The following mala of thought was originally posted on my Facebook page back in April, 2020. By the way, I feel funny claiming things like "my Facebook" or "my Instagram" because, as we are getting more and more aware of the complexity of the virtual world and understand that what we call "my account" can be wiped away by some strings of code, nothing can sound more empty than "my Facebook account". Anyway, I digress.
So, here was my response to Facebook as it casually asked "What's on your mind?".
April 2020 - "Life on Earth has taken some shocking turns. Thousands of people have died, hundreds of thousands have fallen ill, businesses have closed on government order, 92% of the US population stays at home, kids can’t go to school, people are out of job. I see yoga and meditation businesses are rising to the occasion, I see yoga being commercialized more than ever before. I don’t know whether to hate it or love it. I know a deep breath is what I need. Learning yoga is learning how to live with, accept, and see life as it is; it is to learn how to be everything while being nothing, how to appreciate life and connect with that inner temple of yours with every breath, every movement, every day. It’s to learn to listen to not your phone and TV screen, but to the movements of life - a flower opening its petals, a bird singing its song, a raindrop hitting the ground. It’s about practicing kindness through your words and thoughts. It’s about learning and becoming aware of causes and consequences, of the interconnectedness of life."
I still don't know whether to hate it or to love it, especially virtually every pages I visit on the internet present me with ads that have some mentioning of yoga. The modern world places a lot of emphasis on the "benefits of yoga", such as better sleep, physical fitness, and mental fitness. But before we even go there, let's first learn how to be with ourselves, accept our flaws, cherish our existence, have the awareness for our senses and what we are taking in through those channels. That to me is the first step of yoga: making the time to understand and befriend the different components of self. As Sadhguru put it in an interview, "It's not about learning to be a superhuman, it's about recognizing being human is super."
We are influenced by and find inspiration from idea systems that resonate with us. With that said, what yoga is to you is very different from what yoga is to me. However, what's most important is to recognize that our definition of yoga is shaped by the body of techniques that we use to obtain and maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves, whether that's breath work, or postural practice, or community service. I think trying to immerse in an authentic yoga practice is like trying to take the same breath twice. I view yoga as a tradition and I understand tradition evolves; thus, all I'm asking of myself is to give the practice, whether postural or spiritual, an opportunity to present itself as an unlabeled experience. Then, I can watch it grow, take in what works, leave what doesn't, and bring it home - to self.
Speaking of techniques, if you want to learn more about the different types of yoga, check out 14 Different Types of Yoga and Their Benefits to Your Health by Do Yoga With Me - I find it to be an excellent place to start understanding the current landscape of modern day yoga practice. And as I mentioned above, if you do decide to try out any specific practice, I'd recommend that you leave out the health benefits part for now, and just welcome the experience for what it is.
At the end of the day, yoga is a body of techniques, it is your experience of yoga that gives its value.
Love,
Linh
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