Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Yoga as My Compass
I'll share with you how one four-letter word led to my undoing. This was not an undoing of my out-of-control, raging ego, but it was the excavation of the human condition as I knew it to be to uncover who I really am. This new awareness led to the unveiling of my pristine soul that gave me the courage to seek out the truth, choose emotional integrity, and honor my true self. That four-letter word is yoga.
"The external teacher offers only the suggestion, which arouses the internal teacher." Here, celebrated spiritual leader and monk Swami Vivekananda speaks to direct experience. Whether I am practicing the physical movement in yoga, in search of understanding a particular concept, or examining my own choices and actions, I know that because of the nature of ego, I continually orient my internal compass, finding insight and truth from the internal, eternal source of my soul.
Years ago, I wasn't as prepared for life's curves and twists, literally and figuratively. I know this because in looking back, I see the times where I was inflexible or constricted, played the blame game, sat in the victim's chair, full of disappointment and despair, and used a very different four-letter word. Regret is a waste of precious time. Isn't it really just our thoughts in the form of judgment meant to punish ourselves? I am the first one to admit that those highly charged, reactive (and many times over-reactive) moments weren't pretty at all, definitely not yoga in any form. However, they turned out to be pivotal lessons that would change the trajectory of my life and contribute to my spiritual journey.
So how do we stop the cycle? How do we brave the truth and accept what might come as a result of recognizing our authentic self? In writing this book, I knew I'd have to accept the fallout that would come from those who might reject, condemn, and object. But those who would criticize without any true understanding of yoga aren't my audience anyway. My purpose for writing this book is to express my love and gratitude for the deeper teachings of the ancient wisdom of yoga and teach those who also want to expand their own self-awareness.
The joy of writing this book has come from my internal need, excitement, and passion to share my experience of yoga. When I speak of yoga, I mean going beyond the pose — hence the title of the book — to a deeper understanding of a life philosophy.
When the idea for this book came to me, my intention was to write, motivated by love and truth. I love to write. I always have. So my words are written with love. I ask for divine guidance in communicating my message as the ego easily wants to ask, "What makes you the authority?" The truth is that I fell in love with yoga. I pursued my training in all its disciplines with fervor. I may not be the best or most experienced instructor, but I teach from a place of love. I may not be a scholar about the subjects I write, but the experiences I share are told with integrity. I share experiences of searching for my true self and a deeper meaning for my life in a way that proves to inspire my readers to investigate, explore, excavate, and go beyond the pose and see how yoga can also be a compass for them to create a fulfilling life of perfect health in all areas.
My book is not meant to incite a religious debate, although I suspect some may find certain topics controversial. In writing this book, I was also searching for my expression of transformation — how yoga, the science of yoga, as the title states — beyond the pose, deeply resonated within me. It was instantly familiar. It validated long-suppressed views that felt comfortable in my heart. It brought a fresh breath of excitement and peace for possibilities for a fulfilled life. It wasn't so much discovering my truth as it was this sensation of remembering it, as if I cracked a shell around me and felt safe and supported, despite the risk. I also felt vulnerable, alone, and lost while I volleyed between what I thought my reality to be and the truth as I now saw it. As Buddha said, "It is our destiny as human beings to make this journey ourselves." There is no deliberate doctrine or mandate here, but a slight nudge, a gentle suggestion to look in the mirror for yourself, at yourself, within yourself.
These days, using yoga to guide me toward acceptance, letting go, healing, and moving on — both on and off the mat — and now, when possible, I respectfully opt out of potentially volatile conversations, or avoid situations altogether that may not honor me, not the ego me, but God's version of me. On the mat, when doing my yoga class, I use my body as an internal compass and follow that, not comparing myself to others or worrying whether they are doing the same. In this way, I avoid injury and self-criticism and really enjoy how my body feels during and after a yoga class like this. I do admit that I still glance over to admire those students who effortlessly make their way into a full expression of headstand. And I fondly remember, prior to my back surgery, how I was unable to attempt bakasana or crow pose. Instead, I would challenge myself by encouraging and directing my fellow classmate successfully into the pose. In a dynamic exchange of giving and receiving, we both experienced the reward of having conquered the pose. For me, I felt elated to see my friend accomplish the feat, while my confidence grew as an effective yoga instructor. For Sara, strength, balance, flexibility, and her own sense of confidence emerged. For me, this experience saw blurred lines between teacher and student as I learned as much as I taught that day.
