Guidelines for an Inspired Yoga Practice
It is the promise of a stronger, more flexible and attractive body that draws most beginners to yoga. Indeed, it is initially the image of a svelte figure bending into amazing shapes on the front of Yoga Journal that motivates us to purchase a mat and head to the nearest yoga studio. But ask practitioners who have devoted months or years to yoga, and they will concede that there are more meaningful reasons than just the physical benefits that keep them rolling out their mats to practice.
If it’s not physical reasons, what is it that keeps yogis “going back for more”? Simply put, as much as yoga helps us to get in touch with our physical bodies, it also helps us to get in touch with something even more important. Call it what you will, yoga helps us to connect with our “soul,” our “true self,” our “inner-being,” our “spirit,” our “connection to the divine.”
Kriya Spiritual Master Roy Eugene Davis recently said in a weekly “Inspired Living” address (which can be accessed by calling 706-782-2767 or visiting www.inspired.csa-davis.org): “Greater is that which is within you than that which is outside of you. Because you are an immortal, spiritual being, you are superior to your thoughts, emotions and external circumstances. Your ability to live freely and effectively is unlimited.” Over time, connecting with the “Greater” part of you, and your “ability to live freely and effectively,” becomes the primary inspiration of practicing yoga.
So, how does a yoga student move beyond the mere physical practice to a more inspired one? Certainly a dedicated, regular practice gets a yogi naturally headed down the right path, but there are other steps that can be taken to assist in the pursuit. Please read on to understand this month’s Theme of the Month: “Guidelines for an Inspired Yoga Practice”:
What are the Guidelines for an Inspired Yoga Practice?
The first step (as mentioned above) is to dedicate yourself to a regular practice—rain or shine, cold weather or hot. Make yoga your priority and watch a whole new positive world open up to you.
The next step is to set every intention to arrive at the studio a few minutes early, giving yourself ample time to properly stow your belongings (leaving shoes under couches, and everything else in the locker room) and set up your mat. This will help you transition into the proper meditative frame of mind for class. Dashing into class late can leave a student with a harried, embarrassed, overly-active and/or defensive mind.
Giving yourself plenty of time allows you to spend a few moments on your mat relaxing and consciously unwinding. During that time you can clear your head of any worries or concerns, and prepare to “tune-in” to the teacher’s dialogue. This helps shift the mind to an “active meditation,” where you begin focusing on one thing (the instructions) and allowing all the other mental narratives to fade away. You will also find more focused energy if you move in sync with the class and the timing of the teacher—rather than moving at a different pace or introducing your own modifications to the poses.
Throughout the class, keep your visual focus on yourself. As David Life wrote in “The Eye of the Beholder”, published in Yoga Journal, “When we get caught up in the outer appearance of things, our prana (vitality) flows out of us as we scan the stimulating sights. Allowing the eyes to wander creates distractions that lead us further away from yoga.”
In addition, make every effort to stay on your mat. By doing so, you begin to realize that you are in control of your body, not the other way around. Keeping a “single-pointed concentration of attention” (as David Life says), on moving through all the postures with the dialogue—verses giving into physical impulses (such as leaving to cool down or go to the bathroom)—helps you become the master of your own body. Occasionally there are urgent, valid reasons to leave the yoga room, but doing so should be an exception to your normal “single-pointed” practice.
Along those same lines, choose to make external phenomenon—such as the temperature of the room, your neighbor’s activities, who the teacher is, how crowded the room is, etc.—unimportant. Remember, as Roy Eugene Davis said, “…you are superior to your thoughts, emotions and external circumstances.” Instead, keep in mind the importance of the feelings in your body (e.g. how wonderful it feels to “lift your sternum up in a backbend, or lengthen through the hamstrings in a forward bend.) Also, of course, focus your attention on your breath, keeping it slow, deep and controlled throughout the entire ninety minutes.
Finally, before or after class, avoid the temptation to gossip or engage in judgmental conversations. Such communication simply drags you down. In fact, notice the next time you catch yourself speaking judgmentally. If you are honest with yourself, you realize that speaking negatively about someone leaves you feeling bad. Don Miguel Ruiz, author of Mastery of Love says that speaking badly about people is like “spreading poison.” In reality most people want to avoid that. Kriya Spiritual Leader Ellen Grace O’Brian says, “Speech is the powerful middleman between our minds and manifestation. To gain control of speech and speak only truth is to reach spiritual maturity.”
By following these guidelines, you will lift up your yoga practice to another level, an inspired one that will help you connect with your soul and the inherent peace of mind and overall well-being that comes with it. It is that inspired practice which really keeps yogis “going back for more.”