In the book, “Autobiography of a Yogi”, Paramahansa Yogananda recounts a story about a time his guru helped him heal from an illness. He was very sick and had lost a lot of weight and he visited his guru and asked for help with the illness. His guru told him that his mind had the power to heal his illness and if he just thought himself well, he would be well. The next day, he felt much better. He asked his guru what he had done to him, his guru replied, “nothing" and said that perhaps things would change the following day and he would be unwell again. The next day he felt sick again and his guru explained again how his mind could heal him and told him that he was well again. That day, Yogananda went home and much to his family’s surprise he had not only gotten better, but had also gained back the weight he had lost during his illness.
An almost unbelievable tale of self healing that can give us a glimpse into the untapped power of the human mind. How is such supernatural power possible? The yogis believe that through a dedicated practice of yoga (particularly meditation), super natural powers can be obtained. Western yoga has never claimed to offer super natural powers - we practice yoga for a multitude of reasons the most common being the physical aspect of the practice. Very rarely do we dig much deeper than just a little bit of coping with discomfort on our mat.
When we think about yoga it is the postures that come to mind. Yet, yoga is more than just tree pose. It is a system. A science of cultivating an inner state of stillness that allows the practitioner to recognize the truth of who they are. Supernatural powers? Probably not going to happen in my lifetime even with dedicated practice. Although, realization of an unending, unchanging sense of happiness most certainly can - and this is how I approach yoga. Both in my own practice and in my teaching.
Which brings me to my topic. Why and how yoga compliments your fitness program. Of course, supernatural powers to will your body into instant svelte shape and well being would certainly be useful - unfortunately, this is probably not going to happen for you. Most certainly not under my tutelage. So, we will have to lower our expectations of our yoga practice.
Like I said, yoga is a system. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjoli describes 8 limbs of yoga. This is the system. The first 2 limbs are the Yama & Niyama rules - moral observances. Consider these a guideline to living a more conscious life. The yama and niyamas is where it all begins. Once you know them, you can’t unknow them. And so, you begin to integrate them.
Yama Rules:
1. Ahimsa - non violence. This means exactly what is says. Don’t hurt others, or yourself.
2. Satya - truth. Be honest
3. Asteya - don’t steal. (this means actual theft, but also talking too much or being late could be considered stealing as well)
4. Brahmacharya - sexual restraint. Don’t go overboard. On anything.
5. Aparigraha - non aquisitiveness. Don’t be greedy. Don’t take more than you need.
Niyama Rules:
1. Saucha - cleanliness. Take good care of yourself.
2. Santosha - contentment. It is what it is.
3. Tapas - work hard.
4. Svadhyaya - Self study. Get to know yourself. Read books that can help you understand yourself better.
5. Ishvara pranidhana - Surrender to something greater than yourself.
It’s all pretty much here. And this is why I think yoga is a wonderful compliment to your fitness program.
Ahimsa - Don’t go overboard. More is not always better. Take your rest days. Listen to your body. Fuel properly.
Satya - Get honest with yourself about your goals, and your reasons for your fitness journey. If you for one second believe you will be happier once you are fit, thin, strong - you need to rethink your reasons. You will be healthier. Happiness is cultivated along the way, and in fact your basic nature is happiness - it is never not there for you in any given moment! More about that later.
Asteya - Go to your classes. Your instructors time is important, and they want you to be in class on time and ready to participate.
Brahmacharya - This one is a great one for those on a weight loss or fitness journey. Restraint. Traditionally this means restraint sexually, particularly for men with regard to ejaculating too often. But, let’s take a bit of a lululemon spin on this one for the purpose of this article. Remember the Brahmacharya bag with the money, needles, booze, etc in the lettering? In terms of restraint, practicing brahmacharya can help you moderate your life particularly with regard to over eating, over internetting, over tv’ing, over exercising. I’m not one of those, “everything in moderation” type people - that gets tiresome, and is a ridiculous notion because poison certainly isn’t good in moderation. This yama can assist you with being mindful with any sort of consumption. That is a good thing.
Aparigraha - You probably don’t need that second helping of dinner, do you?
Saucha - Eat clean. Real food. No shakes, no gimmicks. Just eat real food.
Santosha - Another good one. Thing is. Life is good. And life can outright bloody well suck. Santosha is the practice of being okay with either. It’s not complacency, if you can change things you should do it (see tapas). It’s understanding that what will be will be. You will have good days on your fitness journey, and you will have days where you want to eat twinkies and lay in bed all day. There is really no reason to beat yourself up.... Ahimsa, Remember? All of these yama and niyamas work together and compliment one another. You had a bad day. Don’t dwell or linger on all of the negative thoughts you have running around in your head. Santosha is your practice of taking a deep breath and moving forward with a sense of well being. Did your husband get tied up at work and you ended up missing your workout and you ate pizza for dinner? Again, not something to dwell on. This is what happened. Tomorrow it can be different. Or maybe it won’t be. Maybe you will injure yourself and be unable to return to the gym. This is the practice. It is about being okay with what is. Exactly how it is. If you struggle with this one, pick up Byron Katie’s book “Loving what is” and do "the work". Life changing.
