self-forgiveness that we never even realized was possible.
Yoga is not just for those who can 'afford' it. Yoga is not for profit. It has never been. Yoga is for every. Single. Person. ON THIS EARTH. Yoga is for you, me, and every human that exists today.
You Do You-ga boo boo!