We do this thing over here in the Western world. It's kinda our thing. Our trademark. We take something that is deemed healthy and push it to an extreme. (Ringing any bells?) We take a giant leap of logic in which we decide if 5% of something is "healthy", then 1000% must be incredibly super duper HEALTHY.
The list of things that fall under this category is varied and one item you will find there is yoga. Yoga is, indeed, wonderfully healthy for the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies. It has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few decades (with me being included in that!). Staying true to our form, we have taken the physical element of yoga and decided that - if it is healthy - then it must be done as often as possible. As in, every day or as Instagram would have you believe #everydamnday.
Let's talk about this!
First of all, I am not an unbiased author on this topic. Yoga is the best. As in, The Best. My physical body has become both stronger and more flexible through my practice. I use yoga as a tool in my mental health. I feel more connected to myself and to the greater energies that my exist in life (spiritual health). I do not hold any doubts that we should all be doing yoga!
The course correction I would like to make is a small one. When people say they need to do yoga every day, I wholeheartedly agree! But...for us to be on the same page, we need to be clear about the definition of yoga.
When the Western world says "yoga", it clearly means a physical practice for the body. If you were to travel to India, "yoga" would mean meditation. The original intent was for yoga to be a philosophy for life. It is a means of working with the thoughts and the mind so that we are not unconsciously driven by them. The purpose is to become aware of the mind so that we can step outside of it and see the world (and ourselves) as we truly are.
One way to work towards this goal is to participate in a physical yoga practice. By being consistent with our yoga practice, our bodies become more capable of sitting in meditation (which is where the magic happens). There are many ways of practicing the philosophy of yoga. Here are just a few:
- Gaining knowledge (self-study): This would be reading books, taking training or workshops, and having intellectual conversations with others on the topic
- Kindness: This is when we see others who are in need and reach out to help them with no expectation of reciprocation. This can be a large gesture or perhaps even just speaking kindly to a stranger.
- Breathing: Learning breathing techniques and using them as a tool to go deeper into meditation.
- Asana (physical poses): This is the physical practice of postures with which we most often link with yoga
When we say that we should do yoga every day, this means you get to choose which method you are going to use every day. I strongly encourage a physical practice at least a few times a week; however, this alone does not comprise a well-rounded yoga practice. We must complement it with other types of yoga if we are to go deeper into the philosophy and live it on a daily basis.
So...yoga every damn day? I say hell yes! That is, as long as it is an intentional practice that incorporates more than just the asanas.
See you on the "mat"!