Yoga Really Is For Everyone

An insight into authentic Yoga.

What does Yoga mean to you?

I pose this question for you to ponder, throughout this post.

In the meantime, I will try to help clarify the reasons why Yoga is indeed, for everyone and not just those who fit into the modern day yogi stereotype and/or aesthetic ideal.

It makes sense early on, to give mention to the highly consumerist society in which we live and recognise that even Yoga hasn’t been able to escape the giant claws of capitalism and it’s ravenous hunger for monetary wealth and personal profit above all else.

This system of which we are a part feeds and thrives on our insatiable desires and emotional instability, directly cashing in on many of our insecurities and predictable tendencies to spend unnecessarily in a futile attempt to dull the pain of discontentment with ourselves.

Undoubtedly the true or at least the original meaning of Yoga has been misrepresented and has become somewhat lost, throughout the ages.

Yoga is, in many cases undervalued as just another form of physical exercise or even as a passing fashion trend.

Furthermore, due to our culture’s obsession with highly limiting ideals of beauty and insubstantial or even false beliefs regarding what being healthy constitutes, so many of us end up feeling inadequate, utterly confused and ultimately feel undeserving of what we mistakenly believe Yoga to be.

Whereas in truth, Yoga represents a way of life which adheres to health in a holistic manner and bestows importance not only on the physical but also the mental, moral and spiritual.

Unlike much of our modern day world, which has the common perception that physical exercise equates to good health, Yoga instead, has consistently placed an emphasis on;

Our human form
as a whole being
a composite
of body
mind
and soul.

There is not much benefit from categorising whether this misinterpretation of Yoga is either “good” or “bad”, instead, something far more beneficial would be to realise how much greyness there is to be found in things which first appear to be black and white, how there are two sides (or more) to every story and oftentimes far more to it than we might ever know.

For example, although the original meaning of the word Yoga continues to be distorted in many ways, and one might even argue in some cases that it has become just another means to exploit, the fact that Yoga is now far more accessible to people than ever before, is difficult to ignore.

The kind of Yoga, which reaches the majority of people in the West (and now even in the East!), may only be a shell of its former self, but it still reaches them in some way never the less, and who knows where it will take a person once it has entered into their life.

Many of us eventually do end up finding what we might call true, original or authentic Yoga, despite starting out with an interest limited only to the physical aspects, rather than the spiritual, inseparable whole.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Vedas are the earliest source of information regarding Indian thought, accepted as reliable knowledge and traced back to around 1500 BC. This huge body of literature, largely in the form of hymns and mantras was devoted to the elements of nature.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is considered the most important text with regards to making the ancient wisdom of the Vedas

available to the practitioner, and forms the basis of all Yoga today.

Patanjali compiled and presented this ancient knowledge into 195 sutras (short sentences), which contain guidelines for living, as well as a systematic and highly practical approach for moral, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth through the 8 Fold Path;

Patanjali’s Ashtanga (eight limbs of) Yoga.

(Note: this is not the same Ashtanga Yoga as one of the common modern ‘styles’ of the physical posture practice, it just shares the same name).

asana, which is the physical posture practice element of Yoga is presented as the third of eight important steps towards the final stage of Samadhi (consciousness).

Not only does this go to show, how small (1/8th to be specific !) the physical aspect of Yoga actually is in regards to the whole, but the Sanskrit word for asana translates not just into posture, but meditation posture.

Meaning stillness.

“sthira sukham asanam”
posture should be steady and comfortable

So, no mention of any physical movement, other than sitting comfortably in a meditative posture, at all.

The Bhagavad Gita
The Upanishads are a largely philosophical works in dialog form found at the end of The Vedas and written around 800 BC. They discuss questions of nature and deal with one particular topic; our human experience on earth and how to attain pure consciousness, the ultimate knowledge.

These texts teach the disciplines of Yoga through conversation, they shine a light on our true nature and lead us to the goal of yoga.

The Bhagavad Gita, meaning ‘The Song of God’ is an important, well-known text on Yoga, taken from the Upanishads.

It teaches the different paths of Yoga through the storytelling of a conversation between

Sri Krishna (God of Love) and Arjuna (the warrior).

When speaking of one of these paths;

Karma Yoga — Yoga of Action

Sri Krishna defines Yoga as;

“YOGAH / KARMASU / KAUSALAM”
“engage yourself in action, with the mind steadfast in yoga and be unperturbed by success and failure.”

Simply put;

an action (of any kind) becomes (karma) Yoga depending on the state of mind.

This means;

a balanced state of mind while performing an action is (karma) Yoga.

Which gives way to a plentitude of opportunities for anyone and everyone to practice Yoga during our daily doings.

The goal of Yoga is Self-Realisation

Now we are familiar with the origin of Yoga and two of the most important scriptures regarding the practice, we can have a look at the 6 schools or systems of thought which arose from differing interpretations of the Vedas.

