The ancient science and philosophy of Self-realization
Yoga
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Q & A with Yogi Ev
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What is Yoga? How do I know if it’s for me? I’m not flexible.
Anyone can benefit from Yoga.
No experience or flexibility is required.
Simply start where you are, and evolve from there.
Yoga is a path to freedom.
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What does that mean? If we live in modern society, aren’t we already free?
Yes, in a sense, yet many people are suffering from chronic conditions like pain, anxiety, depression, rage, addictions, obesity, and sleep disorders.
And there is an ever-increasing reliance on prescription drugs in our culture, many which cause severe damage to the body even as they aim to cure other symptoms.
Still again, there is a voice inside many of us, the critic, who is always commenting on everything we do or say, or even think, a negative voice that can make one feel bad or unworthy.
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Is Yoga a cure? I still don’t understand.
Think of Yoga as a map. Or a special key to a sacred place.
The key opens the door to the ultimate freedom. . . health and well-being in your body and mind.
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How do I get there from here? Does it take a long time? Is it hard?
The path to health and well-being is disciplined and devoted practice.
The vehicle is your body. The driver is your mind. The passenger is your breath.
Yoga practice will eventually repair damage to the body, calm the mind, and deepen the breath.
An experienced teacher can guide you through a safe practice that feels good and natural to you as an individual.
There is no shortcut. The path of Yoga is a journey.
Along this journey, you will find qualities that live in your heart, such as patience and compassion.
These qualities will become your special companions in time.
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How many people are in a Yoga class? I generally don’t feel comfortable in groups, I’m a private person. Plus, I might feel awkward doing these poses. Won’t everyone be looking at me?
Yoga classes vary in size depending on the location.
Even though a class might be filled with people, Yoga is a personal practice. Everyone is on their own mat, doing their own practice, guided by the teacher.
This experience of being in community with others can have a very supportive effect on the individual.
Sharing space with others on the Yoga path can be a profound and wonderful experience. You may like it more than you think. The only way to know for sure, is to try, and decide for yourself.
If you find that you simply do not flourish in a class with others, private instruction is always an option.
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What are some of the “bottom line” benefits of Yoga?
Yoga can help you sleep more soundly.
Yoga helps you need less sleep, because Yoga relieves stress more effectively than sleep alone.
Yoga helps increase your awareness and ability to focus.
Yoga can relieve anxiety, depression, rage and addictions.
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All this just by doing some poses? How does this work?
Yoga is actually a breathing practice, accompanied by physical postures and an increased awareness of the subtle forces of life energy that flow through the body.
It is the combination of the breath work, the physical postures, and the focused mind, that help one achieve the benefits of Yoga.
On a physical level, Yoga helps regulate the endocrine system, which controls the secretion of hormones into the bloodstream.
In other words, Yoga balances your hormones.
Yoga also detoxifies and purifies the organs.
Twists and deep breathing gently massage the organs, squeezing out stale blood, and allowing freshly oxygenated blood to come into the organs and replenish them.
Increased flexibility in general promotes a more healthy distribution of oxygen to the blood cells in the muscles and throughout the body.
Deep breathing increases lung capacity, which has great benefits to the entire body, especially the heart and brain.
All of this promotes the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
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How long does it take to feel the benefits of Yoga?
Just as it takes time for hormonal medications such as anti-depressants to take effect in the body, it takes time and steady practice to feel the benefits of Yoga on a hormonal level.
In order for Yoga to work on the hormonal level, it must be practiced daily, much like mood medication must be taken daily in order to be effective.
The long-term benefits of Yoga are only felt when Yoga is practiced regularly and consistently over a long time.
The short-term benefits of Yoga, such as a more sound sleep and a calmer mind, can be felt almost immediately after one practice session with an experienced teacher.
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Why is Yoga associated with peace and the environment?
The word Yoga means union, or to join and bring together.
On one level, this means joining the mind, body, and breath. . . which often function independently of each other.
On a broader level, it means to connect with other people who are on their own Yoga path, in order to share practice together in community.
And on an even larger scale, Yoga means connecting to the flow of life energy that flows through all beings everywhere.
To connect with one’s own source of life, is to connect with all life. This is a deeply personal experience that can not be described, but can only be felt by the individual.
The natural evolution of such an experience is a deep reverence and respect for all life, the desire for peace, and the protection of the environment that sustains us all.
Yoga is the most precious gift in the universe, one that offers true hope for peace.
No matter where you are, no matter where you come from. . . Yoga will help you find your way home.
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