What exactly is this yoga philosophy and why do we know so little about it?
In my yoga retreats, my goal is to give the participants what they need on their journey. In the last retreat, the question arose as to how it is possible to integrate yoga into everyday life - well say no more! Here I share a few small inputs on what yoga and the yoga philosophy mean in my life, especially off the mat.
During my yoga teacher training I was able to delve deeper into yoga philosophy and learn that yoga is not just a series of movements and a bit of meditation. You can guess this, of course, but most yoga classes here in the West still focus on the asanas.
And so I'm going to get straight into the yoga philosophy. Asana means " root " or posture in Sanskrit. So taking a body posture, or as we know it, sequences of different asanas that flow together into a yoga class. In Patanjali's Yoga Sutra , probably the oldest text on yoga, explains the eight-limbed path of Ashtanga Yoga. This eight-limbed path can be understood as a guide to yoga. But be careful - asana is not described as the first limb, but comes third. So what is so often skipped over or just passed on in passing in western classes?
The sutras begin with the Yamas - a recommendation for ethical interaction with your environment. These include Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha. Briefly touched upon are topics such as non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, abstinence and non-grasping. Relatively understandable, right?
For my everyday life this means that I do not do or wish harm to anyone (because yoga can also be practiced in our thoughts and within ourselves). I speak and live my truth. This may not always be pleasant, but the truth can also be spoken gently and with love. I take nothing that does not belong to me. I give credit (as in the picture below) to the people/sources that help me. Based on Brahmacharya, I decide consciously and mindfully what and who I put my energy into. Balance is crucial for me here. Furthermore, letting go, Aparigraha, is always a great teacher. How many things do I own? What can I let go of? Which memories, experiences, people can I let go of?
You see, all of these things are connected and can be lived, decided and shared or let go of every day. It is also important not to lose yourself. That is exactly what the Niyamas are about - dealing with yourself. I would be happy to tell you more about it in the next blog post.
Until then, I wish you a lot of curiosity and patience to immerse yourself in the yoga philosophy. Would you like to learn more about it, even exchange ideas about it? I would be happy to suggest the next Yoga retreat in Ticino , where we will delve deeper into the yoga philosophy by the fireplace .
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