Yoga

"The origins of Yoga can be traced back 5,000 years to the very foundations of Indian civilisation. Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutra’s are thought to have been written in the third century BC and form the basis of classical Yoga teaching and philosophy".

There is much more to yoga than just making shapes on a mat and breathing like Darth Vader, Yoga is an invitation to trust in life. Through yoga we invite ourselves to become more open and accepting of whatever arises, making life more manageable and enjoyable. It is with this trust that we let go of the "no pain, no gain" perception and the need to push the body to its limit. With this comes the understanding that life doesn't have to be a struggle, that it doesn't have to be painful. Trusting that can be both nurturing and nourishing with a recognition that we don't need to be any different, that we are perfect just the way that we are.

The journey of yoga is not about flexibility and it is not about strength. It is about relaxation.

Yoga is an invitation into deep relaxation, into letting go, into acceptance and eventually into contentment. Through deep relaxation we are encouraged to let go of the obsession with the "end result", the perfect body and the perfect shape/alignment, the perfect job, the perfect partner, the perfect life etc. Yoga is inviting you to honour where are you in the present moment by recognising what is actually happening, rather than what you would like to be happening. It is not only just about recognising what is actually happening but its also accepting what is actually happening. Understanding that what is actually happening is the only way that it can happen. So within your yoga posture practice it is not about asking or expecting your body to be anywhere else, any more flexible or any stronger. It is about being in the present moment, letting go of unhelpful thoughts and not getting caught up on how it felt last week or where you could be next week but where you are right now. So instead of bringing intent and pre conceived ideas into our yoga posture practice, we must bring enquiry....Enquiry into that which is actually happening; in and as our body; in and as our mind. And only then we will be able enjoy the journey for exactly what it is instead of living a life that isn't ours.

Through this enquiry eventually the body will become stronger, more flexible, leaner, longer, or what ever the aesthetic "goal" may be.

"Yoga practice is not physical exercise. Yoga is not a form of athleticism. Yoga practice is an invitation to an awareness of that which is actually happening. Then you can live your life as it is, instead of pretending to be something or someone that you’re not. That your life is something that it isn’t.....you only have one chance to live your life and it’s now. It’s not tomorrow. It’s right now. And yoga is simply an invitation to that. To honour the life that you’ve been given. And by living it according to the capacity that it has.....yoga is obscured by any attempt to impose anything on body, breath or mind. Shape making is not yoga. Breath control is not yoga. Mind control is not yoga. Yoga results from enquiring into the depths of being human. This enquiry is not an intellectual one. It is one of being present as deeply as possible to that which is actually happening in and as body, mind and awareness." Godfrey Devereux