Yoga teaches us that flexibility, endurance, and strength come with detachment from the outcome, whether it's trying to achieve a particular asana in class or navigating daily life. The physical benefits of yoga go way beyond the pose. I have personally felt stronger, leaner, and more flexible. I am also more centered, leaner in my material desires, and more flexible in my attitudes. I may not be the best teacher out there, but I am authentic in my love for the practice of yoga. I am not yet able to twist myself up like a pretzel or hold my own body weight upside down with one palm, but I am conscious of my breath, and I honor my body, mind, and spirit from wherever I may be in that particular moment. And I guide my students to the do the same.
The first words that come to mind when I think of the meaning of yoga are calm, strength, flexibility, balance, and wellbeing. To me, yoga represents a path to perfect health in mind, body, and spirit. It means practicing awareness and centeredness in thoughts, words, and actions. It means transformation from an ego-based consciousness or object referral to one of a higher level of consciousness or self-referral. My own definition of yoga has evolved over the years, where it has gone from being the right exercises for my back injury and weight management to my special place where I take time and care for myself. With the study of the ancient wisdom found in the Vedic texts, written more than five thousand years ago, my definition has now evolved to a greater understanding of yoga. It has become my life's compass, as I look to the philosophy of yoga as a guide to living in the fullness of my true nature with balance and equanimity.
Swami Vivekananda describes what it means to be in yoga, in union, to be yoked. "When a person has reached the highest state of Unity, seeing neither man nor woman, neither sect nor creed, nor color, nor birth, nor any of these differentiations, but goes beyond and finds that One Infinite Spirit behind every human being — only then has that person reached the universal brotherhood." The word communion means to be "in union." Enthusiasm means en theos or "in spirit." We all know one experience or another that has brought us to our knees, taken our breath away, left us speechless, or left us feeling like we've reached a religious epiphany. All of these expressions describe the essence of yoga, that indescribable feeling of awe, wonder, and connection, beyond human thinking, where the spirit, the soul, the true essence of who you really are gets to shine forth in front of the ego, even if for only a brief moment. If you can remember that inexpressible feeling, then you accessed yourself at the soul level. Through yoga, our self-awareness is expanded, allowing this pure bliss to infiltrate all areas of our lives. One of my teachers says that even meditating once will have a positive influence on your life and the lives of those around you.
Before delving into the study of yoga, there were already ways I was practicing without knowing it as yoga. Since I was a child, I knew I had a passion for the written word. Time and space would dissolve as I was absorbed in a good book. Back then, I'd sit for hours reading the liner notes of albums from my favorite rock stars in deep appreciation for the cleverly crafted lyrics. Or I'd sit with a yellow legal pad and pencil composing my own prose or poetry. And I still lose time in the words of a well-written song or an eloquently constructed paragraph of a favorite author. Each time I feel that kind of connection with the essence of who I really am, I feel united in a profound way. That is to be in yoga. To stand in the face of adversity and still honor myself could only leave me feeling a sense of connectedness with a deeper truth. To live in alignment with one's true purpose is to be in yoga.
It is written in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, "The mind becomes clear and serene when the qualities of the heart are cultivated." Imagine, if you can, a world where everyone gets to live their true purpose, to fulfill their dreams, to live a life as their authentic selves without the worry of criticism, condemnation, or control. There would be an ease with which we would live in accord with each other, trusting that God would provide. Sutra 1.13 states, "The practice of yoga is the commitment to become established in the state of freedom." We can only be truly free through self-study, self-inquiry, and self-acceptance. From this heart-centered place, we are then open to accept others as they are too.
The miracles, the lessons, the teachers, the whispers, the screams, the opportunities — they are always there for us, even when we aren't paying attention. But when we do pay attention to our self, we see God everywhere. Synchronicity, coincidences, unexpected surprises, questions, and answers become normal, and you begin to realize the abundance of this divine universe. You become just like Neo decoding your own matrix and becoming witness to your suffering falling away. Please notice that I did not say your life becomes a piece of cake, where there is no sadness or there are no challenges. As author and spiritual leader Wayne Dyer said in his book Change your Thoughts — Change your Life, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
Living Yoga
Throughout the book, Living Yoga offers you the opportunity to put yoga philosophy into practice in your own life. Here is an exercise in perception. Think of a time when something unpleasant happened. What were the facts? Did you judge the situation as good or bad? Was your perception truth, or did it just seem true for you in that moment? In retrospect, were there other details you chose not to see? As an exercise in compassion, ask yourself if you would be willing to see the other person's point of view. This doesn't mean to condone a harmful behavior but to see from what level of awareness the other person may have been operating. If your behavior caused harm to another, would you be willing to try an exercise in self-love? Without guilt or shame, take responsibility for your actions. Show yourself love by knowing that by moving forward, because you are more aware, you get to make a different choice, from a more expanded state of consciousness. Forgiveness is one of the greatest examples of self-love. Find ways to practice gratitude for these life experiences and the growth that comes from lessons learned.
