The Real Meaning of Yoga

Happy end of September!  I hope your yoga desires have been fulfilled during Yoga Month.  I certainly have been taking my yoga to new territory through meditation and just releasing some fear around certain poses (more on this later).  I planned to do a video today on the real meaning of yoga but you know how plans always go awry.

So what is the real meaning of yoga?  The first thing that often comes up in nearly every yoga website’s faq is that yoga means union.  You’ll see something like this:  the word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj”, meaning “to control”, “to yoke” or “to unite”.

Okaaaaaay…. if I was a brand new student, this would not have any meaning to me.  In fact, it might scare me.  I’ve been in many conversations in the past about what yoga really means and the gamut of the conversation goes something like yoga has been “watered down” here in the U.S. and this practice has been adopted in a way so that Jane Fonda can teach it to the masses.  No doubt, yoga is it’s own style here in the west and whether we do it for the sweat factor or the third eye factor, I think yoga has many meanings depending on what the practitioner’s intention.  Wow!  setting an intention is a big deal for some folks so being able to do that is yoga in action!  This is what the experts had to say:

“Yoga is all about STRENGTH ­ strength in the body, strength in the mind and strength deep within.” ~~Cindy

“I see Yoga as a time of being in reflection. I don’t see it as a place to “escape” my issues in life and to resume dwelling on it outside of the studio. It has helped me a lot how to have a calm, reserved demeanor during the times of stress (e.g. the heat) and difficult times in life; to get a perspective.

Whenever I lay into Savasana at the end of class, I reflect and meditate on the things I’m going through in my life and rejoicing in hope even when I am at my low points. I reflect on how much I am very thankful of how much I’m blessed in my life because of God’s loving grace through Jesus Christ, the Lord I serve.

I learned so much in yoga about how your mind dictates how you feel physically from a spiritual standpoint, it follows through. When I feel mentally stressed out and selfishly wanting to be someone that I’m not, I tend to over exert my poses which leads to discouragement and despair, and lastly physical soreness. It’s great to set yourself goals for example, wanting to achieving a certain pose – but also at the same time I am also learning to acknowledge the truth for what it is. Sometimes when I focus too much on what I want but don’t get it, I wound up being selfish and not being thankful for blessings that I have in my life.” ~~Chris

“To me yoga is about aligning myself with nature, accessing my inner strength and personal power, and participating fully, positively and enthusiastically in the world around me.

Yoga means seeing myself in nature and in others, and knowing that we are all part of the same living, breathing organism, and that we are here with and for eachother. It is also a discipline and a path of self study and self-discovery.  It gives me a blueprint for how to behave when I feel lost….not in a mindless follow-the-leader, do-what-I-say sort of way, but in a way that reminds me that I am capable, worthy, and exactly where I need to be. It is as complex as trying to understand the entire universe and all it’s intricacies; and it is as simple as breathing in and breathing out.” ~~ Jennifer

“A kind of stretch exercises. If I do it every day, when I am old, I can still stretch… I cannot understand the “mind” part though. I need to play music or do it with group of people, otherwise I would find it boring.”  ~~Facebook user

“hot girls in hot poses becoming more flexible.” ~~Facebook user

“Better understanding and connection of my mind and body as well as the pursue of a delightful calm peaceful mind.” ~~Facebook user

“In a word: Release

Release from the pain I have from shoulder surgery and life long back pain. Once I get going, these just don’t hurt for the duration of the session.

Release from whatever is on my mind that day/week/month/year. This just happens, when I focus on the practice.

Release from what other people may be thinking of me. I hate to admit it, but I worry about this a lot. But when I’m doing my damnedest to get the most out of each posture, I truly couldn’t care what anyone things of me. It’s just me and where I need to get to.

And, most importantly, release from my body. Sounds weird, but when I have a really good session, I’m able to connect more with my spirit and am able to realize this body is transitory, my spirit is not.” ~~Jim

“Yoga is a way for me to stop identifying with the old habits of my mind.”  ~~ anonymous

“Always thought Yoga was another form of exercise. I just realized that it is a lifestyle.” ~~Facebook user

“Yoga is my saving grace when work piles up, finals loom, and people cut me off the road.” ~~Michelle

“Is a sweat fest then I feel light, calmer, and energized.” ~~Don

“It is an hour of me time.” ~~Maria

There you have it!  Straight from the experts.

