Keeping it Natural, pt. 1
Yoga is a natural practice. It is a practice of experiencing
the very reality of life happening within you, without obstacle or pretense.
Many teachers and approaches to yoga offer stories, imagery, and mythology as a
way of helping the very real teachings of yoga to blossom within the
practitioner. None of these props, such as mantra, song, story, or even asana,
are in themselves Yoga. Yoga is the experiencing of reality. All of the
trappings, whether they be cultural or physical, are unnecessary for Yoga to
happen. It is already happening. Your left side and your right side are
physically inseparable, at least, if you want to remain alive. Your in breath
and your out breath, are the same breath moving within and without you. Yoga is
already present. The practice is simply in the practitioner taking part in the
experience of living. Because of this, there is no need to become melodramatic
about the practice, or set a high bar of wild achievement, wherein no
satisfaction can be gained until the carrot in front of the cart is grasped.
There will always be some potential for achievement to occur just outside of
our reach, and, there is a beauty in that. The desire for achievement helps us
to acquire new, and often very satisfying skills, such as playing the violin,
or making crème brulee. And, it’s wonderful to attain toward virtuosity.
However, enjoyment can happen in the process of learning tasks. Enjoyment need
not be reserved for that day when you become perfect at your art. By that
benchmark, enjoyment will never come. Every virtuoso is one because they always
keep exploring the edges of their art. That being said, a true virtuoso enjoys
the musicality of the very simplest of phrases. And, this is how we should
approach our yoga, whether we choose to go wild learning intricate poses, or
simply practice simple movements with the breath. I would encourage keeping the
practice simple and natural, where your simplest movements rise and expand on
your inhale, you enjoy the pause at the top of the wave of expansion, and then
your movement falls toward earth on the exhale, enjoy that moment of clarity in
the trough of the wave. If you are guided by the joyful feeling in your body to
explore anything of greater intricacy, great, enjoy it. However, don’t chase
it. Find that same joy in lying on the floor, feeling the wave of the ocean in
your breath. It is there, all of the time. You have the opportunity to enjoy
the fullness of life in every moment, whether you are in the middle of a time
of elation and joy, or even when experiencing deep suffering. The richness of
life is always available, if you allow yourself to feel and embrace whatever is
occurring in the moment. That doesn’t mean for a second that suffering doesn’t
hurt, or that sadness can’t break you for a time. Rather, it is an affirmation
that you are never a failure if you aren’t having a good time. You are human,
and you are beautiful. You have something to bring to the table, whether you
are in pure joy, or in suffering.