What is Yoga?

Lyn Russell, RYT-500, RCYT, B.Ed., Dip.T., ACOA Dip. (M.Nat.Th) • March 3, 2021

What is Yoga?

While this may seem like a simple question, yoga has actually been defined in many ways.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word that comes from the same root as the Latin "yoke', meaning to join together. Perhaps the best translation of it would be "union".

Union of what? That depends. It depends on your personal perspective. Many people look for the following common forms of union in yoga:

union of body, mind and spirit
union of conscious and unconscious mind (or bringing the unconscious into awareness)
union of "lower self' and 'higher self'
union of the individual soul and the Divine
union of one's male side and female side
union of Yin and Yang

In many ways, when we think of union, we might think of connection. All humans actually seek connection of some sort - connection, to self, connection to others, connection to the universe, connection to a greater love.

Patanjali, the Father of modern yoga and the yoga sutras, talks about yoga being mastery of the mind, or stillness of the mind. The objective of yoga being to understand the true reality of nature and the true nature of self.

Indus Valley, where Yoga is thought to have originated over 5000 years ago

In my 200 HR yoga teacher training, my teacher said that yoga was union - the union of body, mind and spirit. She officially defined yoga as "yoke, union, path, the effort put into attaining potential, the physical and mental practices originating in philosophies from India".

Last weekend I did two immersion days for the advanced 300 HR yoga teacher training I am doing. There was a strong emphasis on becoming aware of how glamorised yoga has become in recent years and how this completely takes away from the history and origins of this practise that has thousands of years of history and philosophy as its base. Ancient symbols such as om, the hand of fatima, deities, the glamoristaion of national costumes in modern fashion shows, and words such as namaste (or the play on words such as namaslay) plastered across social media, on clothing and jewellery lines and plastered across billboards is actually quite offensive to many South East Asian Indians and descendants of the true path of yoga. Classes such as "Yin and Vin", and practises such as using namaste incorrectly (which I have to admit I have done before this weekend training) may be great marketing ploys to fill classes and routines we thought were correct, but they totally go against a true yoga practice.

"When we mistake yoga for a workout routine, reduce it to physical fitness or even do some of the deeper aspects of yoga without an eye to the whole system of liberation it offers, we rob ourselves and each other of the potential of this practice" says Susanna Barkataki.

There have been many misunderstandings as to what yoga is in the West today. The problem with these misunderstandings is they can actually dilute yogic teachings to the point where yoga is barely recognisable at all. Within the tradition of yoga, are the seeds we need to understand how to honour the full expanse of a yoga practice.

At this training we were encouraged to educate our students not only on the physical practice of yoga, but also the philosophy, history and roots of yoga. This is definitely something that I will be exploring. It has really brought my awareness back to the true meaning and practice of yoga and I look forward to sharing more with you.

If you want to delve deeper into this, I highly recommend the Book, "Embrace Yoga's Roots" by Susanna Barkataki

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What is Yin Yoga?

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Yoga for Older Students

By Lyn Russell, RYT-500, RCYT, B.Ed., Dip.T., ACOA Dip. (M.Nat.Th) • October 14, 2022

Why is yoga and yoga therapy for older students so beneficial and why do they require special attention? When discussing the needs of older students, we are referring to those aged over 50. You may be surprised that we class 50 and over older, however these students present with a more unique history than our younger students. Therefore it is important to provide yoga sessions or yoga therapy that is suited to their special needs. Along with the usual intake steps that apply to all students, when looking at older students we need to pay particular attention to things such as: injury history and medical conditions lifestyle factors medications aims and expectations Injury history and medical conditions Injury history and medical conditions are important details that your yoga teacher should know regardless of your age. You may not know what is relevant to your yoga practice, so it is important to inform your yoga teacher or yoga therapist of your medical history, medical conditions and injury history. This allows us to provide practices that can support certain body or organ systems Lifestyle factors Lifestyle factors are extremely important to consider when planning a yoga practice for older students. Things to pay attention to include sleep quality, energy level and nutrition Medication Medication can have a huge impact on the type of yoga practice older students should be doing. Certain medications can change your balance, coordination and pain perception. Informing your yoga teacher or yoga therapist can allow them to provide a safe practice for your individual circumstances. Key Areas For Focus in Yoga We aim to maintain a healthy range of motion: Moving the body in different directions - forwards, backwards, side bending and rotation all encourage tissue elasticity, lubrication and circulation. Improve posture: As we age we tend towards flexion, which can create flow-on effects on bone loading, breathing, digestion, energy, and mood. Building the back body and posterior shoulder strength, as well as allowing time in 'neutral' positions of the spine is important. Postures such as chest openers and shoulder stretches as well as deep breathing is very beneficial. Working and strengthening under-utilised areas such as the back and posterior shoulders, the glutes, core and upper body Improving stability and preventing falls with poses that coordinate opposite sides of the body, standing and kneeling poses, foot awareness work and moving from pose to pose are key areas to work on as we age. Down-regulating the nervous system by emphasising the parasympathetic nervous system through mindful movement, Yoga Nidra, body scans, yin and restorative poses, Savasana, breath work and meditation. Cultivating acceptance of the stage of life we find ourselves in is extremely important. This may involve a gradual withdrawal from family and worldly life, to prepare for life as we age. Concepts from yoga philosophy can be helpful here - svadhyaya (self-study), vairagya (non-attachment) and santosha (contentment) There are many tools of yoga that can support the body, mind and emotions as we age. Why not give yoga or yoga therapy a try and see what it can do for you.