So what does yoga mean to me?  I originally came to yoga for the “exercise.”  If I went to a first yoga class to gaze out my third eye, I would have never returned.  I had a lot of “stuck energy” in me that was so thick that I would’ve needed three third eyes to see clearly.  Now I recognize that my body is the container that holds my spirit and for me if I don’t clear up the container, I can’t access the stuff that matters.  This is why I’ve been so attracted to power yoga.  It works for me.  When I work out the kinks in my body, I can see clearer and know exactly where I need to shine from.  Yoga needs to be a good kick in the asana for me before I can tap into the strength of my breath, the balance I crave, the calm in my mind, and the love in my heart.  Then I’m game for my third eye, hugging trees, and eating goji berries 

What does yoga mean to you?

108 Yoga Challenge

Half way through yoga month and I have not scheduled my free yoga hike in honor of this special month.  So many things I want to share, but time slips through my fingers.  I have decided to commit my time to a very special cause instead:  The Yoga Aid 108 Sun Salutation Challenge.   A hundred and what you say?

The 108 Sun Salutation Challenge is an opportunity for people to come together to celebrate yoga, each other, and most significantly so celebrate community through giving… giving of our time, giving of our love, giving of our support to charities and organizations that are poised to transform the world by empowering people.

On September 18 – 19, 2010, this challenge will take place across the U.S.  to raise money for four amazing organizations:  Off The Mat Into the World, Yoga for Youth, 4 One World, and my favorite, Africa Yoga Project.

If you are in my area, please come experience this vibration at Studio Rincon in Menlo Park, Saturday, Sept. 18th at 7AM.  The most challenging part of this experience is not in the practice or even in doing 100 or 108 or 200 sun salutations.  The real challenge is saying “YES!”  I will participate. The event is FREE to attend but participants can donate to any of the above charities or support someone else who is fundraising.   You can register or donate to the Menlo Park event’s page.

Why 108? 108 is a sacred number in several eastern cultures/religions.  In brief, a prayer necklace or mala contains 108 beads or stones where each one can represent a prayer or mantra.  It is believed that our soul resides in the our heart center where there are 108 energy channels or Nadis.  When a prayer or mantra is recited 108 times, the energy of the prayer or mantra travels to these channels which in turn radiate out to all parts of the body.  So you can imagine that doing 108 Sun Salutations is a unique opportunity to not only challenge the physical body, but it’s a deep meditative experience. Now imagine a whole group of people flowing together…. the vibration we will create is beyond words!

To explore the meaning of 108 more, check out Cora Wen’s awesome post at Elephant Journal.

Be a YES and join me!!!!

Yoga Month and Meditating

It’s September!  Aside from doubling checking the calendar because I can’t believe it’s September already, there’s reason to celebrate.  September is Yoga Month.  What the heck does this mean?  It’s an “awareness campaign designed to draw attention to the many benefits of yoga (all styles) and inspire our fellow citizens to live healthier, happier lives.”  (www.yogamonth.com).  Check out their webpage to find events and even free yoga in your local neighborhood.    I will most likely host a hiking and yoga event later in the month… stay tuned.

Doing yoga for the month of september is a no-brainer for someone who puts her practice above her hubby sometimes    Asanas  (postures) are a major part of my practice in order for me to function physically but asanas are not the only aspect of yoga.  One of the other facets of yoga that I struggle to commit to is meditation.  When I was committed to a 5-10 minute daily meditation, I know I was less reactive in general and my awareness was heightened.  Somehow the commitment wanes off.  I could blame lack of time, boredom, would rather sleep in, or just plain I don’t want to do it.

The sleeping thing is a real issue for me.  I don’t get enough sleep because when the house goes to bed, I’m still up committed to my practice.  After stopping the “sitting” meditation, I talked myself into believing that my asanas were enough meditation for me.  I mean, we call yoga a moving meditation right?

I do reap the benefits of a moving meditation, but actually sitting down for 5-10 minutes on purpose is quite a challenging thing for me to do.  So for Yoga Month, I am pledging to sit for 5-10 minutes every day.

Of course it would be much easier if my scenery was like this all the time:

A cliff on Big Island, HI

(Oh boy!  I’ve committed in writing…)