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One of my very first yoga teachers encouraged me to take my yoga practice off the mat and into my daily life. She specifically suggested that I bring more attention to my feet on the floor. And so I began noticing my feet throughout the day – spreading my weight more evenly through the feet, keeping my knees soft rather than locked. I also started thinking about my posture during everyday tasks – tall, long spine, relaxed shoulders. I thought about how to protect my back while lifting and carrying things – engaging my core and legs to support and maintain the natural curves of the spine. I practiced keeping a “soft face” – releasing tension from the facial muscles and jaw. I made efforts to connect with my breath throughout the day. And what a help this has been to me. I continue to do all these things.
More recently, though, the idea of taking my yoga practice off the mat has taken on new meanings. Everything I mentioned above falls under the scope of Hatha Yoga: yogic practices that focus on invigorating and balancing the body. Did you know that there are other forms of yoga too? We have:
- Raja Yoga to calm and steady the mind (through adherence to moral guidelines and practice of breathing exercises, physical exercises, and seated meditation – hatha yoga falls in this category)
- Jnana Yoga to deepen our understanding of life, truth and the true Self (through study of Vedanta, i.e. yoga philosophy)
- Karma Yoga to develop our capacity to act selflessly (through service to others)
- Bhakti Yoga to develop and affirm our devotion to life (through devotional practices such as mantra meditation, chanting and prayer)
I have discovered that I can, in fact, be doing yoga all day long in one form or another! It’s not necessarily what you do, but how you do it.
As a “householder” (grihastha in Sanskrit), I have a good number of responsibilities at home – feeding and clothing the family, keeping a reasonably clean home, doing my best to guide my kids in the right direction. With the right attitude, all these responsibilities can become my karma yoga. How so? Well, if I dedicate all of these tasks to my family, to my community, to the greater good – and if I simply do my best, without expecting any outcomes or rewards in return – then the mundane acts of preparing breakfast, packing school lunches, and so on, all become loving acts of service and devotion. The same applies to my professional work, and even to my self-care. Taking care of my body and mind is an act of service to the greater good. How can I fulfill my duties, if my tools (my body and mind) are dull?
It’s easy to incorporate bhakti yoga into daily life. Most yogic mantras are a celebration of life. They affirm our inherent goodness and the goodness all around us. We can repeat our mantras, mentally or aloud, while walking/driving, waiting in line, and doing tasks that don’t require much mental effort. Another form of yoga practice off the mat! (See my last blog post for more on mantra meditation.)
And jnana yoga… if you enjoy reading, this is the path for you. There are many wonderful books on yoga philosophy. I recommend starting with one of the classics: Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Ramayana… Read a few pages to start or end your day. Reflect on what you’ve read. Discuss it with a friend or a yoga teacher. Journal about how the ideas apply to your life situations. Read the same book – even the same passage – again and again; each reading will reveal something new.
All forms of yoga – raja/hatha, jnana, karma and bhakti yoga – when practiced consistently and earnestly, lead us to the same place. In Swami Vishnudevananda’s words:
There is no difference between the yogas. Although the terminology and techniques are different, they all lead to Self-realisation. For example, there are rivers coming from various peaks, various mountains . . . Whatever their name and form and wherever they originate, they always arrive at one common destination, the ocean. When they arrive at their destination, they lose their name and form. So also the various types of yoga and even the various religions are like various peaks from where the knowledge comes down. Eventually the resting place is the same – the ocean, or God, or bliss absolute. (p.33)
Reference: Vishnudevananda Upadesa: Teachings of Swami Vishnudevananda, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, 2009.