Courage and Meaning

The deepest, most transformative and most permanent benefits of a serious yoga practice are difficult to describe.

Imagine describing a symphony to someone who has never heard a musical instrument.

Or singing.

Or any sound.

Now, imagine being a professional musician–a soloist in a world-class professional symphony.

Or better yet, a renowned composer.

Someone whose entire adult waking life–and childhood–has been spent studying, playing and exploring music, in all of its rich and intricate variety and history.

That is a tremendous, unfathomable gap.

Such is the gap between a seasoned practitioner and a non-yogi.

It’s hard to even find the words to try to make a decent start at scraping away the layers.

In traditional literature, yoga is described as the point where the material (prakriti) and spiritual (purusha) worlds collide.

So the physical postures, the ritual, the space, the community, the heat are tangible tools to teach very private, personal lessons.

‘He was using the highly physical practice to steer you, often against your will, to work on your mind, emotions, thoughts, misconceptions, self perceptions, ego, limits–leading you into the power of yoga’s profound depths.’ -authorized teacher David Garrigues, describing the teaching of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, founder of the Ashtanga yoga style and student of Krishnamacharya.

Bikram Choudhury, known more for his Hollywood swagger and commercial success than his nuanced teaching, puts it more succinctly,

‘Yoga makes you YOU. Why were you born? Why are you here? What is the purpose of your life?’

Yoga is a tool for inner exploration, discovery and transformation.

For me, and many of my students, a yoga practice brings great comfort and healing.

A healthy yoga community, deeply rooted in integrity, can call forth the courage students need to cope with all of life’s assorted suffering: addiction, betrayal, illness, grief and loss and the stresses of everyday work/family life.

It can make the lows less low and the highs more enjoyable.

Yoga is a method, a proven creative writing tool, to transform and greatly improve the narratives of our lives. By changing the way we move, the way we see, the way we breathe, we can change the entire experience of our lives.