Yoga is 1 of these 6 systems of Indian philosophy;

Nyaya, Visheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta.

It is clear from reviewing these systems as a collective that;

the true nature of authentic Yoga is a system of spiritual pursuit.

A final definition of the term yoga, however, is troublesome to pinpoint, as the descriptions alter to some extent, depending on which of the 6 systems of yogic philosophy you explore.

We can at least, determine that within those varying descriptions, all agree;

Yoga has to do with Self-realisation.

The process of awakening to the pre-existing union which is, Yoga.

The goal or destination of Yoga is, therefore, Yoga itself, union.

The pre-existing union of what?

The realisation through direct experience, of the preexisting union between Atman (individual soul) and Brahman (Universal soul), according to Yoga- Vedanta.

Self-realisation = God-realisation

The union between the Individual and the Universe, the realisation of the interconnectedness of all things.

OR

The realisation of Purusha (pure consciousness) standing alone as separate from Prakriti (the ever-changing material world), as it is in Samkhya- Yoga(regarded the oldest of all the philosophical systems in India).

Self-realisation = Consciousness (-realisation)

Consciousness as separate from all else, the realisation of pure consciousness as the one true reality.

I know this can be confusing. It has taken me quite some time to grasp these varying interpretations of Self-realisation according to the different philosophies, so try not to concern yourself too much over these differences, or better yet, see them only as different interpretations of the same thing.

Let’s break this down a little more;

Yoga is Self-realisation; the realisation of the true Self.

The Universal Self

The timeless, formless, limitless Self.

Higher Power

God (not the scary grey-bearded judgemental old man in the clouds)

Consciousness

Source

Life

So…

if Yoga is Self-realisation (enlightenment, final liberation, ultimate freedom) and also the means by which to realise, then our enquiry into the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence is invaluable to our exploration into the Self.

Now, we can start to ask ourselves some interesting questions;

Who am I?

What is the ultimate reality of my Self?

What is the root cause of all (my) problems?

This enquiry into the Self, a systematic unearthing of what one is not, is a common and significant philosophical practice in Yoga.

The 4 main paths of Yoga

Yoga can be categorised into 4 main pathways, each acting as a different route, to ultimately reach the same goal;

The goal of yoga, which is Self- realisation.

These 4 pathways are;

1) Raja Yoga — path of Meditation (also known as Ashtanga Yoga)

2) Jnana Yoga — path of Knowledge (or Philosophy)

3) Karma Yoga — path of Action without Attachment (or Self-less action)

4) Bhakti Yoga — path of Devotion (or Worship)

(Note: this is not the same Ashtanga Yoga as one of the common modern ‘styles’ of the physical posture practice, it just shares the same name).

Though traditionally these 4 pathways were all seen as a separate set of directions towards Self-realisation, in practice they can be combined in different ways and in different proportions according to a person’s unique personality complex (ego-Self), disposition and needs in order to suit the individual practitioner.

For example,

Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga together; could be a complementary practice for those naturally introverted and contemplative.

Whereas,

Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga; could be complementary for those naturally extroverted and perhaps more active.

There is also no reason why, all 4 pathways cannot be practised simultaneously, in turn, or whenever the individual’s life situation calls upon the pathway (or pathways) most suitable to the present moment.

The main point here is that within these 4 different pathways lies, the opportunity to practice Yoga, for anyone who wishes to do so.

 

A certain attitude
and evenness
of mind
can bring the humble
yet profoundly
life changing
practices of yoga
into our lives.

Yoga is personal to the practitioner

There needn’t be any rigidity with regards to our practice, it should flow naturally alongside our lives, a practice we can take with us on our unique life journey.

Our practice is not here to make us feel bad, lazy or unworthy when we don’t meet our own expectations of what Yoga should look like, it is here with us always, no matter our circumstance, as our guidance, teacher and healer.

It is here to remind us, to practice love and compassion towards ourselves and others, to be gentle and non-judgemental, to be the omnipresent peaceful observer of our naturally turbulent human experience.

When our mind creates judgements, the observer pacifies with compassion, when our mind creates fear,the observer pacifies with love, when our mind creates problems, the observer pacifies with acceptance.

Nowhere, in the traditional texts or scriptures of Yoga, can it be found to say, that Yoga is limited to a specific type of practitioner or only those suitable or with the required amount of skill, understanding or experience.

Authentic Yoga excludes no-one. And even gives the most practical approach towards Self-realisation, depending on the type of person who wishes to practice.

This yoga is, available to all no matter the situation or circumstance.

This yoga is, without exclusions, comparisons or judgements.

This yoga is nothing at all, without the practitioner.

This yoga is, a personal and unique practice, suited to the individual.

This yoga is a practice of self-awareness and acceptance of the present moment, available to all and excluding no-one.

A yoga
which really is
for everyone.

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