what is yoga....really

Yoga these days is getting to be pretty mainstream I think you'd all agree. Anyone with an Instagram account can testify to the amount of pictures of people bending themselves in to incredible poses in various exotic locations throughout the world and increasing amounts of people are making yoga classes part of their weekly routines, yet the true meaning of what yoga is and the purpose of this ancient practice has gotten somewhat lost. Generally speaking, most people think of yoga as simply a form of exercise, a way to increase flexibility and increase your Insty followers (joke).

At the risk of sounding pretentious, which I really don't mean to be, Yoga for me has always felt more than just a physical practice, it's always felt like a rich and ancient practice that goes much deeper than being able to get your body in to a particular pose. Whenever I step in to a yoga studio I always feel that I'm stepping in to a place of spirituality, faith and worship. When I hear the chant at the beginning of the class my soul always feels like its returning home, an opportunity to gather inwards, re-group, re-energize and re-connect with the person that you're trying to be. My preference is always to attend classes at a yoga studio rather than a class at a gym as I would really miss the smell of incense, the Hindu statues and the energy of a room that hundreds of yogis visit each week to try and become better humans.

The last few days of my studies I've been delving in to the ancient roots of Yoga and although it hasn't come as a surprise to find out how vast yoga is and how it is soo much more than just the physical aspect, I thought this would be a nice opportunity to share what I've been learning with you. I've been reading "Simple Path to Yoga" by Eric Chaline, "Teaching Yoga" by Mark Stephens and "Core of the Yoga Sutras" by B.K.S Iyengar. Ok, so here's what I've learned so far:

The word yoga means "to make one" or "to bring together". It is the bringing together of one's mind and the divine. The true purpose of yoga is to create a pure state of consciousness in which the awareness of the "I" disappears in to a sense of divine essence. This is achieved through the practices of the various yoga disciplines. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, he describes the purpose of yoga as "chitta vritta nirodaha" meaning to calm the fluctuations of the mind" or "to steady the mind". The Yoga Sutras explain how to cultivate one's path to "enlightenment" by moving steadily along an eight-limbed path.

The eight-limbed path is:

1. Yama - moral observances such as non-violence, non-stealing, truth, non-coveting, continence
2. Niyama - personal observances such as purity, contentment, disciplined commitment, letting go of the ego
3. Asana (postures) - the use of the body to train and discipline the mind
4. Pranayama (breath control) - controlled intake and outflow of the breath, prepares the mind for concentration
5. Pratyahara (sense withdrawal) - turning the mind inward, cutting off from the external world
6. Dharana (concentration) - single pointed concentration
7. Dhyana - meditation
8. Samadhi - absorbtion of consciousness into the divine

It's clear from this 8 limbed path that the physical practices are only there to support the practices of training the mind and that they come after laying a foundation of pure moral behavior. It's clear that the emphasis in yoga is the practice of meditation, training the mind to be able to let go of ego and become one with the ultimate nature of reality. Obviously, its up to the individual to chose what level they want to practice at and for some people yoga may only ever be their weekly fitness class (and they'll still be gaining huge benefit from that) but it's nice to know how much it can offer you should you chose to delve deeper.

In the book "Light on Yoga" by B.K.S Iyengar, the 8 limbs of ashtanga yoga are likened to a tree, I thought it might be a nice idea to draw myself a version of this tree to help me remember it all, I'll share it with you once I've completed it.

I hope you've found today's entry interesting and that you come away knowing that yoga has a lot more to offer than a bendy body.

Thanks for reading x