It's funny because when I started yoga I was not interested in the spirtuality side either, I was 28 years old. And then about 8 months into practicing when I went to my teacher and said I was "kind of interested in getting a book about yoga but without too much of that God stuff". Ron suggested The Heart of Yoga by Desikachar which by the way is FULL of the God stuff. I don't know if he did that on purpose and when I asked him (14 years later) he just chuckled. So, what that means I have no idea....but now I'm quite into the spiritual side. It went slowly, slowly as I came from a home where God was thought of as basically "bull shit". Sorry for the nasty words but that's what my dad used to say. If you were to ask me even 5/6 years ago if I was spiritual I wouldn't have known how to answer the question. It moved so slowly and I didn't really know what it meant to be spiritual. I believe it is something that comes from the heart. One knows in their heart, using the buddhi (intellect) rather than the mind to know if they are practicing something spiritual. However, even saying that, if one truly dedicates themselves to the yoga and self-improvement, even if they are not "spiritual", there is something deeper being affected that we can't necessarily put a name on.
So, I don't take the spirituality out of the yoga, even if it may cause some discomfort, I leave it there.....but without over doing it. We do the mantras, explain what they mean, send little things out in our newsletter and then that's it. WHEN the student is ready, they will come for more. I've had students say that they love that, that they don't feel pressured and they can find what they need on their own time, when they are ready....and even perhaps never. It's such a physical practice that one can think they are just there to get a good work out, lose weight, get a nice butt, or whatever, all is welcome! Everyone MUST be where they are and loved for it! But at the same time the spirituality should be available, rather than omitted. It's true, the totally unspiritual yoga styles are the most popular and the studios like that make the most money but as a teacher and studio owner, we need to do what we feel good about. Yoga is a "spiritual discipline" and this shouldn't be erased. I feel that if the student isn't ready for that then they will find the other styles of yoga.
As I look around the world I see that what could help is more spirituality. It's missing. Connecting to something bigger could bring more peace to us all and show us that we are all connected and that everyone deserves compassion and love. I try to teach this to my children and it is amazing how connected they are. They are only 2.5 and almost 5 and every night they say what they are thankful for from the day. If I forget to bring it up, they bring it up. And they are not thankful for toys and stuff...they are thankful for going to the park, mommy making a good lunch, having a nice warm bath, etc. It's amazing.
Well, that's my story, thought I would share since I too am a Canadian (living in France) middle aged woman ;-)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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