Yoga and Wellness

Over the past several decades yoga has become increasingly popular in the United States and throughout the modern world, drawing more people to take and teach it (as reported in an article last year: Yoga Teaching Increasingly Popular as Second Career - US News and World Report). In 2011, almost 15 million people in the US took yoga classes, in places such as businesses, health care facilities, schools, fitness clubs, or senior centers. Many styles of yoga have emerged emphasizing a particular approach. Some classes take place in a hot room (not surprisingly known as ‘hot’ yoga!), others use a lot of props, or are very gentle in their methods, while others require an advanced level of strength and fitness. There seems to be a yoga class to fit everyone’s needs.

Yoga has steadily increased in popularity due to the simple fact that it makes us feel better, both right after we do it, as well as later on in the day or week. It’s a very beneficial form of stress reduction, and brings ease, relaxation and a sense of vitality. Most people taking part in a yoga class will learn to do yoga poses such as the bow, cobra or forward bend. These naturally have their benefits as discussed above, but they stop short of the original intention of yoga practice. For the word ‘yoga’ traces its’ meaning to the same root as that of the word ‘yoke’. So the intention of yoga is to ‘yoke’ ourselves to something, but what? What do we want to join ourselves with?

The answer to this question doesn’t come from something outside of ourselves, for whatever external object we think we need to join with (whether a person or thing) inevitably changes and deteriorates over time. So instead yoga proposes joining (or ‘yoking’) yourself to something internal and unchanging: awareness. This awareness remains separate and untouched by all of our outward circumstances, a continuous thread of presence throughout our lives. The yoga poses we all know so well bring the benefits of stress reduction and relaxation, but their role in the overall purpose of yoga concerns their ability to balance our bodies. As a result of this, when we do awareness practices, our bodies don’t get in the way through discomfort, stress or illness. A relaxed and balanced body allows us to go inward more easily, to get in touch with our core of awareness. Notice how calm and centered you feel after a yoga class: why not try some awareness practices (such as meditation) at this time, and see how it goes?