Yoga Head To Toe

I think every day, if we keep our minds open, opportunities are presented to us to learn a new lesson or practice what we know is right. Lately I’ve been reading bits and pieces about Yoga’s Five Afflictions one of which is raga (attachment or desire)………………
My wrist watch, that my husband had given me before I left for the Peace Corps, broke. It was a bit scrappy looking but it was an old “friend” that had been with me through ten amazing years of life. It was with me through the hardships and amazing experiences of being a volunteer and working for the Peace Corps in Guatemala, Ecuador and Paraguay. It was with me through my transition back into American culture and the healing of my body after living over four years abroad. It was with me through my mother’s death from cancer. It was with me as my husband and I picked up and moved to Hawaii with a few suitcases and backpacks and nothing else. And it was with me for my first yoga class this past summer. I wanted to fix the watch. It didn’t matter to me that the wrist band was peeling or a button had fallen off. It was an old friend. I was attached to that watch because of the memories it held.
I needed to let go. The watch really couldn’t be fixed. But more importantly I had to realize that the memories were not held in the watch but were a part of me. I was grateful for having had the watch for that period of my life but it was time to move on. I could live without it.

I have been a runner for 30 years. Currently I run about 9 miles 3 days a week. I run as much for the exercise as I do for a time when I can completely zero in on my own thoughts. During a run I can often go many miles and not remember having done it because I was so focused on the thoughts in my head. It is one of the few times during the day when I feel I really think clearly. If I am running a little faster than my usual pace but completely relaxed and focused in on my breathing I will experience a “runner’s high”. For me it feels as if I am outside my body yet floating alongside it as I run. Colors seem more vivid and my skin is more sensitive to the wind, rain or sun. I also feel amazingly content, joyful and invincible all at once.
I feel that in a small way running has given me a glimpse of what is possible through the practice of yoga. The mindful breathing when I run, the turning inward and concentrating on my thoughts and the sometimes experienced state of just letting go and being, parallel some of the eight limbs of yoga: pranayama, pratyahara, dharana and dhyana. As I grow along the spiritual lines of yoga through consistent study and practice I know someday I will reach its “runner’s high” of samadhi(oneness). I am looking forward to the journey towards my destination.

Over the last week I have been thinking about what it is I want to accomplish or change in the New Year. I had begun to make a list of specific goals but then decided to take a step back from the usual approach and go about these “resolutions” in a different way. I decided to prioritize what was important to me in my life and then daily use that as a guide for my actions. My list looks something like this: 1. husband and family, 2. friends, 3. commitment to yoga, 4. my environment, 5. health and well-being, 6. business…………..
A question might come to mind when looking at that list. Why such a high priority of yoga? When I speak of yoga here, I am not simply including the physical aspects of yoga practice, the asana (postures). The commitment to yoga here means a commitment to the eight limbs of yoga; Yamas (five moral restraints), Niyamas (five observances), Asana (postures), Pranayama (mindful breathing), Pratyhara (turning inward), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (union of self with object of meditation). With the practice of yoga we find ourselves committed to the betterment of humanity, community, environment and to self. Another question might come to mind right now. Why not just one resolution this year – a commitment to yoga? Hhmmm….something to think about.

I came to Yoga after decades dedicated to sports and exercise. Initially I looked upon it as another form of exercise that might benefit me. However, after attending a few classes I began to see that there was more to Yoga then just the physical side and if I learned to calm my mind and listened to the teachers I just might discover what it is. I’ve made it through the first few months of aches, pains and slight headaches as my body adjusted to the asana (postures). I can now often focus on my breathing during asana without much inner dialog coming through to break my concentration. And, I have taken the opportunity to read about yoga philosophy in response to this need I have to know more about the spiritual side. This is a journey into the eight limb path of yoga.