I had heard it before.
I had heard that we,
In the western countries,
Have transformed yoga into something completely commercial.
That the original Yoga from India is something different.
Yoga for us is a series of postures that, together with some simultaneous breathing, bring your mind into a quieter place and make your body more flexible.
Only in some cases you can find some kind of meditation exercises with the similar purpose of leaving the mind blank.
But I just started reading The Illustrated Light on Yoga
And only in the introductory chapter it brings up some interesting (and shocking) concepts as the following:
- We in India continue to value the purity of purpose, the humility of discipline and the selflessness that are the legacy of our long bondage to God
- Work alone is your privilege, never the fruits thereof. Never let the fruits of action be your motive; and never cease to work. Work in the name of the Lord, abandoning selfish desires. Be not affected by success or failure.
- When the restlessness of the mind, intellect and self is stilled through the practice of Yoga, the yogi by the grace of the Spirit within himself finds fulfilment.
Apart from that there are 8 stages of Yoga, 3 of which are Asana (postures), Pranayama (breath) and Dhyana (meditation), but there are still 5 more, which include for example moral commandments, self purification, concentration.
All this is mind blowing for me.
It´s not just some exercise and relaxation for the mind, but an integral approach on how to live. It´s more of a religion or philosophy than some sports activity.
This I could sense,
But now I am seeing it.
So I am feeling the need to change my approach.
I had in mind making a career switch into becoming a Yoga Teacher, in the same style as I had created my business, in the same style as I had found my previous jobs: very western style, very productive and goal oriented. But now it feels more like leaving myself out of the equation, following the process with humility and letting myself be surprised by what Yoga can offer.
I have some savings and a job that pays the bills.
I feel that it´s time to follow this new path with more soul and less urge.
In this high-speed western world, where everything has to be the fastest possible (no matter what), maybe there is still time and place for values, for calmness, for a selfless approach to life.
Yesterday I thought something.
Today something else.
We´ll see tomorrow.
Work in progress.