How can something so physically demanding, so detailed, so elaborate contribute to the happiness we experience in the other spheres of life?

The physical practice of Yoga asanas (postures) was developed by great spiritual seekers over many centuries who devoted most their time to contemplating the meaning of life, and shared their insights in an unbroken chain of Guru and disciple relations.

Historians tell us that meditators developed the posture practice out of necessity. Simply put, sitting and meditating is hard work. Most of us naturally feel quite restless after just a few minutes of sitting cross-legged with eyes closed — an elaborate stretching routine is the perfect antidote. Yogis entered blissful states of oneness with the Universe and their surroundings, where the ego dissolves completely and we are left with nothing in our minds but the pure experience of awareness without thoughts getting in the way. It is natural that one who has experienced Samadhi (enlightenment, which is the 8th limb of Ashtanga) will find ways to weave that consciousness into the physical practice.

Today as we know Yoga, it is possible for it to be nothing more than an elaborate stretching routine. Even if people take up Yoga for the superficial reasons like a stronger physique, better flexibility, and improved posture, they will inevitably enter the spiritual domain at some point. To deepen the practise, one must deepen the connection to the breathing. As we deepen the breath, slow it down, the constant turnings of the mind slow down with it. The Yoga becomes a meditation in movement.

Slowing down, tuning in

The yoga posture experience is also a tool for observing your own mind. All of us have acquired some mental conditioning over the course of our lives. The experiences of our lives, particularly the traumatic ones, leave a subconscious imprint in the mind, but also in the body. Often times, when some uncomfortable situation happens, we tense up, our muscles contract, the jaw tightens, maybe the shoulders hunch up by the ears. Then there is also the pattern in the nervous system, and the so called “fight or flight” response that served us well as cavemen running from saber-tooth tigers, but for many people runs on high-alert throughout the day and night in high-stress jobs that are taxing on all the body’s systems. So in Yoga practice, this habitual muscle pattern of tensing can come up when we approach our “nemesis postures” — for many this manifests as fear or nervousness at the thought of practising backbends like the Wheel pose or Bow, or inversions like headstand, shoulderstand and handstand. With consistent practice, the mind learns to overcome this fear response and comfortably hanging out with what was once perceived as an uncomfortable situation, one breath at a time. So in this way, the mind and body can work together to release from the bonds of our conditioned existence. Then when stressful situations happen in everyday life, the nervous system has learned that it can overcome stress by being mindful of the present moment, or by bringing the breath under conscious control and observing things as they are, rather than reacting to the ingrained patterns held in the senses.

Life force energy and Chakra theory

Prana is a Sanskrit term that means “life force energy,” referring to both the breath and the energy that gives life to all things on Earth. Most Yoga practices are designed to liberate the movement of prana in the body, so it may freely rise up from the base of the spine, passing through the seven energy centers (Chakras) that are stacked along the spine. The prana eventually finds its way to the cerebral cortex of the brain, or third-eye. The effect on an individual can be quite an enlightened experience. We may feel released from our identification with the ego, with our thoughts, concepts and judgments, so that we instead feel a sense of oneness, as our consciousness merges into the experience of the raw, present moment.

Chakras and Nadis illustrated – Michael Dynie practising the Extended Leg Posture
Through physical Yoga practices, as the body is moved in and out of proper alignment, the energy is allowed to flow freely from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head. This illustration shows the seven chakras stacked along the central axis of the spine (Sushumna Nadi). The imagery of the yellow snake is useful to visualize the other pathways through which energy may rise. These include the Pingala Nadi which starts and ends to the right of the central axis, and the Ida Nadi on the left.

Sushumna Nadi and the experience of oneness

In yoga systems, in Ancient Chinese medicine, and a handful of other psycho-spiritual systems, an energy line is perceived to run through the central axis of the body, from the tailbone, through the heart, and in behind the eyes. This is known as the Sushumna Nadi, and when our Chakras are functioning optimally, it may be said that we have entered the Sushumna Nadi. This may be experienced simply as a moment of clarity, or in some not so rare circumstances, Sushumna is accompanied by a sensation of energy rising colorfully up the spine.

With a daily Yoga practice, it becomes easier and easier to unblock stagnant energy and feel more alive. At the level of our feelings, we may find this approach makes Yoga a tool to cope with anxiety, depression and obsessive thinking. For a believer in God or mystical forces, it is a pathway to merge with the divine. For an atheist, a tool to develop compassion for others, and lessen our attachment to our own selfish motives. Really, a big part of the Yoga tradition, according to Richard Freeman, is that you are required to “buy into anything”, you don’t have to believe everything you here. In Yoga philosophy you may hear a lot you don’t agree with, but may you hear a few points made that resonate with how you perceive the world, or how you’d like to.

Originally written on February 22, 2011 by Michael Dynie