Life: Fertile Ground for Yoga Practice
I was recently involved in a cycling accident. Just after the accident – once I had dealt with the pressing issues of assessing the severity of my injuries, deciding where to go for medical attention and finding a sub for my class – I remember thinking, “I’m not going to be able to practice!”, and then feeling quite frustrated and depressed. However, a bit of wisdom dawned in me a few moments later. I heard myself saying “of course I’ll be able to practice. Yoga can be practiced under all circumstances, regardless of conditions”. And there was also this part of me that knew that my injuries, pain and disappointment would provide me with fertile ground for practice.
And then there were the questions: What is practice anyway? Is it third series? Or second or first series? Or half of the first series? Is it any sequence of postures? Does it even require one to do any postures at all? Or is it a way of being in the world that is characterized by mindfulness, compassion and wisdom? And if it is a way of being in the world, how can the techniques of yoga such as asana and pranayama help cultivate this way of being? How can yoga help us cultivate healthy states of mind while freeing us from our habitual patterns of attachment and reactivity? I’ve been wrestling with these questions for years so their reappearance here came as no surprise. I’m grateful that this “accident” is giving me another chance to contemplate them… to live them.
Talking about practicing yoga regardless of what is happening in one’s life, Richard Freeman acknowledges: “It might not be the form of yoga practice that your mind flatters itself into thinking it should be doing; you might be laid up in the hospital, or you might be like Arjuna and involved in an extremely complex political crisis, but you can still do yoga.”
And fortunately there are many different paths and techniques of yoga. Yoga practice isn’t limited to asana. It may include meditation practices, chanting, breath work or textual study. It may include selfless service (Karma Yoga) or the yoga of the heart (Bhakti Yoga). And, of course, there is always what my teacher Tim Miller calls the “ninth limb of Astanga” – marriage and family. A multifaceted approach to practice is important and can nourish every aspect of one’s life. As Michael Stone puts it “If any spiritual path is going to stand the test of time, it must contain multiple paths and techniques to accommodate our idiosyncrasies and also the maturation of our lives.” He goes on to say “we move forward in our practice by leaving nothing out until practice and everyday life become one.”
In the days since the accident I’ve come to view it as a “blessing in disguise”, what the spiritual teacher Ram Dass calls “Fierce Grace”. Clearly nobody wants to get all banged up or have sorrow, loss, or pain. However, the yogic view is this: if it is already happening to you, then you might as well look for the lessons… the blessings… the grace. I’ve found the silver lining so to speak.
Also, in the past week and a half, while I’ve been joyfully making my way through my modified asana practice, I’ve found myself overwhelmed again and again with feelings of gratitude. How fortunate to be able to do some yoga on the mat and lots of yoga off the mat. What a blessing to have practiced the formal sequences for so long that I can now make up my own given my injuries and limitations. How wonderful to have many paths and techniques to practice. What a blessing just to breathe and move. What a joy just to be alive.
Life is indeed a very fertile ground for practice! Until next time, do your practice and be grateful that you can in fact do it… no matter what!
