Considering yoga as a form of gymnastics is a big mistake. Yoga is, first of all, a philosophy of self-knowledge and coexistence, which can transform our lives. We asked the experts to clearly explain what the basics of yoga are and what this practice can teach us.
“What yoga do you do? Hatha? I am Ashtanga. And you? “Iyengar and sometimes Bikram yoga…” – such a conversation between modern women is unlikely to surprise anyone. Today, many are looking for “their” yoga, “their” practice, where the rhythm, sequence of postures and the level of load are optimal for individual physical data, age, character … True, as the gurus say, there is only one yoga. No matter how different at first glance the methods may be, the goal is always the same: getting rid of suffering. And for this you have to come to harmony with yourself, your body and spirit, with other people and nature, the world – visible and subtle. Indeed, in Sanskrit, yoga means “union, connection, connection.”
But if its goal is liberation, a change in our spiritual state, then why do we stubbornly try to put a foot behind our head or master a handstand? “It’s simple: we have a body, and it should be in order, like a well-tuned instrument,” says yoga teacher Tatyana Goldman. – It is difficult to achieve peace of mind if something is wrong with the body. We sometimes become limp even from a common cold or toothache, not to mention more serious health problems. Whether we like it or not, we have to spend our whole life in the body that we have inherited. Asanas (special postures) and pranayama (special breathing) increase strength and flexibility, acquaint us with our physical capabilities and real limitations, make the body our ally on the path to inner harmony. However, to reduce yoga to exercises means to greatly distort its essence. Asanas and pranayama are the most widely known, but not the only components. These are just two of the eight foundations of yoga described in the classic text of the Yoga Sutras. The other six are pratyahara (control of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), samadhi (feeling of unity), yama (relationship to others), and niyama (relationship to oneself).
It is useful to get acquainted with the last two even earlier than with asanas, says Tatyana Goldman: “This is the foundation, the foundations of yoga. Without them, a practitioner is like a ship without a captain, driven by the wind, which is not always favorable.” Non-violence, moderation, honesty, perseverance, purity, introspection… These principles should not be taken as rules of conduct, but as qualities that one who practices yoga regularly has.
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“Practice is not all yoga, but practice is everything,” said the founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Pottabhi Jois. “Practice can be meditation and walking, not necessarily asanas,” says Tatyana Goldman. – It is only important that it be regular and focused. Then these principles will gradually begin to be translated into reality. This is what it means to live in accordance with the spirit of yoga.
Learn more
Audiobook Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. 195 aphorisms written two centuries before our era (Eneagram, 2006).
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Clarification” by Iyengar helps to understand the Yoga Sutras (Alpina non-fiction, 2013). “Autobiography of a Yogi” by P. Yogananda – a description of his experience of practice from a teacher who played a significant role in the spread of yoga (Sofia, 2012).
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Yama – attitude towards others
Ahimsa: Do not commit violence
A call to love everything as it is. If in practice the thigh does not open, do not insist. Or in a difficult relationship: not to strain, but to find another solution … The goal is to experience difficulties in a more relaxed way. In yoga, breathing teaches this: with its help, we relieve tension. But sometimes it’s hard to tell if we’re pushing the body or are afraid to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Therefore, the presence of a teacher is important.
“Asteya”: do not steal
Asteya suggests thinking for yourself. And don’t want what you’re not ready for. In practice, this means following your own rhythm. Do not move to a new position without mastering the previous one.
Satya: to be honest
It’s not about finding the absolute truth, but about being aware of your uniqueness at every moment. Often it is prevented by ego: presenting ourselves to the world, we try to show talents and hide weaknesses. How can we tell what we say about ourselves from what we are? Through practice. We cannot lie to ourselves in an asana if we want to perform it correctly. And in life: “our” fills with energy, what does not fit, devastates.
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Brahmacharya: to observe moderation
Let’s say, not to look at the shop windows in search of what we lack, but to feel the fullness, the sufficiency of our “I”. If you want a lot, then attention, and with it the energy, dissipates. It can be brought back by focusing on who we are and what we already have. Yoga teaches you to control energy through your eyes (drishti). It is directed to a certain point and is motionless.
Aparigraha: Don’t get attached
This principle invites us to take a position of detachment in relation to our thoughts, emotions, things … In other words, to be able to let them go. To breathe is to be ready to receive everything; exhale – give everything. Until the last breath.
Niyama – self-attitude
Shaucha: keep clean
External and internal. Asanas and pranayama get rid of toxins. In addition, we are talking about the purity of the mind: during practice, you need to “cleanse” due to concentration on breathing, as well as a certain rhythm and sequence of asanas. What is initially an effort – alignment, staying in asana, concentration – becomes a way of life and access to a certain purity: getting rid of excess.
“Santosha”: to be satisfied
“The greatest happiness is to be pleased with yourself,” says the Yoga Sutras. It’s not about complacency or pride. On the contrary, santosha is a call to modesty, to being content with who we are. Accept yourself in any circumstance. Feel no lack of anything. Practice teaches this, prompting you to find pleasure in the asana, no matter how difficult it may be.
Tapas: persevere
Tapas is the fire present at the heart of any complex action. This fire is also necessary to stay true to your truth, to yourself, to what is dear, and not to what others impose. This skill we acquire in regular practice: it trains perseverance. And concentration on our own feelings, without which yoga does not exist, teaches us to determine what our truth is.
Svadhyaya: listen to yourself
Any activity that helps to get to know yourself better, to study your behavior, emotions and thoughts, is associated with svadhyaya. Paying attention to what we feel and think during practice is no less useful than reading, learning and learning from the experience of others. When we are attentive to what is happening in us, then useful books and interesting meetings come into our lives by themselves. When we learn to listen to ourselves, we open ourselves to the world around us.
“Ishva rapranidhana”: to feel unity
Through perseverance (tapas) and introspection (svadhyaya), practice brings us to the realization that all our actions are a spiritual connection between our Self and God. Depending on one’s beliefs, this experience can be called a sacrament, nature, or a great integrity… Practice is a sacrifice, not a gift that we selfishly keep to admire. This principle invites us not to remain attached to the physical “results”, our body, but to keep in touch with something greater. This is the meaning of yoga: to feel “one” both with ourselves and with the whole universe around us.