Monday, November 5, 2012

What Yoga Means to Me: lessons from the first month






Roughly a month ago, I made the decision to dedicate a minimum of three days per week to yoga class and five days per week to developing my personal yoga practice. In many ways, I have been headed toward yoga my whole life. Given that reading is one of my favorite pastimes, a few yoga books have made it onto my shelves, but the idea of practicing in a class had always seemed a bit ridiculous. This has a lot do with a certain stereotypical mold of a man that I had come to adopt. I would just try and practice alone and learn the poses (asanas) out of the books. Well recently the realization came that one cannot truly learn how to physically perform an action solely through reading books; action must be performed poorly at first and then improved upon and learned. This is the reason behind the decision to join classes. My interest in yoga in general comes from a long time desire to be spiritual and an ever-budding love for philosophy. The action of becoming involved in yoga just represents a physical manifestation of my entry into eastern philosophy. The physical benefits of yoga are well documented, so I do not think it necessary to describe those. The benefits that I am most interested in are those of the mind and the spirit. There is something very mystical about being still and attempting to quiet and tame the mind. There is something about this quietness; something marvelous and misunderstood; something that only a select few realize is worth chasing. Out of the taming of this quietness comes the most magnificent works the creative mind has ever conjured up. This is exactly the chief reason for my new found interest in yoga. I am of the mind that the most fulfilling work to do is creative work, and anything that is beneficial to my ability to be creative is something that I am willing to do-assuming that it is not harmful to myself or others, of course.

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With that being said, I would like to explain to you something that is at the heart of yoga: spirituality. After that, I will explain what, in my opinion, are the most important characteristics of a path that leads to spiritual realization. Once that is addressed, the major things that I have learned from my first month of yoga are outlined to wrap this post up.

Spirituality is essential to becoming a well-rounded and level-headed human being. Just to clarify, spirituality has absolutely nothing to do with religion; a person can be spiritual while having no religious affiliations.

My definition of spirituality:

1. Requires a lifetime of intentional self-analyzation
2. An appreciation of the quiet/stillness
3. Constantly trying to perceive the world in a more positive way
4. Eventually spills over to all aspects of life

Now that spirituality has been described, the most important step is upon us: ACTION. How in the world does one go about pursuing spirituality? The big question here is: What is the best path to take that can lead to spiritual gratification and realization?

The answer to this question is broad. There are many, many paths one can pursue. Here are the characteristics of a passion that can lead to spiritual realization:

  • Discipline: this is one of the most important qualities because discipline leads to and requires consistency, which happens to be the key to improving and mastering anything. 
  • Clear Path of Improvement: it is imperative that the chosen path have some structure so that the participant can see improvements as they are achieved.
  • Concentration: the passion must require intense concentration that is learned slowly over a long period of time and many repetitions.
Anything that requires these characteristics can apply. The most important thing is that the activity is approached with the mindset of spirituality. This implies reverence and respect. A quick list of activities that come to my mind that fit the mold are:

  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ)
  • Golf
  • Pool
The first three on the list are the closest to my heart. The first two go hand-in-hand, but the third is something that I discovered way before yoga. There is no doubt in my mind that BJJ has the capacity to change a person's life on a spiritual level because it has the listed characteristics and way more. Yoga is the one that I am most focused on at this point in my life, however. 

What have I learned in this first month of yoga?

  • Importance of Breath: breath is life. Without breath, there would be no life. The fact of the matter is that most people breathe in a shallow manner and never reap the true rewards that come with breathing properly. This is an incredibly important facet of yoga. 
  • Malleability of Yoga: anyone can do it because it is up to the individual to do what is comfortable while also pushing himself. This comes along with the fact that yoga provides a means to see improvement. When a person can see that they can finally get into a particular pose or stretch further than they ever could before, it supplies satisfaction and motivation to move forward and achieve new heights.
  • Consistency is key to seeing improvements
  • It has the potential to revolutionize your life: there is no question about this fact. Practice will certainly lead to a more calm and rational mind and an exponentially healthier body. 

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