Our inner world through yoga

Most of us are so very busy with our “external” lives.  Our culture, mass media and electronic toys keep us perpetually occupied.  When do we have the time or the inclination to pay attention to our internal world?  We have lost our way, and for the most part have forgotten to do anything about the inner journey of self discovery.  How can we relate to our families, our world, if we don’t have a full awareness of who we are, and how we relate and take care of ourselves? 

Most of us know a lot about many things about the external world, but have paid little or no attention to our inner information regarding our fears, hopes and dreams.  Some of us have an inkling of how our past condition is affecting us but tend to ignor it.

Self-discovery or self-awareness has been a goal for humans since ancient times.  The Delphic Oracle said, “know thyself”.  Yoga is a path to self-awareness that originated at least 2,500 years ago.  One of the first people to document the science of yoga was Patanjali.  He wrote the Yoga Sutras.  His opening statement is about yoga being a vehicle which brings about the union of the mind, the body and the spirit, allowing the yogi to become more self-aware or more self-conscious in a positive way.  Unfortunately, most yoga students are only aware of the techniques of yoga that increase physical strength, flexibility and increase physical health . . . which are very important, but miss the deeper aspects of yoga as a practice.  In the sutras, the yoga postures are important, as the mastery of them makes us feel powerful, but they only reflect a small part of the bigger picture of yoga.  The over-arching message in yoga is that it is a practice that can increase our understanding of ourselves, our relationships and our actions which affect the world around us.  More to come . . .

Namaste,  Barbara