The next time you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation or something disagreeable happens, see if you can catch yourself in the moment and just observe. What will you choose? How will you respond? This new self-inquiry, self-awareness, and acceptance of what is — this is yoga!
CHAPTER 2
Four Paths of Yoga
Spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda wrote, "Freedom of the soul is the goal of all yogas ... and each one equally leads to the same result." From the ancient language Sanskrit root yuj (pronounced "yug"), yoga means union or reunion with God.
According to the wisdom of ancient scriptures, there are four main paths of yoga, which are classified or aligned according to the differing natures of humankind. The first of these paths is bhakti, the yoga of love and devotion. Karma is the yoga of action, through works of duty or selfless service. Jnana (pronounced Gyan) is the yoga of science and knowledge. Raja or the royal path is yoga through self-discipline and gaining control of one's mind. Raja yoga is referred to as the royal path because it is rich in knowledge and experience. It is inclusive of all the paths, providing a framework to put these life principles, known as the eight limbs of yoga, into practice.
Without even knowing it, many of us may already demonstrate yogic principles in our day-to-day lives. Going beyond the Pose looks at how we can integrate more yoga into our daily existence and illustrates how the philosophy of these ancient teachings can complement and enhance our lives without any threat or betrayal of our current belief systems. As individuals, we all come to this world with our own unique personalities, shaped, directed, and often dictated by the many layers of our lives: family, culture, race, creed, socioeconomic standing, and other influences. Recognizing that each of us has our own journey, whether spiritual or not, one or more of the four yogic paths may resonate more easily.
The eight limbs of yoga are a roadmap for an authentic life. Engaging in these practices, you will begin to celebrate a relationship with God that no one other than you can experience. You have your own personality, your own body, your own soul, and your own purpose in this life. By accessing the ancient wisdom of yoga and integrating mind, body, spirit, and your environment, you will be guided by the divine compass that resides within you, and you will discover that you don't have to be taught anything. As Swami Vivekananda states, "Yoga, through which divinity is found within, is doubtless, the highest road."
My teacher and friend Roger Gabriel says, "There's nothing to learn. We are here to remember what we already know; we've just forgotten." The eight limbs of yoga are not rungs on a ladder, where we perfect one step and move on to the next. We don't seek them in a progressive order. Rather, we move through each practice continuously just as we traverse the many layers of our lives all the time, adjusting, expanding, and evolving. And when we've steered off course, we can choose to learn the lesson, and once again, we adjust, expand, and evolve. This is the dance of life.
Beyond the mindfulness practice of observing our breath, meditation goes even deeper into witnessing awareness when we allow our thoughts to come and go just as effortlessly as our breath. Delving deeper, we find inner silence, and we freely gravitate toward the practice of the eight limbs of yoga, while egocentric behaviors naturally fall away. Along the way, I've learned to trust my internal compass, with its foundation in the eight limbs of yoga and discovered what has always been present: strength, courage, and innate wisdom.
Can you follow only one path? Or is each path of yoga the door or window to the next? Can you be in complete devotion to God as with bhakti yoga without being compassionate toward others or yourself, without being self-reflective (raja yoga)? Can you live a life of self less service (karma yoga) without being in total union with God? Can you not come to truth (jnana yoga) without naturally abiding by the universal laws of nature?
Although the Vedic texts describe four different paths of yoga, they are not mutually exclusive. "In the end, all these four paths converge and become one." In the same way, all religions lead to the same goal. Swami Vivekananda said, "By study of different religions, we find that in essence they are one." It is our intrinsic nature to search for and remember the essence of who we really are. Stripped of the veil of ego and at our core, we are one; we are love; we are yoga.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Going Beyond the Pose"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Kathleen Nitting.
Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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