yoga

unite : to join / to yoke

Yoga is not acrobatics, it is not a life style, nor a fashion or something that defines how spiritual you are. You can go as far as saying that yoga is not even a state of being, since all states come and go, but rather pointing to That which always is. However, the myriad of expressions of the word yoga point to that which is beyond any states, beyond any definition. Needless to say, all various interpretations of the word itself, serve as pointers with inherent possibilities. For example, the ‘life style’ of yoga hopefully fosters a deepened awareness within oneself, and thus serves an important purpose as a pointer to the substratum beneath all experience. The same goes for the acrobatics of yoga, it has the potential to point people within.

In our times, we have a tendency to personify yoga practices with a doer who is pursuing the practices, thus ‘doing yoga’. But when we use the word in this sense of someone ‘doing yoga’ we also loose sight of what is at the heart of it. In many ways, the focus have shifted from the internal works of the practices to an obscured focus on physical postures. These physical postures were certainly not intended as the center component of a yoga practice, though it is widely portrayed as such. The associations of the word itself has gotten far from its roots. Let’s bring the focus back to why we practice and to what the term yoga traditionally points towards.

THE WORD
Most commonly the word yoga is seen in the light of unity. The roots of the word itself is to unite - to join, to yoke, to bring together. The word itself is just as much about relating and connecting, deepening our relationship with the life force that is moving through us, the body-mind-emotion complex, and with our sense of purpose. Yoga is thus a means to become more intimate with Life itself.

When the word yoga is used in the sense of unity, or to join, it indicates that something is separate - thus seeking to merge with an other. The word itself points to a duality. It states that there are two. This is where things get tricky and sometimes sticky. By diving deeper into spiritual practices with the premise that we are separate from the life force, yoga becomes a path to take. It is only in this physical manifestation that there are expressions of the two, which at a fundamental level, are both one and the same. The whole point of yoga is to remember that we were never separate to begin with, but often we need to emphasize the separation in order to get back to the whole. As long as there is yoga, there is going to be separation - until there is a shift in mindset. When the shift happens, the practices are transformed from a means to an offering. There is an essential difference between the two, which mirrors ones entire inner terrain. However, all of it serves a purpose.

In a sense, to taken another esoteric dive, one can also say that the word yoga means to dis-unite, as the tools of discrimination help us see that we are not the mind, nor the emotions. The yogic tools help us get perspective on what we are not, in order to point us to that which we are - thus uniting us with THAT. The tools help us move through the swamp of confusion and illusion, by separating truth from untruth. We have to know darkness in order to see the light…

The word yoga can also be interpreted as a path, revealing what is at the core of our being - by applying the same tools of discrimination, which leads to self-knowledge.

This is of course a tricky topic in many ways, as these definitions are all part of a game of semantics, happening within the world of duality. The words themselves can only point toward that which is the essence, and one can debate this back and forth but it can only take us thus far. So, we invite you to look beyond definition and connect at a deeper level with that which is being portrayed.

BENEFITS
We discuss the many benefits of yoga practices in the Sadhana section, such as decreasing stress, reducing inflammation, improving strength and agility, improving sleep, becoming more equanimous and resilient, less judgmental, finding a deeper sense of internal peace. These are all legit and amazing reasons to connect deeply with oneself through a practice. However, eventually we move beyond the sense that we are the ones “doing” the practice and we let the practice move through us as a vehicle for the divine. We come to a place when we practice just because, in honor of Life. In a sense, giving Life back to Life. It becomes a sacrifice with no one there to claim or execute the sacrifice. So, emptiness turns into emptiness and fullness turns into fullness, with each breath uniting with a great force, something large enough to hold it all. We merge with Life itself - all the time, not merely when we “practice yoga”. However, our practice is a potent tool to point awareness back inside, to see beyond the multiple layers of being.

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥२॥

yogaś-citta-vr̥tti-nirodhaḥ ॥2॥

Even though the sūtra yogaś-citta-vr̥tti-nirodhaḥ is often translated as “yoga is the cessation of thought”, or “removing/stilling the fluctuations/modifications of the mind”, we are of the belief that thoughts will not cease to exist. We believe that yoga is rather about relating to the motion of emotions and thoughts differently than what we are conditioned to. To nut be ruffled when there is a lot of energy in motion (emotion), for example. We believe that thoughts will continue to express themselves through us - that thoughts and emotions move like clouds on an open sky. The inner work becomes to train the body-mind-complex to see beyond the thoughts and the patterns, to hold space, accepting everything as is, becoming free of the bondage of our limited perception. By instead perceiving the space between thoughts, or the silence midst the noise, yoga practices have the potential to be quite transformative. This is truly what yoga practices are all about, to witness that which is beyond.

