Say it ain't so

"Yoga teaches us that we should be in the moment..."

"Yoga says that we are right where we should be..."

Have you ever heard a teacher say that in class? I have. For a long time, for most of my yogic path, I thought that they were referring to this ancient practice we were partaking in. That somewhere in Patanjali's sutras, right after the yamas and the niyamas, he taught us that when we held anjaneyasana we should not look at our neighbor and compare ourselves.

[insert buzzer sound here]

It was a startling wake-up call for me to realize that physical yoga had nothing to do with spiritual Yoga. Yeah, you read that right. The Yoga of which your teachers speak does teach us that we should be in the moment and that we are right where we should be. But that has nothing to do with the forward fold you're struggling to get into. The Yoga with a big Y is an ancient philosophy system from the waaaaaaay back when. And if you go back you won't really find any mention of sun salutes or savasana.

The first time yoga with a small y makes an appearance...is, oh about 100 years ago.

Uh, yeah. That's it.

You can read more about the history of yoga here.

I think that somewhere down the line, like a game of telephone, the information got lost that we're actually practicing a very, very modern physical exercise. Like the author of that article, this information gave me a bit of a crisis of faith. I had gone into my practice thinking that I was joining this old, sacred community when instead, it turns out I'm really just joining jazzercize or tae bo.

But here's some things that helped me...

1) Little y yoga was created with a foundation of big y Yoga. The power of the spiritual practice is infused in the physical practice - the same guidelines of the sutras and other ancient texts guide us in our physical practice. How cool is it that when you explore yoga, you get introduced to Yoga. When you dive into the yoga world, you'll find yourself surrounded by people who are seeking to be loving and mindful and spiritually connected. How many other exercise programs come with a base of wisdom behind it? Can you imagine your Zumba teacher saying "Zumba teaches us that we should love one another..." or the picking up your Runners magazine and learning that "Running tells us to never give up and always let go..."

2) Patanjali's sutras inform us that "Yoga chitta vritti nirodhah. Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam" - which means something like "Yoga is the stilling of our mind chatter. Then the seer rests in the true self." So...what I take that to mean is that anything we do that helps us accomplish that ultimate goal is Yoga. The physical practice can be a compliment to our spiritual practice if we choose to let it be.

3) The physical practice isn't some tried and true method for reaching enlightenment. It's a new practice, a growing practice that is there to serve us. But it's up to us to make it what it's supposed to be (a vehicle for Yoga). It's kind of exciting when you think about it. We're part of creating a tradition right now!  But that means we need to keep our thinking caps on at all times. Just because your yoga teacher tells you a pose is good for you doesn't mean it is. Guess what? The previous generation of yoga teachers didn't know it all and a lot of them are suffering the consequences physically. We're still learning important facts about staying safe in yoga. As the next wave of yogis, that's our job - to take yoga and make it even better. And who knows what the next generation will give to yoga!
More importantly, this is a reminder that we need to keep our thinking caps on at all times. Just because some Guru wrote it down doesn't make it the law. Just because some ancient text says it's so, doesn't mean it is. You need to decide if it's right and safe for you. Because only you matter. It's your body, your mind, your soul.

May you discover a yoga that helps you find Yoga - the peace that allows you to rest in your true nature.