According to many faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism,
Christianity and Islam, the universe began, from pure silence, with a single
sound. For some faiths, this sound was the name of God but for others,
including Hinduism, this sound was "Om". This sacred vibration that
heralded the source of all life and creation was followed by a cacophony of
noise and excitement. Within the noise though, there is still that underlying
sacred sound and ultimately, silence.
The art of yoga is to quieten the cacophony that exists both
around us and within us. As a 500-hour yoga teacher, I have studied the Yoga
Sutra according to Patanjali, as have most - if not all - teachers. Common
belief has it that these short verses, ultimately a guide to enlightenment,
were compiled in around 350 CE.
Yogas-citta-vrtti-nirodhah translates as "Yoga is the
restriction of the fluctuations of consciousness".
More than ever, the noise around and within us is driven by a
24-hour news cycle, constant connectivity to traditional and social media, and
an overwhelming number of societal dramas and problems that can weigh on our
collective and individual conscience. In the face of relentless news of climate
change, natural disasters, drought, floods, poverty and injustice, we can
become exhausted and feel powerless to make a difference. This is not true,
though. Through individual actions, we throw a pebble into the universal waters
that ripples across the surface. We inspire and motivate the people around us
who then motivate a wider group, until there is broader awareness and action.
I refer to yoga as a practice, and in a sense the act of
attending a yoga class to practice the asanas (poses) is a practice for how to
live as an individual, but also how to live in the world. As with any practice,
yoga requires dedicated practice (abhyasa) though this is tempered with an
ability to commit without expecting or judging the results (vairagya).
Patanjali gave guidelines as to how to live as a
conscientious and dedicated individual, but ultimately to recognise we exist
within a collective consciousness. There is no true divide between any of us
and any other living thing in the universe. He advised "satkara", a true
belief in what you're doing, along with "adara", finding enjoyment in
what you're doing.
To this end, your yoga class and your yoga practice requires
adherence to the ancient yoga sutras in that you must be dedicated, regardless
of the expectations and results, and that you must believe in the value of what
you're doing, while also finding enjoyment in it.
Even though, superficially, yoga can appear to be just
another offering at your local gym or a set of gymnastic exercises in
overheated rooms filled with enthusiastic Lycra-clad acrobats, it is not purely
a movement class. The poses, the sequences they are practiced in, and the
intention in making each shape with our bodies and discovering how it feels in
our body and mind as we do so has ancient roots. As we transition from a crow
into a goddess, from a downward facing dog into a triangle then a half-moon, we
discover the ease of moving in and out of different entities without losing our
ability to self-observe, or to feel grounded. This is the essence of
compassion. Not pity at all, but the ability to see and experience life through
the eyes, or shoes, of others.
Patanjali teaches "asevita", or the commitment to
approaching life with a sense of service. How can our everyday actions
contribute to being of service to the people we come into contact with, the
people we know and love, the work that we do, the land that we live on, the
creatures on that land?
These questions are timeless. To be of service is not to
sacrifice ourselves at all. Without our optimal health, contentment and safety,
we are not able to be of service to others. To this end, the physical yoga
practice is a commitment to being strong, agile, balanced and physically well
enough to care for ourselves and to be of service to our fullest ability.
The teachings of yoga, which boil down to every living
creature and thing being connected and from one source, are not religious nor
culturally unique. They don’t invite some people and exclude others. Whoever we
are, wherever we are, we can practice yoga via some means - it may be through
selfless service to others, daily mantras and chants, physical poses or purely
mindful breathing exercises (pranayama).
From that silence came a sacred sound, followed by a
cacophony. Through yoga, we seek to connect back to the sacred sound. This is
through compassion, dedicated practice, being of service and gratitude for the
opportunity to contribute to this cacophonous, wonderful, endlessly curious
world that we live in. Through individual practice, we connect to an ancient
practice that unites all living beings. Om, Waheguru*.
*Waheguru translates as “teacher” or “remover of darkness”.
In yoga, the use of the word typically means, “The teacher in me acknowledges
the teacher in you”