What if Yoga is More than You Thought...

I talk to people about Yoga everyday. It’s the hazard of the job. As soon as I hint that I might teach yoga, the conversation immediately turns to the physical practice (usually vinyasa). Even in Yoga Trainings with people whom have been long time Yoga practitioners, most students are unaware of how much of Yoga exists beyond the physical practice, relaxation and maybe meditation…

I used to teach at a studio with mirrors all over the walls. On the first day of Yoga Training, I would walk in with a dry erase marker and make a dot on the mirror. It was barely visible to the eye. Everyone would come in nervous and excited, take their seats, and wait for me to begin. Then, I would go around the circle and ask everyone to tell me what they believe Yoga to be. There were always very heartfelt and creative answers, and very insightful one’s too. Some people had really done their research. “Yoga is the union of mind, body, and spirit.” “Yoga is a practice of movement that brings you calm and serenity.” “Yoga is a path to peace.” Such yummy answers!! Next I would ask them HOW yoga does these things? How do you get from where you are now (presumably disconnected, anxious, agitated, stressed, disturbed) to the state that Yoga offers? Ninety-five percent of every group I’ve ever taught gives the same answer: “you get there through linking the movement with the breath in your Yoga poses.”

After the explanations had been provided, I would stand up and point to the dot. “See this? This is what you believe Yoga to be,” then I would draw a circle around the dot that encompassed the entirety of the mirrored wall. “See this circle? This is what Yoga actually is.” And that would be the beginning of many months unpacking that claim. Many months of illuminating the Yoga that has nothing at all to do with a physical practice, then teaching the students use the the physical practice as a way to weave Yoga into their lives.

That’s what I do. I’m a myth buster. I found Yoga just like most of us, through the path of the physical practice, but what I discovered when I “found” Yoga turned out to be completely independent of the asanas. It was actually much bigger than I could have ever imagined, and the physical practice of Hatha Yoga barely scratched the surface of what was available. I was so fortunate to have found spectacular teachers that fearlessly challenged the status quo of Modern Yoga, and opened doors to understand the immensity of the practice including all of the ways it can be integrated into our day-to-day lives. And now, in this time when the “yoga industry” is reaching the heights of success, I desire to teach Yoga again. To teach the enormity of what is available to us all, through almost as many avenues. To provide possibilities instead of rules, to expand potential instead of limit it.

So little by little, that’s what I’m up to. In live trainings and through online platforms, I am trying to share some of the possibilities that Yoga beyond the poses offers us. Through the tool of asana, I hope to be shining a light on what is beyond it, and what is available to all of us. Because in every way, it has worked for me. In every way, it has helped me to stabilize in the midst of chaos, calm in stormy waters, understand difficult situations, be loving and compassionate even when it is hard, and to be strong and fierce when that is what is needed. I say at the end of all my classes, trainings, and offerings, and I will say it to you now. What we do on our Yoga mats is just a fraction of what Yoga really is, the real practice of Yoga begins when we take our discoveries, our calm, our peace, our insights and live them in the world. The real practice of yoga starts NOW, wherever you are, whatever you are doing.

If you want to know more about Yoga beyond asana, check out our Advanced Studies Online Modules, our live trainings in your area, our Apprenticeship Program, and join us on retreat.