Yoga Alive and Well in the West

by Ford Peck

Today here in southern California, and indeed throughout most of the United States, the practice of yoga is enjoying immense popularity. The type of yoga that most people practice in the West is one style or another of Hatha yoga. Hatha yoga practice involves going through a series of stretching and strengthening poses while at the same time sustaining a state of focused relaxation accompanied by a rhythm of deep breath. The benefits of this yoga practice can be felt immediately and grow over time, and the enhancement of well-being can be truly profound on the physical, mental, and emotional levels.

The Hatha yoga practice that most of us are familiar with grows out of a much vaster yogic tradition which is many thousands of years old. To have some understanding of this ancient tradition can help us to enjoy our yoga practice, giving it deeper meaning and opening us to more profound benefits as well.

The purpose of this article is to first explore the ancient tradition that our Western yoga practice has grown out of. From this exploration, it will be possible to distill some of the essential elements of yoga practice and how we can apply them to our own practice today. We will also begin to explore the many styles and forms of yoga that are available today so that you can make a more informed choice when you go to explore a new yoga class.

Yogic teachings have existed in India since many thousands of years before Christ and are depicted in ancient texts such as the Mahabharata and the Upanishads. Patanjali was a sage in India who is said to have lived several centuries before Christ. His Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is considered by many to be the root text of most modern schools of yoga.

The word yoga can be given many translations, but one of the most common translations is union. Yoga practice indeed strives for a state or experience of union. On one level, this union can be thought of as within oneself: a harmonizing of one's energies and an ending of inner conflict and the suffering it produces. On a broader level, this union can be viewed as the experience of union with the universe or with that which we call the divine.

Though there is a philosophy behind the tradition of yoga, it is mostly an approach to understanding your own mind and how to bring it into greater harmony and peace. One of the most famous quotes from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is, "yoga citta vrtti nirodhah," translating to "yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind." In this light, the practice of yoga is meant to be something that helps us come to a place of peace and stillness within. In this state of tranquility, your personal experience of connection with the divine is discovered to be much more accessible, whatever your religious belief or affiliation may be. A quote from Mother Teresa of Calcutta comes to mind: "God speaks in the silence of the heart and we listen."

Most of us who have attended yoga classes have experienced a variety of very practical benefits. These benefits include a calming of the mind, an easing of the tensions in the body, and a strengthening of the body so that we can move through life with greater agility, endurance, and more freedom from pain and injury. The basketball star Kareem Abul Jabar attributed the amazing longevity of his professional career directly to his regular practice of yoga. On an emotional level, the effects can be profound as well. I recall a particularly stressful period in my life when my time and energies were taxed greatly. During that period, the effect of yoga practice was most pronounced. When I would walk out of a class, I felt as if someone had taken an emotional squeegee and cleaned me out from head to toes.

To practice Hatha yoga in order to attain these benefits is a very practical and prudent choice. We all want to feel well, and there are few (if any) things that can increase our sense of energy and well-being more effectively than yoga practice. For those of us who are also interested in exploring the spiritual dimension of life and of ourselves, it is helpful to know that, not only can yoga practice help us in these ways, but it was indeed designed for that very purpose.

Patanjali offered in his writings what is called Astanga yoga, or the Eight-Fold Path of Yoga. The term Astanga is well-known today as it refers to a particularly vigorous style of Hatha yoga practice that was made popular by the famous Indian teacher, K. Pattabhi Jois. The term Astanga actually refers to Patanjali's whole overarching system of yoga, not merely to the Astanga-style yoga classes which one finds offered today.

The system of Patanjali's Astanga yoga is designed to help bring about a state of balance, harmony, and tranquility, which can culminate in the conscious realization of oneness with all of life and with the divine. This culmination is sometimes referred to as enlightenment, or alternatively as self-realization. In the yogic philosophy, we are all, at the deepest level, already connected and one with the divine. Yoga practice is thus designed not to attain something that we are currently without, but simply to bring about a state of clarity in which we can see what is already true. Our deepest nature is already interconnected with all of life, and realizing that interconnection releases us from the fear and suffering and lack that so often characterize our human experience.

To consider the eight limbs of Patanjali's Astanga yoga can help us better understand the goals and method of yoga practice. The eight limbs include yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

Yama can be translated as restraint, and simply put, the yamas are actions, and attitudes we are advised to refrain from. Certain actions tend to cause inner and outer conflict and thus disturb the mind and obscure our essential interconnection with others and with the world. Included among the Yamas are non-violence, non-lying, and non-stealing.

Niyamas, on the other hand, are observances, actions and attitudes we are encouraged to engage in. Included among the Niyamas are cleanliness, self-discipline, and self-study. Taken together, it could be said that the Yamas and Niyamas form the ethical or moral foundation for yoga practice.

Asana can be translated as "pose of effortless balance." Asanas are the various physical poses that comprise a typical yoga class. Each pose is designed to in some way strengthen, stretch, and bring balance to the body, including the muscles, the nervous system, and even the function of our glands and hormones. When the body is balanced and strong, free of pain and tension, it is easy to bring focused attention to any task at hand.

