It’s All Yoga

My friend always says to me “It’s all Yoga” and we have a laugh. Not because it is particularly funny, but because it is true. Yoga is everything and nothing all at once. It is this dichotomy that we find so amusing. It is complex and rich in depth while also the simplest of things. I find in my own life, that Yoga is both the glue that holds my life together and also something that is merely a piece of who I am, that I can tap into when needed.

Let’s start with what Yoga is. Yoga is a sanskrit word that translates in english to mean “to yoke.” To yoke something is to connect one thing to another. In the context of Yoga, it is implied that we are working to connect the “mind, body, and soul” or to be more specific, we are connecting the surface experience of a human life with something deeper or bigger.

The beauty of Yoga is it provides a structure or framework for you to discovery what this means for you. It is not telling you the answer, but rather providing you with the guidance for you to explore for yourself. You are able to take what you need, when you need it. In the simplest of ways, Yoga can be a physical practice that you move your body through or maybe you don’t move your body at all and Yoga can be present there too.

As you dig deeper into the practice and teachings that are Yoga, you might find the depth of what is there for you. To hold you as you dive deeper into the make up of what and who you are. It can feel complex with the sanskrit and the layers of voices guiding you along the way. However, as you make your way through the complexity and out the other side, there is a rediscovery of the simplicity of it all. A realization that everything we do is part of the process. It truly is all Yoga.

One of my favorite parts of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali (one of the cornerstone books of modern Yoga) is the very first line.

“Atha Yoga Anushasanam” yoga sutra 1.1 which translates to “Now, the instruction or study of Yoga begins.” On face value it would seem that Patanjali is welcoming his students to class or school. However, in sanskrit there is more connotation held within each word than we can capture in english. When we look at the word “Atha” we find that this word holds the feeling of, “Now, all of the work you have done in this life time and past life times comes together to create this auspicious moment.” And, each moment is exactly that. A moment that builds on the past moments and is uniquely auspicious for you to take the next step.

With the first word of the Yoga Sutras Patanjali sets up the idea that “it is all Yoga.” Because no matter what you have done, whether you feel like it is Yoga or not, it has been the preparation for you to become who you are in this moment to now learn and know that it is all Yoga.