It’s a whole different level of yoga here in Rishikesh. It’s more than a daily practice here, it’s a way of life. I’ve heard that said before. Many times. Yoga Asana practice is the physical practice of yoga, although there are many, many different ways to practice yoga such as Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga. Therefore, Yoga Asana is just one branch of the way to practice yoga. I practice yoga to live a brighter, clearer, more vibrant life. Yoga gives me energy as much as it gives me peace.
But here in Rishikesh, my teachers have shown me that yoga doesn’t end as soon as the class ends. They focus on yoga at every possible moment.
I asked one of my teachers, Hemant, why he practiced yoga. He replied that he practices yoga to live his life. He didn’t elaborate or give further explanation. It was as simple as that. He practices yoga to live.
One morning, I had stumbled into class more tired than usual. I told one of the teachers, Pratap, that I’d had a bad dream. He asked, “About bad yoga alignment?”
We were drinking chai after class and I was curious about Indian standards of beauty. I was asking about that when Pratap responded, “I do not look at women. When I am tempted, I look at my knee instead. I focus on my knee. How far are my toes spread; is my knee pointing more inwards or outwards; how can I move my ankles to have a more straight alignment?”
Every moment is lived through the lens of yoga. When focusing on yoga, on the body and on the breath, the mind is quiet. That is the goal, to control the wild, wild fluctuations of the mind.
Yoga is the the mastery of the mind, through the bridge which is the breath. One of my yoga teachers, Hemant, said that yoga is not a physical exercise but a breath exercise. And if we do not focus on the breath as much as possible, then we lose energy and prana, and the benefit of doing yoga asanas is lost.
I don’t know, because how can I know, if I am going to progress to the point where I eat sleep and breathe yoga? But it is a new frame of mind to consider. I new way to view the way through which I could move through this beautiful world.
