My Guiding Philosophy
Yoga means many things and has meant many things to various peoples and cultures that have practiced "yoga" throughout history. There is no one definition of "yoga". The word in Sanskrit means "to yoke" or to join two things together, in the sense of the tie that binds them. Yoga then means to come into union with yourself, or whatever else is the goal of any given form of "yoga", as there are many "goals" amongst many different types of "yoga".
For some, yoga is a spiritual pursuit. For others, there is nothing any more spiritual to the practice than a really mindful form of exercise that may also make you feel better, function better and be a little bit more content. All extremes can fit under an umbrella of "yoga", because that is a huge umbrella indeed, encompassing many schools of Hindu thought throughout the ages, as well as contributions from Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, China and other countries in the general region of the Himalayas, and surrounding this mountain range. There is no one yoga, and this is important to remember.
I practice, personally, from a desire to bring my conscious self out of my head and get more grounded into the body. This in turn quiets my mind and makes me calmer, more relaxed and more present in the now, less likely to project my shadow onto others. Or, you could say that yoga keeps my vehicle in fairly good repair and helps to keep it that way. While I, myself, have studied a number of religious and philosophical schools, I find part of getting out of my head, the categorizing "monkey mind", is to not worry about fitting anything yogic (or otherwise) into any particular belief system.
I have studied science since my early teens. Genetics, anatomy, biological process; the physical sciences, have all been of great interest to me my entire life. In my mid-twenties, I began to run across information on quantum physics, and encountered many theories both literalist and metaphysical, concerning the theoretical end of this new and profound science. The longer I have studied quantum physics, the less concerned I become with religions and spirituality and the more concerned I have become with taking care of what is, right now, in this moment, and letting unanswerable questions lie.
In practicing yoga, I take the Taoist approach of not looking for what is wrong and must be changed, but how to bring what is present into greater balance and alignment; beginning in the body, our home on earth. No matter the metaphysical slant we choose to take on the why and how of yogic practice, quantum physics would tell us that there is something much greater beyond our reckoning and it doesn't need to be cloaked in any particular belief. It is simply human potential in this case, perhaps.
So when I see someone lower their heart rate through breathwork, reverse structural imbalances that have been present for years, release held emotions in stiff and painful joints, raise the temperature of their body with muscle-contractions and breathwork, I do not see magic, or something spiritual, or derivative of deity, or anything else. I simply see human potential. What is: A human doing something humans seem to be able to do, but know little about; quantum human potential. I don't need anything mystical to explain to me why movement and poses, breathwork, and increased strength and cardio-vascular endurance could make a tremendous change in someone’s life, (the release of endorphins and increase of oxygen alone!), but the most telling point from quantum physics would be that we seem to be able to influence the outcome of events by the intent and root beliefs we bring with us to our reality. So when we combine the final element, "gaze", "drishti" or "focus", these then, are tools of intent.
The focus one brings to yoga is a major part of the benefit, because once the mind can focus in one place, entrainment makes it more likely to happen in others. In fact, all eight branches of traditional ashta-anga yoga can be explained scientifically, when the quantum model is applied. This then is human potential, but it may also be anything else you choose to feel or believe it is and my explanations should never just be accepted as yours! Find your answers.
