Real Yoga: Stilling the disturbances of the mind.

Lately with the bolssoming of yoga has come a blossoming of misunderstanding. Patanjali, the ancient yogic sage who wrote the Yoga Sutras said “yoga is the stilling of the disturbances of the mind.”

To put it plainly and simply, yoga is not about the pose, its not a physical pratice. Yoga is a state of mind; this state is one of inner peace and equanimity. The yogic state of mind is being present as Presence. You are practicing yoga when you are in this state of mind.

The physical practices of poses and breathing are meant to keep the body, mind and emotions healthy for meditation practice. They also provide a challenging opportunity to remain present as Presence under challenging circumstances.Practicing the poses and the breathing are opportunities to practice that state of mind. Poses or breathing, or yoga classes done without cultivating this awareness are not yoga - they are noga! A strong, flexible body doesn’t guarantee happiness, which is what you really want.