In Part I of this series, I stated that yoga, the most economical of wellness systems ever created, can help you through economic tough times. In this article, I will further this concept by looking to the words of two great yoga masters on the topic of yoga's intent and import, and then I will move to introduce three general yogic disciplines that strengthen our personal wellness economies in a time when the larger economy continues to falter.
In the world of yoga, there exists an important precept espoused by yogis of many backgrounds, and it is that yoga, the 5,000 plus-year-old practice of mind-body connection, was created not for wealthy or the privileged being but for the common householder, or everyday person. Right out of the gate, in other words, we see in yoga's roots and mission a link between itself and what is common.
A great modern yoga master, B.K.S. Iyengar, precisely defines the common, everyday life: "The life of a householder is difficult, and it always has been. Most of us encounter hardship and suffering, and many are plagued by physical and emotional pain, stress, sadness, loneliness, and anxiety. While we often think of these as the problems caused by the demands of modern life, human life has always had the same hardships and the same challenges-making a living, raising a family, and finding meaning and purpose."
Iyengar's words ring true in general, and in light of the current recession, his words might resonate quite deeply for some. They do for me. Further, as our global situation will likely worsen in 2009, common householders the world round could very well be living out the details of Iyengar's description. In what appears to be deepening global hard times for the billions of common householders walking this planet, I see, in fact, the possibility of an economic-induced, worldwide plague of suffering. It's no bad formula I am employ here, to say that when the economy is weak, the human condition has a bigger chance to be weak, too.
That sounds, admittedly, dire, and as though I am a pessimist. But I am not, so please read on.
Just as Iyengar and countless yogis throughout history pinpoint the cause and conditions of human suffering, so do they point to a solution. They, of course, point to the power of a yoga practice.
Another of yoga's great modern masters, Yogia Bhajan, writes about the power of his style of yoga on the everyday person: "It is [the] yoga which allows an ordinary person to live in this world, experience of the ecstasy of consciousness, then use this consciousness to serve humanity." Equally succinctly, Iyengar sheds light on yoga's benefits: "Yoga, as it was understood by its sages, is designed to satisfy all human needs in a comprehensive, seamless whole...Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit the broken pieces together."
Iyengar and Bhajan remind us that yoga was created for and benefits the everyday person struggling to have a good life. Here are just a few reasons I believe why yoga helps in the struggle:
• Yoga has nearly illimitable breadth and depth. It consists of eight major limbs of practice and a history so deep and rich that it is not easy to discern one major branch or style from another. One can take a lifelong yoga adventure completely on one's terms. Once you find yoga, there is no need for anything else. (How economical is THAT?)
• Yoga brings documented fast results. Students report positive change after even one class.
• Yoga contains no repetitive, impacting body movements: repetitive movement (running, swimming) are good aerobic exercises but do not utilize the entire body as efficiently as yoga does. Impacting movement (e.g., running, step aerobics) is in fact bad for the body long-term.
• For people who are time-crunched, yoga is a perfect system since it is built on a sequence of poses and brief exercises, so it's easy and creative to build one's own sequence. Since five minutes of yoga a day can benefit us greatly, it is the ultimate time-smart wellness system.
In conclusion, there are so many yoga practices and exercises to help us everyday people 'fit the broken pieces' of our lives together that I conclude, quite easily, this: Yoga can help anyone through anything anytime.
In the next article, I will begin discussing three limbs of yoga that contain highly economical and effective exercises particularly geared for those who are struggling to start and maintain a solid practice during tough times. These disciplines are 1)exercise with breath awareness; 2) mind work; 3) and diet.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Yoga and the Economy
Exactly a year ago, I began writing and posting at an online zine site a five-part series about yoga and the economy. These articles purported that yoga, the most economic of all wellness systems ever created, is a natural for helping individuals through rough economic times.
I am opening my specialty blog, Pink Lotus Notes, with a re-post of these articles because, sadly, their content still applies today. The deep recession is still not over. After reading a report on the growing poor class in the United States (not news, but a reminder of the current ills we face), I felt it was important to do my part to try and help, and help today comes in the form of encouragement. I hope you find these articles interesting and helpful and that you are inspired to practice yoga, now more than ever.
***
It is fall 2008. We have a new president-elect, the holiday season is in our presence, and snow is falling here on a beautifully thick gray day in Midwest America. Normally, based on these factors-being an especial lover of gray late-autumn days--I would say things are good.
But things are not good. We are riding a wave of a recession whose dark-lit story seems by experts' observations to be in its early chapters. We've all heard the fears, the fallout, the collapses, and the numbers, and we all expect to hear much more. Even if we generally dwell on the sunny side of the street, these are comparatively dark days.
Enter yoga and the economy. Yoga, the most economical of wellness systems ever created, can help humans through economic hard times. Now, more than ever when millions of people practice yoga worldwide, the power of steadfast yoga can help raise spirits and bring back a universal balance.
