Yoga, in the old Indian language Sanskrit means 'union'. It is the union between mind, body and soul or between the human and the divine. Depending on what wording you want to use it can differ but in the end it is about oneness - the union between source and self. Yoga is a philosophy that gives you guidelines to reach the state of enlightenment.
Most people who speak about Yoga are actually talking about the physical aspect of it, the Asanas. Asanas are the different postures that we practice in a class or see on Social Media these days. They are just a little part of Yoga and were invented to prepare us for sitting in a meditative posture for as long as possible in order to become enlightened. Everyone who tried to meditate knows that it can be quite painful after a while, the knees and the back start to ache and we have to move and lose our focus. To avoid this we have to practice the Asanas on a regular basis.
When Yoga started to be popular in the West it changed and became, especially in the last years, more about the perfection of advanced postures. Many practitioners want to show backbends or balancing poses in order to get a lot of likes on Instagram. This is a very ego driven approach to Yoga and unfortunately moves away from its original purpose. It gives us the idea that we have to be some sort of acrobats if we want to do Yoga and can be intimidating for someone who never tried it. Super expensive 'Yoga wear' is also just a new trend, nobody needs a fancy outfit to practice. All these trendy and stylish approaches need to lose its impact on how we imagine Yoga. We have to move away from the superficial outside- focused trends that give this false image of Yoga being something that is about how we look. It is the opposite - it is about turning inwards, non-attachment and non-judgement, about being in peace with ourselves no matter what the outer circumstances are.
Although Shiva, the great Hindu God, is the original Yogi, the mystic Patanjali was the one who brought it to the masses. He wrote the Yoga Sutras in which he gives a guide to living a peaceful life towards enlightenment. The 8 limbs of Yoga are probably the most known part of these scripts. They talk about living a life of truthfulness without harming one self or any other being. Not stealing, not being greedy and discipline are other points mentioned besides the physical practice - the asanas. These 8 limbs are a guideline to become enlightened, therefore other points talk about focusing the mind, breathwork and of course meditation. If people live according to these 8 limbs they will be in peace with themselves and experience oneness.
If you are interested in the history and philosophy of Yoga I highly recommend to do some research and self-studies as there is a lot of material to read, but absolutely worth it. Other important points are different types of Yoga and here again I don't mean the different styles of Asana movements like Yin Yoga, Ashtanga or Vinyasa flow that we are taught in a class. I am talking about different approaches to reach Yoga - union. These are
Bhakti yoga – The yoga of devotion
Karma yoga – The yoga of action
Jnana yoga – The yoga of knowledge
Raja yoga – The yoga of the mind/meditation
Everyone who is on a spiritual path - and we all are, just in different stages - should read about this and expand their mind. It will open your eyes and might give you answers to some questions. It is not about being highly spiritual but about how to integrate love and devotion into our everyday life. In the end we all want this human experience to be as enjoyable as possible and through the philosophy of Yoga we get pretty good help to achieve that.
The Asanas are a great start and easy way to get in touch with Yoga. Through the body movements we connect to ourselves and discover things we didn't even know were there. Our body stores memories and feelings and it is not unusual that by practicing we experience and release a lot of stuck emotions. Maybe your Yoga teacher talked about shedding layers in Yoga - this is simply what happens. By moving through the Asanas we can feel and therefore let go of old feelings, ideas and even false believes that we don't need anymore. Listen to your body and you will receive answers to questions you didn't necessarily knew you had.
Yoga helps us to calm our mind, of course enhances our physical and mental health and connects us to our self. It is important to find a style that feels right for you. If you like repetition and more advanced classes Ashtanga might be your thing, if deep stretches and relaxation is what you need have a look at Yin Yoga. A more classical type that combines holding postures a bit longer, building strength and flexibility is Hatha Yoga. This is the oldest Yoga style and helps to balance our left and right energy channels. These so called Nadis (in Chinese Medicine known as Meridians) represent our feminine and masculine side, Yin and Yang, Sun and Moon. If we are balanced, our energy channels are open, we are healthy, vibrant and are able to reach higher states of consciousness. The Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadi is something I would also recommend you to read about if you want to deepen your knowledge about energy channels and learn about spiritual awakening and the Kundalini.
Practicing Yoga daily is in my opinion the best thing you can do for your all-over health. Everyone is able to practice it as there are so many different movements that can be done. Simple joint rotations or soft stretches to warm you up, a few balancing postures and a bit of strengthening is enough if you want to keep your body healthy. There is absolutely no need to do intense and advanced postures if you don't want to. The spine is the most important part in our body - it is also strongly connected to our spiritual path (see Ida, Pingala, Sushumna). There is a saying in Yoga which mentions that we are as old as our spine is healthy. It really should be moved daily if you want to stay fit.
Our mental health will improve a lot too if we do Yoga on a regular basis. It helps to calm the mind, reduces stress and teaches us a lot about ourselves in a subtle and often unexpected way. Hopefully you combine your Asana practice with a regular meditation practice - for me this goes hand in hand. After we have moved our body, it is much easier to sit still and have a calm mind. In a Yoga class we practice to observe our body without judgement and in meditation we practice to observe our thoughts. Both complements each other and should be applied in either practice.
In a Yoga class we don't judge - not our selves or others. We simply show up and notice where we are in this moment. There is no good or bad but we acknowledge that we are doing this for ourselves and our body. It is a safe space where we can just be - no thinking or worrying. Our awareness gets sharpened and the effect that the practice brings can be taken into the daily life. It is simply that. Yoga teaches us that there is no need to judge or overthink, that by being still and calm we gain real strength and that by accepting all that is we become aligned, unite and experience oneness with all.
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