What is Yoga?

All these questions are very important. But they are usually external to the person asking, as if yoga is something out there, a thing one might want to learn, or not. And, regrettably, much of what we hear about yoga supports this point of view. Yoga is described as an ancient science of medicine and philosophy, a system of movements and breathing, a spiritual discipline, a ritual and meditation. So described, yoga seems complex, distant, and completely inaccessible for most of us. This may be why so many people prefer to think of yoga as a good workout or a stretching routine. At least, this makes it simple, practical and fun.

While all these points of view on yoga are valid, after so many years of practice, I see yoga by what it has given me - a healthy, calm, peaceful feeling inside of me, an integrated sense of well-being. This way yoga feels closer, friendlier and easier to reach. My chosen entry point into yoga is to look inside, simply notice my body and mind. I recommend it to others often, with different degrees of success. For example, a neighbour asked me the other day how he could get back into yoga. I suggested to go on the floor upon rising in the morning and just start moving the body with the eyes closed, no particular poses. Kinesiologists call this an exercise of ‘proprioception’, a state of bodily awareness in space, a key human skill and one of our greatest developmental achievements. Without it we would be unable to walk or perform most basic physical tasks. But with this awareness often comes awareness of pain, tension, stress and other discomforts. “What new will I find out that way? – my neighbour exclaimed with noticeable frustration – I already know that I have fifty-year-old hips in the twenty-eight-year body!” I wondered for a second what this young, well-built man knows about fifty-year-old hips. But it was clear that even though my suggestion made him run away into some fantasy, his feeling of being unwell came through plain and clear. The man was suffering inside and he knew it, but a possibility of approaching that suffering was incredibly unappealing for him. As it is for most people. And as long as we stay in that reaction, we never enter yoga, and we never improve our situation.

Good psychologists know that our body and mind are driven by the need for pleasure. Pain or unpleasure are stressful and avoided as much as possible. This rule is so fundamental to our being that even in great distress, we teach ourselves to find pleasure in our weakness, our symptoms, our suffering. We distract ourselves so masterfully because we are genetically programmed to adapt to anything and find some benefit in whatever situation seems to be dealt to us. This is how we end up “flourishing” in stress and “dying” in the quiet, feeling “bliss” from our numerous addictions and getting “depressed” when we land back in reality the following day.

Yoga changes this paradigm. After getting some guidance from a skilled teacher, yoga does not have to cost anything, it requires no props, no special time or space, not even people around you. Yoga is free and honest, and it mirrors something eternal in us, something that has always been there. In a way yoga is the most intimidating thing we can know because it is so ingrained in us. So get your mat and props, get your outfit, find a good teacher, and go to a class. Just know that whichever way you will get to your yoga, there is no way away from it.