Spiritual teachings have become as available in the cities of the USA as fast food. Anyone can learn yoga, tai chi, chi-kung, or study the teachings of any master from Jesus to space aliens without a blink of an eye from anyone. One can travel to “spiritual camps, retreats, schools anywhere inside the USA…If you wanted to live in a monastery Buddhist, Catholic, Christian or Muslim there is something for anyone and everyone. So, why have we missed happiness on this path of spiritual peace? While so many seekers devour books on “positive thinking” hoping to obtain fulfillment by focusing on personal desire and at the same time studying the teachings of “non attachment,” still few are able to find contentment in the moment.
The true experience of the ‘”here and now’ develops out of a content quiet approach of holding a yoga pose for extended time and leads one to face our mental restlessness. One yoga sutra says. “Where practice is long, sincere, devoted, and done with care, stability comes.” The practice of Hatha Yoga is one aspect of the study and teachings of Yoga. It is one avenue that brings a student to the revelation of one’s deeper self. Holding poses for longer periods of time will bring you to face yourself, your reactions, and your mind without running from it.
Once you can be with the pose and live inside the posture, it is no longer uncomfortable, strange or painful. Your body takes on the new intelligence and your posture changes.
Taking it to the streets reveals the fruit of your practice. If the time you spend in an asana is short, only to rush to the next pose, your familiarity with that pose will remain very superficial rather than allowing time for body, breath, and mind to come together giving you the key to unlock the gateway to the road of self realization.
In Yoga your Posture is the revelation of your continuous devotion to your practice and the understanding is the expression of your body. How you carry yourself throughout your day, in the office, at home, or in conversation with a friend is evidence that Yoga is a fruitful and positive life-assisting companion.
The next time you find yourself searching for something outside of yourself when you are off centered, stop to find a quiet pose to rest in. Enjoy the contentment, peace and sublime simplicity that is yours at any time, offering you the peace and quiet that you were searching for. It may take a few times to realize that this is right at your fingertips. Taking this practice out of the classroom, so that not only is your posture a mirror of your experience, but your reactions to the challenges of daily life in general becomes part of your Yoga practice. Practical application of the teachings that we learn in yoga can be practiced minute by minute, day to day in the real life studio of life.