YOGA vs PRACTICE
Yoga happens, yoga can not be done or practiced. We do our practice to prepare the body-mind-complex for subtle experiences, to refine our perceptions etc. However, as little as we can practice “meditation”, meditation is something that merely happens. We practice concentration in order to be able to hold nurturing space inviting meditation to happen. Same thing with yoga. Same, same, but different.

The postures we know as ‘yoga’ in our contemporary world have been designed to tame the monkey mind, to tune the body and fine tune one’s perceptions beyond the senses as we know them when we start our journey. Our sensitivity becomes heightened, the level of equanimity raised, our resilience tested, our inner peace challenged, and our inner inquiry never stops. The inner work becomes to see through it all - all of the time. And as we move through the process, it blurs the edges between time and space. This is what yoga practices are designed to do, to prepare the body-mind-complex, on every level.

But, important to reiterate, yoga is something that happens - one cannot ‘do yoga’ in the traditional and original sense of the word. Yoga is an absorption, a melting, a surrendering into something beyond our physical boundaries, perception or ideas. It is a natural unfolding, in a sense. Yoga points to the dissolution of the person and brings our awareness to the quiet behind the noise, the spaciousness underneath the breath, the silence that birth the sound.

Yoga practices are part of the phenomenal world, providing tools that prepare us to see what was present all along. The various forms of yoga practices are useful, sometimes necessary, sometimes a savior, and not to be underestimated. But it is important not to loose sight of what the practices are pointing to, and to engage in the deeper self-inquiry all along. Yoga cannot be forced, yoga is a dissolution that merely happens when all aligns.

”Yoga practice is the means of liberation from conditioned thinking”
- Eddie Stern

AWARENESS
This is a topic that can be dove into quite a bit more at depth, but we’ll mention it here to give yoga a more complete context. Yoga gives us the ability to observe the ever-changing states of the emotions, thoughts and happenings in our lives without clinging to them or falling into their grip. The yoga practices are the tools, the means and the path, all at once. The practices help us redefine our center, our ground of being, by shedding light on the underlying awareness present within each experience - That which never changes. This brings calm and ease, as well as adaptability and acceptance to whatever life brings us. The observation of this inner terrain brings us to the contemplative questions at the heart of the inquiry, such as Who Am I? The inquiry invites us to let our attention stay with the deeper questions that arise, and to get completely absorbed in them. Such is the process.

The work starts with attention and concentration, which morphs into expanded awareness, and eventually leads to complete absorption - to the point where one cannot even retrace ones steps. It all melts into one - which is all there ever was.

ABSORPTION
Samadhi is a term that gets thrown around a lot, whereas we have a whole section dedicated to this topic alone. But it deserves to be mentioned here also, as yoga is often described as what points us to a state where we find complete absorption, where our identity as separate individuals cease to exist and we merge with the object of contemplation. This can require dedication and practice, or happen spontaneously. However, yoga leads us down a path of dissolving that which we are not, to eventually show us what we truly are - unbound limitless awareness. By adopting yoga practices and integrating them into our daily life, we have the opportunity to cultivate focused concentration and an increased power of attention - and thus expanded awareness - which in turns invites absorption. This absorption gives us a taste of the freedom which is inherent in all of us.

But just like any other word, samadhi can only point to parts of the full truth. No words can fully describe that which is beyond. One can also claim that samadhi is a state, and that a yogic path is full of subtle experiences. This is another part that can get sticky. If one would associate, or even identify with, the experiences themselves, one is lost in duality. Samadhi, described as a state, happens on the phenomenal plane. Thus it is only pointing to that which is beyond. The scriptures try to describe that which is beyond with another word - turiya or turiyatita.

Just like we explore the different states of being (waking, dreaming and deep sleep) in our yoga practice, there is a spaciousness that holds all states, including the state of samadhi. The absorption described as samadhi is often referred to as the fourth state, and turiya as that which is beyond the fourth. So, in a sense, focusing on samadhi can get us stuck, as can any particular step along the way. It all depends on how we related to it all - as in identifying with the happenings, or claiming to be the doer in action. We will dissect all of this more in depth as we go. But what is important to remember is that while the previous states come and go, the Absolute/Consciousness/Awareness remains. Turiyatita means 'transcending the fourth' and points us to the fact that there are not really four states, but only one real transcendental state/supreme reality. The jnani (one who has realized the Self) is established in turiya and detachedly witnesses the three other states (walking, dreaming and dreamless sleep) as pictures superimposed on it.