The True Purpose of YogaJanuary 1, 2012

Yoga is not just a set of physical postures to strengthen your body and make it more flexible. Granted, two of the most obvious physically apparent benefits of yoga are strength and flexibility. There is a deeper meaning to yoga that opens the practitioner to a new way of life. The word "yoga" means union of mind, body and spirit. When the mind, body and spirit are united in your practice, you move to a new "advanced" level where there is complete harmony and integration with your mind, body and spirit. This means you naturally make choices in your physical practice that are nurturing to your mind, body and spirit. Interestingly enough, the physical practice of poses also deepens this unity and connection between mind, body and spirit. This is why I remind my students to think about how far they are pushing themselves and to reflect on their inner dialog during their practice. It is a myth to think you need to be strong and flexible to practice yoga. The only thing you actually need is the desire and patience to practice it. With patience and practice you are automatically rewarded with flexibility and strength.

In the west, the word yoga is equated to physical postures. In India where yoga originated, the word "asana" was used to refer to the physical practice. In the eight-fold path described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (a great read to understand the roots of yoga), it is very clear that physical postures are only one part of being a true "yogi". There are 6 other steps to reach a state of "settled mind". I will not touch upon every element of the eight-fold path in this article due to time constraints but I do highly recommend you read the book and gain your own understanding of it. One element I would like to cover in this context is...meditation. Meditation is often used as the tool to quiet the fluctuations of the mind and allow us to further deepen the connection with our mind, body and spirit. The little secret here is that the time we actually sit down to meditate is not necessarily the time we experience the silence. It is the time outside of meditation (in our everyday activities) that we truly start to experience a richer meaning to our lives and a deep impenetrable silence. We start flowing with ease and connecting with our "true" purpose.

In my classes, I like to combine the physical practice of poses (asana) with meditation. Dynamic movements increase flexibility, strength and mental alertness while meditation and the holding of poses brings silence to the ever-active mind. At the simplest level, we get a little "me" time and in a world where we are constantly barraged with information, things to do and places to go...who doesn't need that? With "routine" practice of asana and meditation, we start experiencing better health and a deeper sense of calm. Once we have this in our lives, we would not want it any other way!

Experience the benefits of yoga in your own life...sign up for classes at the Norman Murray Center or join me at Purple Yoga.

Wishing you peace and happiness.

Namaste,