InFlowYoga Philosophy

Yoga is a philosophy of Life that has survived for over 4000 years. Although we in the Western world largely think of Yoga as being a series of physical poses (Asana), the poses are but one part of the comprehensive system that is Yoga.

As a philosophy, Yoga seeks to help us develop the ability to find and hold inner and outer peace while fully engaging in life. It offers us tools with which to create a life based on compassion and connection rather than fear and separateness. Yoga seeks to help us dissolve the divisions between mind, body and spirit that so many of us embody. Yoga offers us the opportunity to discover and know our true nature: that we are one with all Beings, one with God.

The philosophy of Yoga is embodied in the Yoga Sutras, a set of 195 aphorisms complied over 2200 years ago by Patanjali.

The Yoga Sutras refer to 8 aspects of the philosophy of Yoga. Called petals or limbs, these 8 aspects contain the ethical code of Yoga (the Yamas and Niyamas) and practices (including levels of meditation) by which we are able to achieve the full gifts of Yoga.

One of the 8 petals of Yoga is Asana, the practice of the Yoga poses.

On the surface, the practice of Asana seems to be about exercise. Asana takes care of the physical body. It increases our flexibility and strength and it teaches us about discipline and focus.

When practiced mindfully, that is, when we practice from the heart not the head and when we practice with our inner awareness and mental focus deep within the physical body, the practice of Asana becomes far more than exercise. It becomes a place where we can learn and practice a more conscious way of being that we can carry with us and implement in all areas of our lives.

Through the mindful practise of Asana, the physical body ceases to be an unfamiliar territory dominated by the controlling mind and incompatible with Spiritual matters. The mindful practise of Asana teaches us to ‘do’ life from ‘inside’ the body. When we ‘do’ life from our core, we find that we are able to flow more easily with life’s challenges. We are able to stay grounded and be responsive to life rather than reactive. Challenges become opportunities to grow and expand, opportunities to observe and change habitual patterns that no longer serve our highest good.

The mindful practice of Yoga:

opens and releases the physical body by opening the joints and lengthening the muscles. Bringing openness and harmony to the physical body, brings openness and harmony to our emotional, mental and Spiritual bodies which, in turn, brings openness and harmony into the outer manifestations of our life.

offers a pathway to the nuances of our inner landscape: our emotions, intuition, creativity, our deeper wisdom; the subtle flow of energy; a personal connection with Spirit.

teaches us patience, compassion and gratitude. It enables us to take what we learn in our Yoga classes out into our ‘real’ lives, for the real practice of Yoga takes place not in a once-a-week class but in every day life.

sharpens the mind. It brings a mental focus and clarity that are qualities of the deeper, wiser Mind. It inspires our intuitive, creative mind while stilling the distracting, chattering mind. When practiced mindfully, Asana is meditation.

brings essential Energy/prana/chi into the body, enhancing its flow throughout the body. This vitalizes our mental, physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and energy bodies. The mindful practice of Asana helps open and balance the chakras (energy vortices located at specific points along the spine) and strengthens the energy field (aura).

deepens our connection to the natural breath. Through the mindful practice of Asana, we can experience, on the ‘inside’, the calming, healing effect of the breath on the body, mind and spirit.

supports the gentle opening of energies stored in the tissues (emotions, thought forms, belief systems, experiences).

keeps us youthful by countering the emotional, physical, mental and energetic collapse that is too often accepted as part of the ageing process. The mindful practice of Yoga keeps the mind and the body light, flexible, open and ‘sattvic’ (Sanskrit for alert, awake, aware, connected).

Through the mindful practice of Asana, we are able to access many of the gifts held within the philosophy of Yoga. When we take what we learn from the mindful practice of Asana into every day life, we begin, ever so slightly, to change the way we do things: the way we think, the way we feel, the way we interact with others and with the world. This, in turn, changes the world around us, a little bit at a time. This is the healing journey of transformation and enlightenment that Yoga offers each and every one of us.