Yoga is Awareness . . . ~This is one of my favorite definitions of yoga.~ Yoga is not a posture . . . Yoga is your awareness within the posture. Yoga is awareness of what is really happening within yourself and around yourself . . . whether your 'posture' is Tree Pose (Vrksasana) or the defensive 'posture' you might take in defending your opinion (or more likely defending your ego (Ahamkara)) when dealing with others. So as we continue the journey along Patanjali's 8-Limb Path of Classical Yoga, we can use our tool of awareness in assisting us to practice . . . SATYA - Truthfulness I know in my own life practice I have repeatedly discovered that without awareness I am simply clueless to what is 'honestly' going on inside myself. In fact, without awareness I might even be confusing what's going on inside myself with what is happening around me . . . projecting my own thoughts, fear and labels onto others! Although I have been living as Shae for 33 years, I find the most challenge in honestly discovering what's happening inside myself . . . and then processing my discoveries without criticism or judgment . . . which is the practice of non-violence towards myself (Ahimsa)! So within the practice of yoga postures (Asana) we are invited to cultivate our awareness skills and discover what we're really doing with ourselves and to ourselves. Am I pushing too hard in a posture? Am I not pushing enough? Am I overstretching . . . under-activating? And am I criticizing myself and comparing myself to others as I practice? With our awareness we can practice truthfulness (Satya). With truthfulness we can practice non-harming (Ahimsa). When we are aware, we are practicing yoga. And awareness . . . Conscious Awareness . . . is who we Truly Are. Awareness Is Yoga Awareness Is YOU!! |