Connection through Yoga

Separation or Connection?

As this New Year dawns many of us will be trying new things, making resolutions to let go of old habits, patterns and maybe in many small ways looking for ways to connect. This past year for me has been a lot about what are all the aspects that make me who I am. In that context I have been drawing in teachers that are bringing up the question of separation. Recently I attended a workshop and the 1st night, which is typically more philosophy, began that evening by talking about the separation between yoga and Hinduism. Immediately my interest was sparked, should there be separation and in a way don't those two topics have a point of mergence? Yoga is an ancient tradition dating back thousands of years. The Indian Sage Patanjali is credited as the "father" of yoga. His work of compiling and documenting of the Yoga in the form of the Yoga Sutras changed many generations to follow. He was the 1st to take this practice and make it accessible to all. Before his work Yoga was passed down only by word of mouth from Guru to student. Her point was that Yoga came 1st and as things go it was become intermixed with other cultures and even religions. Yoga in itself is not a religion and contains no dogma. Here in the West the belief that you have to be or that you are a Hindu to practice Yoga is becoming a fast growing belief and that is very far from the truth. So in her traditional teachings it was learning to differentiate what were Hindu beliefs and what is the Truth of Yoga as from the original texts of the Yoga Sutras. This stirred many thoughts with myself, for as a teacher and student of Yoga I draw on all the things I have learned in my studies, whether from the Hindu texts of the Bhagavad Gita or the words of the Buddha. Should I be learning to separate all these things and I am I doing a disservice to myself and others if I don't?

For those starting something new, perhaps Yoga in the New year I can offer this... there needs to a sense of connection with the lives we presently lead with the things we wish to start adding. Many of our resolutions and intentions fail because our plates are already full and to add yet another thing just never happens. A Yoga class just becomes something else on the "to do list". But when we see a Yoga as a way of connection, it offers us a new perspective. A perspective in which taking time for ourselves on the mat is not just about the length of time we spend doing asana but larger than that. Larger in the sense that we are there to make our lives bigger and that this time can become the undercurrent of the support that we all desperately need. So for those at the beginning of their path of Yoga, the question of separation arises in the context of is this new practice going to be confined to 5:30 on Wednesday or are we going to allow this practice to permeate and become a part of the entire context of life?

The Yoga Sutras are a gift from Patanjali for in his insight and wisdom he has left us with a roadmap to the practice of Yoga. The 1st sutra states now let's begin the practice of Yoga. So first things first let's just look at what we are doing and then follow the steps one by one and build. For many the first step is just the unrolling of a newly purchased yoga mat, the opening of that DVD we many have received for Christmas, the actual showing up to class on Wednesday @ 5:30. For the 1st step is the most important. It is the intention in action, it is the establishment of connection to what we want to draw into our lives. So for me at this stage of my journey I am not quite ready to start separating everything again. I have realized that is so much of where I came from, having all these different aspects of myself and my life and not knowing how to connect them or even if they all did have a point of mergence. There are days I chant to the Hindu Gods, days that I chant to the Buddhas and days I just practice Triangle Pose. I believe that all of these aspects of practice are part of a whole. I am all these things and all these things are a part of my day and a part of the life I lead. I am always grateful when a teacher stirs up discomfort within me, for in those times I take a true look at things and discover what do I believe. For now I know that I cannot separate and the real disservice would be not teaching from my Truth which is ultimately living the truth of the Divine Self. The ultimate goal of Yoga is finding the Yoga or "union" with our own unique and true divine nature, so whatever your path is embrace it and know that whatever keeps you moving forward and growing to me can't be wrong. Namaste'