(Originally posted in March 2015)

What is yoga?

This was one of the questions that we got to ponder over on the first day of yoga teacher training. It got me thinking back on my own experience with yoga and what it means to me. It also made me realize how both my definition and my perception of yoga have evolved since I started.

Like a lot of people I originally came to yoga for the physical practice, as a form of exercise. This changed quite rapidly as I found myself drawn to yoga more and more. The way I felt after a class – energized but calm – is what kept me coming back and back again. Which got me thinking that there was more to this.

So what is yoga?

You might already have heard that the word “yoga” means yoke or union in sanskrit. But what does it mean to do yoga?

There was many answers to this question during the discussion, and all of them were interesting, but the thing that really clicked for me was when our teacher said this:

Yoga is your practice time for your own life.

If this doesn’t quite make sense, try thinking of it this way:

Imagine you are learning to play an instrument. You need to spend time practicing so you can play well and with ease. Your practice is not supposed to be perfect or sound beautiful. Practicing means making mistakes, trying different strategies to deal with difficult sections, learning tricks to master hard rhythms and melodies, experimenting on how to give life to your music. Why do we do all this? So that when we go out in front of an audience, playing the piece you’ve practiced comes naturally.

Well, yoga is just that. The poses you do during a yoga practice are based on movements your body is capable of (stand, sit, squat, step, bend, twist, etc). By practicing these movements with the correct muscle engagement and alignment, they become natural and easy in your everyday life.

In a similar way, a yoga practice can be a place to experiment with your mind. The class will put your body and mind through mini-challenges and you can watch your own reactions (well, this is a challenge in itself!). In my experience, what my mind tells me through a yoga class is no different to what it tells me through life:

“I’m not flexible enough, strong enough to do this”
“If I wasn’t so tired, then I would definitely be able to do this”
etc

I try practicing different things during class, for example kindness towards myself or sitting with emotions as they arise. It helps me notice similar situations and reactions in life.

Now over to you! Choose something you want to be more in your life and next time you go to a yoga class, try practicing and embodying that quality.

It could be that you would like to be more open-minded when facing a new situation, or that you would like to take time for yourself.

So when the teacher suggests a variation of a pose you’ve never tried before, then maybe practice giving it a go. Or when the pace of the class becomes too much, then maybe practice allowing yourself to rest.