Yoga is a path. Not a practice

The belief that yoga practice is the most important thing and many sincere seekers are told by their teachers to keep practicing and all things will come.

This belief is not entirely true. One of the fundamental differences between Äsana, a physical aspect of Yoga and other exercise routines is that Yoga is a path, not just practice.

One can hit the gym for two hours or walk a mile or hike a mountain and feel exercised, but can still be very flawed in real life. One can be mean to others, not have the quality of compassion or empathy, be close-minded and judgmental and consume an improper diet and inappropriate lifestyle. But this cannot be the case with Yoga. If one practices Äsana for a couple of hours and behaves inappropriately in life, they are not in the domain of Yoga. One is merely using Äsana as a replacement for physical exercise.

In the modern era, most people who come to Yoga are searching for something beyond the physical realm. If indeed physical wellbeing is the only quest, they are better suited to pursue other forms of fitness. Yoga definitely represents a search for something more meaningful, be it a conscious or an unconscious quest. The spiritual intrigue of Yoga, the esoteric stories connected with it, the magical powers it claims to hold and many other such mystical reasons may be the pull for practitioners to embark on its path. But if practiced as a physical practice only, these dimensions may never be reached.

• sana is only one of the tools of Yoga, which has other tools as well, such as
• Conscious breath regulation
• Meditation
• Self-inquiry
• Symbolic gestures
• Verbal affirmations, to name but a few

For personal and spiritual transformation to happen, we need to embrace all the tools of Yoga and not just be selective. When we put all of these into practice in an integrated manner then it becomes a path, the magic of Yoga happens.

Article by Viniyoga teacher Dr.Kausthub Desikachar

Website: http://khyf.net/