The Path of Yoga

“Do you practice Yoga every day?”   is question I frequently receive.

I used to hesitate when answering it because I know that what most people were asking me was if I practiced Asana every day, which the answer to is “no”!  I don’t hesitate anymore but when I say yes, what I mean is that I dip my toes into one of the many and vast aspects of Yoga, daily. I use yoga as a tool of balance and adaptability: I practice what encourages my system to balance and I let go of the rigidity that will lead me to believe that there is only one way of achieving this.

Yoga has, as described by Patanjali, 8 limbs:

• Yama: Restraints or ethical standards.

• Niyama: Personal observances and disciplines.

• Asana: Physical postures or poses.

• Pranayama: Breath control and breathing exercises.

• Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses inward.

• Dharana: Focused concentration.

• Dhyana: Meditation.

• Samadhi: Absorption or enlightenment

The way that these limbs were described by Patanjali was as a progressive ascent that begins with the philosophical foundation of the Yamas & Niyamas that should inform the following steps. The next stages, including the physical practice, are only a means to and end: a preparation of the body for the demands of longer seated practices that will lead to the more subtle aspects of yoga and eventually to spiritual enlightenment (Samadhi).

But despite its massive scope and complexity, Yoga is sometimes reduced to Asana, which might make for cool photos, but it is nonetheless very limiting and limited. The physical aspect is a very common entry point and there is nothing wrong with that, the problem begins when progression is only explored in the physical realm (more challenging, deeper postures, more flexibility, etc)  and what was meant to be one step, becomes the whole path.

The following analogy from B. K. S. Iyengar has always stayed with me:

“Yama creates the roots for living clearly and honourably through ethical being. Niyama is the trunk of the tree, establishing a base of purity in one's body and mind. Asana creates the branches, extending strongly yet flexibly to move with the breezes of life. Pranayama is symbolized by the leaves on the tree, drawing in the life force through the exchange of breath. Pratyahara is the bark protecting the tree from outer elements and preventing its essence from flowing outward. Dharana is the sap running through the veins of the tree and its leaves, keeping the body-mind firm. Dhyana is the flower of whole consciousness, slowly ripening into the fullest fruit of the practice, samadhi, pure bliss.”

I love this analogy because its sounds less like a progressive path and more like a cyclical one that always seeks balance and wholeness.  Let’s assume that most of us aren’t in this to achieve enlightenment (we might be a few lifetimes away from it) but to reach relative enlightenment, to glimpse it sometimes, to experience life with balance and ease and joy. Seeing the above analogy in this light, I know that many things need to co-exist for the tree to blossom, and that once it has blossomed, many other things need to co-exist so that the cycle begins again and so that the tree continues to root deeper and to grow taller, and the flowers more abundant, more fragrant, more vibrant. In some seasons the established tree is focused inwards, tending to the structure and sometimes the tree is going outwards and blossoming. But whatever it does, is in the name of balance.

This is how I see the practice of yoga: there was a time where the physical level was not only the entry point but something that I really need to experience to even understand the other aspects of Yoga. Through Asana, and for the first time, I gained an understanding and appreciation for my physical body that I so often mistreated. This lead to treat my body better and eventually to understand that I couldn’t tend to the gross levels without tending to the subtle ones. And that none of that even mattered that much, without a solid ethical foundation. In some seasons I go back to strong asana practice and I am blossoming, in other seasons I go inwards and meditate, read. In others, I do the hardest task of all and try to apply what I read in real life. And all of it tends to balance, always.

Ok, so this is a long way of saying that yoga is many things and what serves us one day (or season) doesn’t have to always be the same. Don’t be afraid to explore different things: start by tuning in and seeing what is the prevalent energy and emotional tone and how can that be balanced. For example, you are physically exhausted and run down: choose Yin; You are in a state of overwhelm and can’t rest: chose Nidra; Your body is stiff and stuck, chose asana; You are at a crossroad, feeling misaligned with your purpose and values: go back to the foundation of the yamas ans niyamas.

With this in mind, I have opened up my channel to everyone* that wants to practice whilst I am away and whilst the class schedule is reduced. And as the seasons progress, my aim is to continue to feed this channel with different aspects of yoga, from the physical to the subtle, including some of the foundational branches of yoga philosophy. So tune in and let me know how it has served you and what you would like to see more of!

I truly hope you enjoy and find something that can meet you in the season you’re in 🙏

With all my love

Ri

*You still need to SIGN UP, but it is all free. if you have a paid subscription, feel free to cancel it and sign up again.

With love & Gratitude,

Ri