Pranayama refers to a whole system of guided breathing exercises which are important because the yogis of old discovered that when we breathe, we move and stimulate our life energy, referred to as prana. Breathing properly can strongly affect the mind and emotions. Simple Pranayama exercises bring us increased energy, vitality and a sense of balance and peace. Advanced Pranayama is said to be able to open up many subtle capacities such as intuition, clairvoyance, and perceptions of universal oneness.

If you have ever done a yoga class, then you have felt how deeply peaceful and relaxed you can become by the end of the class. This illustrates the fact that the Asana and Pranayama practices done in class are ideal ways of preparing the mind and body for meditation; they help to get the mind quiet and peaceful, the body relaxed and at ease. Indeed, the first four limbs of Astanga yoga could be seen as preparations for meditation whereas the final four limbs can be thought of as stages in the practice of meditation itself.

Pratyahara simply means the withdrawal of the senses. Normally, most of us are focused intensely upon outer experiences, the experience of what happens to us during the day. Pratyahara is the practice of simply beginning to bring our attention within.

Dharana refers to bringing the mind to a single-pointed focus. An early stage of meditation in many traditions involves focusing the mind on a single point—be it the flame of a candle, the flow of breath, or a devotional image, mantra, or prayer. This focus is very helpful for beginning to teach the mind to relax from its constant thinking and to become peaceful and still.

Dhyana refers to meditation itself, a deeper, natural and totally relaxed state of meditative absorption.

Samadhi refers to a state of bliss or ecstasy which comes when the mind merges into awareness of our spiritual essence.

The yoga classes that most of us attend are normally one style or another of what is called Hatha yoga. "Ha" means sun, and "tha" means moon, emphasizing that Hatha yoga is designed to bring about a state of union and harmony among apparent opposites. Hatha yoga classes are generally focused on the third and fourth limbs of Astanga Yoga, meaning that classes consist largely of Asana and Pranayama practice.

Some of the popular styles of Hatha yoga classes today include Bikram, Iyengar, and Sivananda, each of which were named after the Indian yoga teacher who popularized their particular style. Astanga is another popular style of Hatha yoga, which is named after the whole over-arching system (Patanjali's) of which Hatha yoga is a part. There are other excellent styles available today, such as Anusara and Vinyasa, and others too many to mention.

In general, Astanga and Bikram classes are thought of as being quite vigorous and intense. The Iyengar style is famous for its precision in teaching how to do the poses with proper alignment. Each style has its unique emphasis, though they all have more in common than not with each other. In searching for a class, the instructor is as important to consider as the style. Each teacher has a unique perspective and approach that they bring to their teaching, and it is good to explore and find someone with whom you feel a good connection.

If you are beginning to explore Hatha yoga, remember that your own body is your primary teacher. The body has a wisdom of its own, and we learn to listen to the body in our practice, allowing it to open rather than forcing it to. A good teacher can help you to push beyond the limitations of your body, but only allow them to challenge you in that way after they have earned your trust. Otherwise, injury may be the price you pay.

In addition to Hatha yoga, there are other forms of yoga which you can experience today. Kundalini yoga is similar to Hatha yoga, but it places more emphasis on the use of Pranayama and mantra, and it gives explicit attention to awakening subtle energy centers, or chakras, within the body. Bhakti yoga is not often practiced by name, but any practice that strongly cultivates devotion and love for the divine could be considered Bhakti yoga. Teachings that emphasize intellectual understanding, or that cultivate spiritual awakening through intellectual discourse, could be what is referred to in India as Jana yoga, or the yoga of wisdom. Tantra yoga comprises many various approaches to the realization of the divine as all-pervasive and ever-present in the world itself. Tantra yoga can be expressed in very different forms, such as through traditional Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism or through interactive Tantra workshops, often emphasizing the sensual and loving connection among participants.

Whatever form or style of yoga you might choose to explore, they each can help you move toward the common goal that they all share: union. All of these approaches can help you begin to feel greater harmony and ease within you, and they can also move you toward the experience of union and harmony with life and with the divine. Try some of the different styles and forms of yoga that you feel drawn to. Trust your experience, and pursue whichever approach feels most right for you. If physical health, strength and flexibility are important to you, then Hatha Yoga might be a great choice. If physical health, strength, and flexibility are important to you, then Hatha yoga might be a great choice If you have a more direct interest in the spiritual side of yoga and in awakening subtle, spiritual energies, then Kundalini might suit you well. If you would like to experience a more spiritual quality and depth in your relationships, then Tantra classes might be just the thing. Try whatever peaks your interest, follow your heart, and enjoy the ride.

This is the beginning of our series on yoga. In future issues of Jade Dragon Online we will focus on individual styles of yoga.

Ford has been practicing yoga since 1986 and teaching since 1990. His passion for teaching arises out of the huge impact yoga practice has had on his life. After some months of dedicated practice, Ford was surprised to discover that, not only was his body changing and becoming more healthy, but his mind and emotions were changing as well, becoming more balanced and clear. In addition to Hatha yoga, Ford has done intensive study and practice in Tibetan Buddhist meditation and in modern non-dual spirituality.

His yoga teaching is inspired by his love of these spiritual traditions, and he aspires through his classes to help students gain a simple and clear experience of their own inherent depth and beauty. Ford has a private practice in massage therapy and teaches yoga both in San Diego and North County.

For more information on his classes, contact him directly or view the calendars at the following links: Yoganic, Massage Yoga

To contact Ford: Email or 858.205.0096