Yoga Q&A: From student to student

November 15, 6:13 AMPhiladelphia Yoga ExaminerJonathan Bartlett

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Alexandra Angotta, like me, a student of yoga

            I am a student of yoga, and no matter how much I learn, I will always be a student. As my pal, Diane Cesa http://www.itsallaboutyoga.com/ pointed out to me, the best way to approach yoga is as a beginner, so as to keep yourself open to the new experiences that yoga offers along the way. On top of that, yoga is older than dirt, and to explore every byway and twist and turn that it has taken since the beginning would take more than a few lifetimes to explore. Its vastness is mind-boggling.

            Despite all of that, one of my readers caught my act here on Examiner.com and identified me as an ‘expert’ on yoga. Alexandra Angotti, a freshman at West Virginia University chose me as a source of information about yoga for a paper she was preparing for her English honors class.  

            I was honored to have been chosen for her project and in no small way surprised, as I’ve never considered myself to be a yoga expert. In fact, I see my value to my readers as that of a student, still exploring this ‘yoga thing,’ and presenting my findings to folks who are new to yoga and those who have not yet given it a try.

Nevertheless, the time I have spent exploring yoga over the years has resulted in a repository of information and I took this as an opportunity to clarify my experience with yoga and to put into words what I know about this ancient but still flourishing endeavor.  I was helped as much as she was as my answers reflected back to me an on-screen snap-shot of my yoga experience. I present them to you for your consideration and feedback.

Thank you, Alexandra.

1. What are the main mental benefits of yoga?

I will answer this question as I believe that most folks who know yoga would, and as I would. Boiled down to its basics, yoga is not the asanas. It IS that, but it's more than that. What I love about yoga is that it is truly 'multi-purpose.' There are many benefits to 'doing yoga.' But the answer to your question can be found in an ancient document that most yoga folks will agree serves as the origin of yoga as we know it today: the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras#Text

This is a document that was said to have been written during the 2nd Century B.C. While most people associate yoga with Hinduism, this is not correct. Yoga is derived from the Vedic culture, which flourished in India thousands of years ago. It is a culture that spawned Hinduism, yes, but, some say Bhuddhism, and others. Some scholars see evidence of Vedic influence in Christianity, Judaism, and other 'younger' spiritual movements, but I'm getting off-topic. Back to the Yoga Sutras, specifically, the 2nd sutra:

Yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness. 

Yoga helps people to still their minds. And by having the ability to still the mind, at will, you are able to move yourself into an environment that is free from distraction caused by the mind. When we do the asanas in class or at home, we are asked to disengage the mind and put our attention in our bodies: in the placement of the hands, our feet, our heads, in our breath, etc., and not in our minds. As we practice this, we get better at it, so that when we are not doing yoga, doing the postures, we can go to this distraction-free place whenever we want. 

In a nutshell, as it pertains to 'mental benefits,' yoga promotes the peace and serenity of a 'clutter-free' mind. 

2. What are the main physical benefits of yoga?

Doing the asanas--the yoga poses--on a regular basis, will promote a strong and flexible body. A strong and flexible body allows us to do the tasks that we need to do with greater ease. A strong body can be accomplished in a number of different ways of course, but flexibility can only be accomplished by stretching the muscles on a regular basis. Flexibility returns many benefits. It gives older folks a more youthful body, allowing them to do more tasks and do them more easily. It gives younger folks who are not blessed with a flexible body the ability to do the same. In general, movement of all kinds is easier when your body is more flexible, and movement is what we do, all the time. 

3. How do you feel when people perceive that yoga will be boring and
have less physical benefits than other forms of exercise?

I myself practiced yoga years ago, working from a book. For weeks, I struggled with the poses in the book. I did not enjoy it any more than I did a work-out in an aerobics class. It was just something I was doing for my body, to keep it in shape. After a few months, I moved onto something else. I guess I thought at the time that it was boring! It wasn't until six or seven years ago that I re-discovered yoga. It is now a central part of my life, something I think of the same way as I do eating or sleeping. What changed between those two points in my life? I don't know. I guess I was not ready the first time, and I think the same would be true of others who now feel the same way, that they are just not ready for it, and that's okay. 

4. How do you feel when people chose not to take part in yoga because
they fear that it will clash with their religious beliefs?

This is an issue in the U.S. and other Western countries. It seems that some whose spiritual center is Islam also have a problem with yoga. Like I said, most folks associate yoga with Hinduism, but that's not true. Its origin is in the Vedic culture. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedic_culture

In fact, yoga folks believe that yoga will promote spirituality in general, a closer connection to God, whether that god is Christian, or Muslim, it doesn't matter. So, if you are a Christian or a Muslim, yoga will help you connect more deeply with your chosen religion. As people like me, who serve to help explain and elucidate what yoga is about, this will become more clear. 

5. Why do you feel that people should take part in the world of yoga
in their everyday lives?

Like I said, yoga is a 'multi-purpose' endeavor, with many benefits. There are lots of reasons to do yoga. Doing the asanas in class and/or at home will help your body become stronger, and for some that is good enough. For others, it's the 'mental' benefits of yoga that appeals. For these folks, a calmer outlook, a kinder attitude toward themselves and others, enhances their lives and the people around them. I truly believe that doing yoga has benefits that are not immediately recognized, but only after they do it for a while will they realize that they are better in a multitude of ways--in body, mind and soul. 

This is the best I could do, Alexandra. If you require any more from me, just let me know. Thanks. This helped me out, too, helped clarify things in my own mind.  

Your pal, 

Jon