The merging of the physical, mental, and spiritual realms
Ariana Zumaran Castillo (she/her) // Contributor
Phoebe Verdon // Illustrator
I may have already been doing yoga for years and I just had no idea. As a dancer, I am no stranger to very intense strengthening and flexibility training. But who was going to tell me that my à la seconde split stretches were actually a Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana pose? Now, implying that holding these poses meant I had been practising yoga was just an exaggeration because now I realize yoga is way more than that.
The word yoga can be traced back to the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ meaning ‘to connect.’ This makes a lot of sense, as yoga is fundamentally described as the connection of the physical, psychological and spiritual ambits of a person. The origins of yoga can be traced back to Northern India as far as the year 2700 BC The legend says the Hindu deity Shiva had initially introduced yoga to his wife Parvati to help her remember who she really was. The originator of our modern conception of yoga is credited to be Sage Patanjali who is the author of the Sutras or scriptures that explain in detail what yoga consists of.
There are eight elements of ashtanga or ‘limbs’ to yoga which are not necessarily exclusive to movement itself: yama (morality), niyama (positivity), asana (posture), pranayama (breathing techniques), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), ‘hyana (being absorbed by meditation) and amadhi (enlightenment). This means that simply holding a yoga position is not necessarily yoga if there is no intention of reaching enlightenment and/or a high level of morality, in the same way that practising breathing techniques is not yoga if you are not meditating in search of detachment from your surroundings.
Science may explain why these elements are so intertwined. Several studies have linked pain as a booster for the production of serotonin which is the hormone responsible for making us feel happy and satisfied. Working out and any type of physical activity can achieve this in different ways, including the stretching and muscle activation that yoga offers through its various postures. Scientific evidence also strongly links breathing exercises and stress relief. Could these elements aid the goals of deep meditation and a positive outlook in life? Possibly. While these benefits can be achieved during a yoga session, a yogi still has a last duty to fulfil: Always practice kindness.
So if you walk by a yoga class and see people doing headstands and bending their bodies in ways you didn’t know were possible, do not be discouraged. That is not really what yoga is about. Even better, the limb of asana actually requires nothing else than executing an aligned and comfortable posture. The other seven ashtanga do not even require you to move at all. In the end, yoga reminds us that our mental well-being is our physical well-being.