Beyond Union

The definition of the word yoga is one that has many layers.  When you ask most people involved in yoga the definition of the word they often say “union”.  And yes, one of the meanings of the word yoga (which is a Sanskrit word derived from the root word yuj) is “to bring two things together, to meet, to unite” (Desikachar, 1980).  Another meaning has similarities to the definition of samādhi which is “to converge the movement of the mind” (Desikachar, 1980), that is to bring the mind to a single point of focus.  A further definition offered by Desikachar in his book Religiousness in Yoga is “to reach a point we have not reached before”.  In line with this, another definition is offered – “to act in a particular way with all of our attention focused upon that action” (Desikachar, 1980).  And finally, one that is often not discussed is “to be one with ‘God’” or the movement towards understanding something higher than ourselves (Desikachar, 1980).

"Another important aspect of yoga has to do with action.  Yoga also means "to act in a particular way with all of our attention focused upon that action." " ~ Desikachar, Religiousness in Yoga.

Let’s go back to the definition “to reach a point we have not reached before”.  This movement from point A to point B is something we can relate to in all aspects of life and what we can reflect, experience and explore in our yoga practice through āsana, prānāyāma and meditation.  From week one we have been slowly developing our abdominal strength and gradually intensifying our two goal postures: urdhva prasrta padāsana and navāsana.  Now at week five, we can feel how our strength has improved because the postures have developed to demand more from the body and yet we can perform them with ease. 

We have also been working on gradually exploring the subtlety of the breath.  We have done this by first noticing the breath, then introducing the inhale and exhale technique and extending upon this with the addition of breath retention.  Through this steady approach to exploring the body and the breath we have had opportunity along the way to reflect upon the changes. 

We have been bringing this altogether at the end of each class with a meditation to sharpen the mind’s attention.  Over the five weeks, the meditation has become more refined to build the mind’s ability to focus intently on a single point.  If we allow ourselves time to reflect on how this five-week practice has impacted our body, breath and mind we will notice that there has been a movement from one point to another.

Each practice I have designed with the intention to encourage us to participate “…with all of our attention focused upon that action”.  This has been done with each movement being anchored to the breath and by allowing the breath to initiate the movement.  As discussed in my previous post by “consciously following the breath…we become one with the movement” and to do this it requires our undivided attention (Desikachar, 1995).  It also offers us a good point of feedback because we will notice if the movement becomes mechanical when the breath changes.

And finally, we may have had a glimpse in this time of feeling in tune with something higher or beyond us.  This often is experienced in our meditation practice but can happen at any time.  It takes a certain awareness which is what is developed in our practice and intensifies the more we practice or indeed perform our daily actions in a yoga way.  This is something that motherhood has certainly helped me with – each moment is an opportunity to be fully present with my son and to feel and be witness to something that seems beyond this human experience.

This Tuesday will be our last class at Bikram Yoga Kawana and we will be re-starting our Tuesday classes at Kawana Island Meeting Place next school term.  Stay tuned via the blog and FaceBook (The Yoga Pod Sunshine Coast) for more details.

Desikachar, T. K. V. (1980). Religiousness in Yoga: Lectures on Theory and Practice. United States of America: University Press of America.

Desikachar, T. K. V. (1995). The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice. Vermont, United States: Inner Traditions International.