Yoga practice is not just about asana kids. In fact, the majority of yoga is not asana. Here in the west though when we think "yoga" we think "asana" (the poses). Yes, they are fantastic party tricks and have numerous physical benefits (including those toned arms and that coveted yoga butt!) but if you want to get the most out of the practice its time you started asking: What has my yoga done for me lately?
The life-loving poet Mary Oliver writes: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I always attempt to live boldly, never settle, and uphold my passions with fervent conviction. When I feel lost, confused, or lacking in faith, I return to these words for inspiration to direct the sails of my “precious life”. These words encourage me to live “wildly” with the wind of the divine spirit running through my hair and the reflection of oceans of courage in my eyes. To live the life Oliver inspires has required the development of unwavering strength and courage, and keen sensitivity….all attributes cultivated by the practice of yoga.
For me asana is more than placing my body into specific shapes, but is the free, artistic, and ecstatic expression of my intention to be a source of light. This exercise of mindful movement connects me to a divine source of inspiration inside. Like any artist who illustrates their inspiration onto a canvas with paints and brushes, I paint my emotions, experiences, and ideas onto the canvas of my mat through the medium of my body.
Years of study and practice have taught me that asana is not only a language of the body, mind, and spirit but also an effective method for healing physical, emotional, and psychological wounds. I, like so many others, am a living testament to the powers of yoga. Among them, healing physical injuries I was told by doctors would never mend, and moving beyond psychological barriers I was encouraged to medicate.
My belief as a yogin, a teacher, a scholar, and artist is in taking the time and events life offers and transforming them into radical awakenings for the spirit. In the same soul searching vein as Oliver, Jack Kornfield reminds us that, "To undertake a genuine spiritual path is not to avoid difficulties but to learn the art of making mistakes wakefully, to bring to them the transformative power of our heart.”
So I ask you…how is your practice on the mat serving and empowering your practice at being a fully embodied human being? In what ways are you a source of light for others? What does asana practice mean to you? What do you need to do to live wild and free within a sea of responsibility? Your asana practice on the mat demands a lot out of you physcially, energetically, and probably emotionally. Don’t you think its time you started demanding the practice serve you in your daily life? You can start by asking some of these questions and see what comes up. You might be surprised at just how special you and your precious little life actually are!
