Our yoga practice
I am increasingly aware of the many layers, which accompany our yoga practice, and the need to get quieter and quieter.
I am becoming increasingly conscious too, of the deeper teachings of yoga, and the limitless potential offered by this ancient practice, of the wisdom of the Vedas and the knowledge ‘downloaded’ by the ancient Seers.
This knowledge is tried and tested over thousands of years and I am sometimes astounded at our collective lack of consciousness over this, how we are always trying to reinvent the wheel, how science is placed on a pedestal and yet knows so little in comparison to the ancient keepers of wisdom on this planet.
We each have the opportunity to know ourselves on a much deeper level than the superficial and to experience greater freedom and contentment as a result. So much of our suffering comes from our lack of connection to truth and to self, of feeling confused, isolated, discombobulated, merely because of this lack of deeper relationship to heart, soul and indeed cosmos. So often we are out own worst enemy, at war with our self.
Yoga offers us a sincere path. But it does ask of us something in return. We cannot know yoga by merely reading a book, yoga is a practice and to gain the wisdom, to free us from our suffering, then we must practice. It is the same with Reiki - this too is a spiritual practice and asks us to do exactly that, practice. Ayurveda is no different, reading about it will make little difference until we start to put the wisdom into practice, eating more appropriately to ease imbalances and making changes to our lifestyle.
As far as yoga is concerned - at least if one follows the teachings of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras - our practice is anything which takes us towards attainting or remaining in a state of yoga. This state of yoga means that the mind is contained. Or at least more contained than it would be without a practice.
We are required to put in a certain effort. This is not just going to happens we have to put in the hours and have a certain degree of discipline and self regulation.
Furthermore, to really feel the benefits we have to practice for a long time and without interruptions.
We also need to have a positive attitude. This because we can start out with enthusiasm but then it can wane, especially if we come upon against an obstacle such as a mental or emotional block, which can be uncomfortable to work through.
Krishnamacharya always said that we should love our practice - that we should not stop until we reach our goal.
Yoga is real. It is in touch with realism. It helps us to realise our highest potential. This is potential to obtain clarity and stability.
Desikachar used to say that once we have stated on this path, the destination is assured. It is simply a matter of time. It holds open possibility. We can all do this.
Yoga is an extraordinary practice for us ordinary people. It is accessible to everyone, you simply start where you are and keep turning up and tuning in.
I love nothing more than sharing my practice with others and helping them individually where I can. Traditionally yoga was taught one to one for this very reason - so that the practice could be tailored to the needs of the individual, yoga is not one size fits all, we are all different, all at different stages of our journey and require a practice that will help us to grow an d thrive individually.
So practising with a teacher is best, so that we don’t fall into old habits and patterns in the body and mind complex that might limit us and keep us trapped. The body has a habit of following the path of least resistance, the mind too, yet this doesn’t mean that it is healthy for us, sometimes we simply reinforce more of the same and wonder why things are not truly changing.
Yoga is helps to release us from unhelpful conditioning and beliefs but sometimes we need someone to shed a light on these. I am eternally grateful to my teaches for sharing their wisdom with me and the teachings of yoga.
Practicing at home online is better than not practicing at all, but a guide is extremely helpful.
The practice makes the body, breath and mind healthy - but we have to remember that these are just side effects, not really what yoga is for. They help us to stay supple and healthy into late adulthood so that we have more time to work on ourself and sit for extended periods in meditation.
Essentially, yoga is very much a movement from the gross to the subtle. The more we practice, the less distracted we are with the things around us in this world. It is a gradual practice, not a goal focused process.
In fact we have to let go of the conditioning around achievement and our modern definition of success. Yoga is non-competitive, which is also difficult for people as we have bene conditioned by our society and education system to be competitive. We have to be careful not to take our perfectionist tendencies into the spiritual realm.
Saying all that, there is a goal - to realise the self - and we can reach for that, but without grasping.
Happy practising. And on that note, many of you know this already, but I now teach intimate group yoga sessions on Sunday mornings at STYX., just five students in each class, £28 each for the 90 minutes. If you are interested then please ping me an email as I give thought to my schedule in 2025. Meanwhile do feel to join a general class as I try to give people individual attention here too, I do ask for commitment however, and an awareness that I don’t teach exercise yoga.
Love Emma x
I am increasinof the need to become quieter as we go deeper inside ourselves. I am also increasingly conscious of the deeper wisdom contained within the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and how our interpretation can be limited if we are not careful.
