YOGA JUST LIKE THAT
A lot has already been written on the subject of yoga and its significance in the life of humanity. This article doesn’t mean to present any new facts, findings, or knowledge about yoga as an object. The author believes and feels that yoga practice and its understanding are unique individual experiences that may vary to different levels depending on the approach of different individuals. Most articles and books on yoga mainly focus on its working methodology, benefits, anatomy or other information that can help the reader immensely. But yoga is not about a healthy body, a calm mind, or acquiring a more comprehensive knowledge of its various philosophies or any other outer extension. Instead of transcending all the above levels one by one, it offers a realm where one is just there practising, for no result after that, but in practising, only the result is also achieved. The practitioner sheds all his knowledge and enters a space where he finds himself on his yoga mat practising “Just like that.”
Usually, what we understand as life is what we experience and live through our senses in this world around us; therefore, the relationship here is always of the nature of experience and the experience. The path of yoga ultimately aims to bridge this gap between object and subject. With the experience of even momentary non-duality, which refers to the state of being where there is no separation between the self and the object of perception, the practice of the asanas, pranayama or meditation can be called yoga. Non-duality is a state where the boundaries between the self and the external world dissolve, leading to unity and interconnectedness. Although the practice begins with something very lucid and logical, like the various yoga postures and breathing exercises, gradually, as practice advances, it should lead one to a subtle experience and from lucid, dry logic to a beautiful world of mystery. The practice aimed at a more subtle realm experience only qualifies as a yogic practice.
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Yoga can also be understood as a way to expose oneself to the wholeness around us so that in that state of vulnerability, we can shed our mundane thinking behind us and glimpse something beyond our memory and understanding. Such profound experiences can refresh our whole being and provide valuable insights to progress in this life in a more balanced manner. The moment when we assume any movement of body and mind to lead us to deeper levels of existence, then that same act becomes yoga, no matter what it is. So, even enjoying a beautiful piece of music or reading classical poetry can become the act of yoga if it lets the experiencer shift his awareness to subtle levels. Hence, the idea of yoga can be incorporated into almost every movement we make daily, making us part of a larger community of seekers and practitioners.
The asana, pranayama, and meditation, which we usually associate or practice with the name of yoga, are not the essence of yoga but the primary ways to deepen our awareness. Asanas are physical postures that prepare the body for meditation, pranayama is the control of breath to enhance life force, and meditation is the practice of focusing the mind. The seeker, at some point of time during the practice, transcends the limitations of time and space, weaving a subtle fabric of abstract glimpses of a new life, which is like a splash on the dust-laden surface of our understanding. Such experience is a real blessing and provides the necessary push to tread further into the unknown for a seeker from the world, which is so mundane and squeezed already to its potential. With the constant confrontation with the impossibility of extracting any long-lasting stimulation, yoga becomes the only way to perceive this life. One needs to perpetually outstretch his comprehensive capabilities to live sane fully in this world around which is limited and so much bound by time and space. Therefore, the story, which might start at one’s yoga mat or a bench in some garden, can gradually expand to consume the whole universe into it, just like that….