First, know that you are an economy in and of yourself. When a nation's economy is strong, the force of humans contained within it functions at a generally higher, smoother state than in a weaker economy. Likewise, when you are healthy in diet, exercise, and mind work (e.g., mental-emotional wellness exercises), you can be said to be a strong economy of one. These three broad realms of yoga practice and principle-diet, exercise, and mind work-are also the foundation of basic human wellness.
It is when one of these personal Big Three falters for you that it is time to take stock, make a plan, and take action. Even if you are eating well and exercising regularly these days but have more stress than you had before the economy started plummeting, you are at risk of personal economy downturn.
Consider the impact our nation's economic crisis, which threatens basic survival, has made on personal wellness. Retirement fund loss, heavy unemployment, and high anxiety of high prices at the store and the pump have touched our lives directly or indirectly, but most likely both. If you are worried about your retirement from 401K fallout or know someone who is, or if you are angry that your brother lost his job at GM or lost a job yourself, or if you are anxious that good, healthy food is so much more expensive than it used to be or worried how your community's much less fortunate are going to get enough food in the coming four weeks, this message is for you: Turn to yoga.
Turn to yoga. Or, if you are already a regular practitioner, turn to yoga more: more often, more intensely.
Yoga means unity. Just like the air you breathe, what happens to you happens to me. Your unemployed friend is your concern. Conversely, your efforts to keep yourself healthy in this recession can become your friend's hope. By keeping yourself up in these hard times, you help keep up the lives of those around you. This is yogic fact, or at least yogic modus operandi.
So use yoga's Big Three to get strong and stay strong. Be the government of your own economy. And don't give up on governance. Keep injecting your economy of one with yoga just like a government would inject its economy with recovery plans. Tap into the infinite resources within you to create a brighter day for you, for others.
In my next article, I will discuss the economy of yoga: highly effective techniques that offer a high return on investment.
I am opening my specialty blog, Pink Lotus Notes, with a re-post of these articles because, sadly, their content still applies today. The deep recession is still not over. After reading a report on the growing poor class in the United States (not news, but a reminder of the current ills we face), I felt it was important to do my part to try and help, and help today comes in the form of encouragement. I hope you find these articles interesting and helpful and that you are inspired to practice yoga, now more than ever.
***
It is fall 2008. We have a new president-elect, the holiday season is in our presence, and snow is falling here on a beautifully thick gray day in Midwest America. Normally, based on these factors-being an especial lover of gray late-autumn days--I would say things are good.
But things are not good. We are riding a wave of a recession whose dark-lit story seems by experts' observations to be in its early chapters. We've all heard the fears, the fallout, the collapses, and the numbers, and we all expect to hear much more. Even if we generally dwell on the sunny side of the street, these are comparatively dark days.
Enter yoga and the economy. Yoga, the most economical of wellness systems ever created, can help humans through economic hard times. Now, more than ever when millions of people practice yoga worldwide, the power of steadfast yoga can help raise spirits and bring back a universal balance.
First, know that you are an economy in and of yourself. When a nation's economy is strong, the force of humans contained within it functions at a generally higher, smoother state than in a weaker economy. Likewise, when you are healthy in diet, exercise, and mind work (e.g., mental-emotional wellness exercises), you can be said to be a strong economy of one. These three broad realms of yoga practice and principle-diet, exercise, and mind work-are also the foundation of basic human wellness.
It is when one of these personal Big Three falters for you that it is time to take stock, make a plan, and take action. Even if you are eating well and exercising regularly these days but have more stress than you had before the economy started plummeting, you are at risk of personal economy downturn.
Consider the impact our nation's economic crisis, which threatens basic survival, has made on personal wellness. Retirement fund loss, heavy unemployment, and high anxiety of high prices at the store and the pump have touched our lives directly or indirectly, but most likely both. If you are worried about your retirement from 401K fallout or know someone who is, or if you are angry that your brother lost his job at GM or lost a job yourself, or if you are anxious that good, healthy food is so much more expensive than it used to be or worried how your community's much less fortunate are going to get enough food in the coming four weeks, this message is for you: Turn to yoga.
Turn to yoga. Or, if you are already a regular practitioner, turn to yoga more: more often, more intensely.
Yoga means unity. Just like the air you breathe, what happens to you happens to me. Your unemployed friend is your concern. Conversely, your efforts to keep yourself healthy in this recession can become your friend's hope. By keeping yourself up in these hard times, you help keep up the lives of those around you. This is yogic fact, or at least yogic modus operandi.
So use yoga's Big Three to get strong and stay strong. Be the government of your own economy. And don't give up on governance. Keep injecting your economy of one with yoga just like a government would inject its economy with recovery plans. Tap into the infinite resources within you to create a brighter day for you, for others.
In my next article, I will discuss the economy of yoga: highly effective techniques that offer a high return on investment.
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