Tapas - work hard. Do. Your. Practice. Don’t skip planned workouts. Go to yoga. Do the work. This means practicing all the other yamas and niyamas as well. Do your work. Do it. Watch this video if you need further clarification on this one:
Svadhyaya. Get to know yourself. You go into every single workout & every single yoga class exactly as you are. What can you learn about yourself? Do you quit when the going gets tough? Do you tend to over do things? How can you apply the other yama & niyama rules to this? Getting real with yourself is important because you can begin to identify self limiting thought patterns. You will begin to recognize how you sabotage yourself, and perhaps others. Once you know, you can change. There are many spiritual texts to help you understand yourself, your ego, and ultimately your true nature as love & happiness.
Ishvara Pranidhana - Surrender to something greater than oneself. Your understanding of God. In the yoga tradition, God is within. We can understand God as the Divine, Grace, Love, Happiness, Truth. This is where I think we can really begin to experience yoga as a facilitator of any goal, any earthly desire. When you recognize that you ARE love, anything you desire, anything you seek - you are already that thing. The practice of yoga is a practice of uncovering this true nature. We practice the postures, breathing exercises, and meditation in order to achieve a stillness in the mind that allows us to recognize that we are something far greater than our thoughts. We are the stillness beyond thought. Understanding this concept has been made easier for me through reading (self study) Eckhart Tolle’s writing - if you are feeling curious. What you'll realize is that you don’t need to be thin, strong, or in fact even be healthy in order to understand your true self. That attaining a goal on the scale is not going to bring you happiness. And, fact is,your goals will be meaningless when you achieve them if you have not first cultivated stillness and peace within. You will just move on to the next thing - the next goal - the next big purchase - the next whatever - seeking without, something that is only found within. Yoga helps us realize that happiness is an inside job.
Which brings me to the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th limb of yoga - which is our hatha yoga practice. Limb 3, is asana. Patanjoli meant sitting, as in sitting for meditation. But, western yogis have decided this should also include the postures we know as yoga. So, this is what I am going to also refer to as the 3rd limb of yoga. The practice of postures we do on the mat. The 4th limb is pranayama. Control of the breath. The 5th limb is sense withdrawal, moving inward. The 6th limb is dharana or concentration - this is the pathway toward a meditation practice, fixing the mind on a single object. The 7th limb is meditation, which is an uninterrupted flow of concentration, a quietening of the mind without distraction. (The 8th limb is complete absorption or liberation, enlightenment - not something I’m teaching at your gym or my studio for that matter. We would be lucky to achieve fleeting moments of meditative stillness. ).
When you go to a yoga class your practice will probably consist mostly of asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing) and possibly some meditation (either sense withdrawal or concentration techniques). It is through the physical practice that we begin to undo our habitual patterns of body & mind. This habitual patterning can take the form of tightness or tension, pain, injury, loss of sensation, anxiety, stress, depression, or illness. As you practice you'll begin to create a relationship with your body that can help us undo this patterning (hence the tapas, we work hard to undo what we can and practice santosha to help us accept what is unable to change). As a result, energy flows more freely in the body mind. Over time, you'll begin to hold less tension, in both the body & the mind, particularly in your thought patterns which can help you to better practice the yama & niyama rules. See, these limbs not only work sequentially but also cyclically and complimentarily. It is only through dedication that you’ll begin to notice that yoga has the power to change your relationship with life. Through an improved relationship with the body mind, yoga compliments not only your fitness routine but also assists you in transforming your life so that you can recognize your natural state of happiness. It’s not going to be easy, I can tell you all about that too someday - it’s a practice, and it may take this lifetime or several lifetimes. But, like I said, once you know the path - you can’t unknow it. You can opt to ignore it, but why wouldn’t you want to leap right in?
Later, after describing the 8 limbs in the Yoga Sutras, Patanjoli goes on to describe the super natural powers that I mentioned above in the story of Yogananda’s guru. The mind is a powerful tool - with limitless potential. Yoga can be a tool that will help you to harness your mind, to become more conscious & present in your day to day life. What an incredible gift we can give to those we share our lives with! The really great thing about yoga though, is that you can ignore all the stuff I’ve just said, just throw it all out, come to a class and still receive immense benefit from the practice. You will notice improved mobility, greater strength, and a feeling of calmness as a result of your time on the mat. That alone, is worth coming to yoga for. But, if you begin to live yoga, to really adopt the teachings into your life - yoga is a pathway toward, as Georg Feuerstein calls it, “radical transformation" - and as MC Yogi says, “the most radical thing you can do is take one conscious breath”. In that moment of noticing the inhale & exhale, you are present - and there is no past, no future - just now. And NOW is exactly perfect as it is, every single time. Try it. It could change your life.
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