Yoga continues to gain popularity all over the world. Even in Japan, as I walk through the cities, I see yoga advertisements in many places. Hot yoga studios are very common, and many fitness studios and community centers offer yoga classes. There’s pre-natal yoga, yoga for seniors, and kids yoga to name a few of the yoga classes that target a specific population. Then there’s yoga for weight loss or pelvic alignment, which focuses on the physical outcome (or at least the hope of it) from the class. There of course names of distinguished yoga lineage, like Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kundalini, or Shivananda.
As yoga continues its popularity, there will always be new styles or methods. That’s a good thing, perhaps. But it’s really important to have a place to come back to, the “Why do we practice yoga?” question, as that can carry us in any class, or in fact, in any situations in life. With this in mind, I’m sharing about different teachings from yoga philosophy in my classes this year, and the first one is this famous phrase from Yoga Sutra, a compilation of yogic teachings compiled by Patanjali in 4th century.
“Yogas chitta vritti nirodha.”
This is often translated as, “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuation of the heart’s movement.” I struggle with this phrase, this word, “cessation.” As ancient yoga was practiced for attaining enlightenment, this really was the focus. But as we practice yoga in this modern day and age, I am conscious that people are looking for a peace of mind. This is so they can go out and be kind and loving and courageous in all that we face. So, I prefer using the word “quietening” instead of “cessation.” And the road to this quietening? It’s all about awareness.
I remember one teacher talking about mindfulness, and he said this: “Don’t get upset with your mind or try to fight it. He or she is also wanting to quiet down, just like you. They just don’t know how. So be kind and gentle.” This made me almost cry. I have often been upset with my mind being so busy. I didn’t think of my mind as something, or someone, to be compassionate towards, as if she wasn’t a part of me!
Our mind is busy because that’s what it’s meant to do. And in the busy-ness that often leads to busy actions, we are busy ignoring the voice of the body and the heart. The pain, the ache, the weariness, the loneliness, the sadness, the anger. There is also joy and happiness, contentment, gratitude. When we become aware of what we are experiencing, it may be uncomfortable at first, but then gradually we reconnect with our inner self and the mind quietens. From that place of reconnect, healing, transformation, and hopes and desires arise.
I want to experience this profound truth, not just on the mat this year, but off the mat in my everyday life. Because truth is not something we understand cognitively, it’s something we embody and live out. And the only way to do that is through practice.