Inside Yoga 59 (9/9/12)

Almost 10 years ago I was taking part in a one month yoga retreat, near Rishikesh in India, when my yoga teacher said something that at the time, and still to this day, sums up the practice of yoga. He said quite simply: “We are here to get rid of what we don’t need.”

There are many reasons why people practise yoga and we might have different reasons for starting, but most of us seek the same goals: to feel better about ourselves, feel healthier and to enjoy life more. Basically we all want to be content and happy.
Yoga approaches this better state of being by using exercises – principally physical exercises, breathing techniques and meditation – to help us get rid of the obstacles that hold us back from reaching what we desire: to feel better in our body and mind. In other words, by removing the negative features of our life (getting rid of what we don’t need) we create space for the positive to come into our lives.
These unwanted ingredients in our life could be an unhealthy body and lifestyle, or it could be stress, anxiety, insomnia, and depression due to difficulties at work or in the family. Perhaps we find it difficult to concentrate and stay focussed – which in our modern world with multi-media and social media it is no wonder that we can feel distracted.
In essence yoga helps to bring balance to our lives.