About: Cascade Yoga Studio -- Articles

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Live your yoga

by Theresa Murphy

A great teacher once asked me, "Pretend all the things that you originally came to the mat to accomplish: looser hamstrings, less stressed mind, improved posture, more fit body... all those things, done. Mission accomplished. Then what?"

Well, there are as many answers to that question as there are ways to practice yoga. I’m not talking about yoga asana, but true yoga practice. The foundation of true practice lies deep in the heart of living your yoga. There are many ways to live your yoga through devotion (bhakti), wisdom (jana), or right action (karma).

The Bhagavad Gita tells us we must do our duty without regard to the outcome. Our duty is not to have open hamstrings or to stand on our heads, but rather our duty is to do what we can to make life on this planet better for everyone. Seem daunting? It doesn’t have to be.

We must be willing to do the work on ourselves, but not for ourselves. One can do this through unwavering devotion to a higher power, by improving themselves through study, or by working for the benefit of others. The truth of the matter is, as we improve ourselves, we improve the planet. It's that simple. So we do the work for someone else: a loved one, a stranger, a cause, the universe, something other than ourselves. If we do our honest best, remain unattached to the outcome of that work, and have the faith (shradda) that what we do matters, good things will happen.

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, verses 1.12-1.17, are the bedrock for this very notion. He states that practice (abhyasa) and detachment (vairagya) are the means to calm our monkey minds and to find our true selves. Practice comes first. We have to do it! We must hone the ability to apply ourselves. If that ability is not there, we will not succeed. This builds tapas, or austerity, literally meaning work creating change. This is one of the cornerstones of living your yoga. One must learn to balance that work with non-attachment. Passion and dispassion. This is play between engaging and letting go. Creation and dissolution. Do your best and let go of the result. The ability to let go prevents ego-clinging, allowing it to not be about ourselves so our drama can play out more smoothly.

This work is not necessarily easy, however it is simple. Show up, do your best, and let go of the results. Because it is not easy we can empathize with our fellow beings on the planet, be less caught up in our own drama and more caring for those with whom we co-exist. Compassion is the end result, bringing us closer to each other and creating a peaceful existence.

So do the work on yourself! Improve your body, your mind, your soul, and share it openly with all you meet. And watch as you help create a better life on this planet!

Namasté.

Visit Theresa online at www.TheresaMurphy.net