176 A JOURNEY INTO YIN YOGA
In the previous chapter, we learned about yin yoga poses. These poses are
healing and beneficial to our physical body, or the annamaya kosha. But what
about the deeper layers beyond the physical?
In the beginning of yoga, thousands of years ago, the yogis’ primary goal
was self-realization and awakening. Like trapped birds being freed from their
cages, the yogis dedicated their lives to breaking through the bondages of
maya, or the illusion of the material world. When people are stuck in maya,
they often live in a state of perpetual suffering. Often, they don’t know they
are caught in a web of their own misery. This is why awareness is important.
It carries people beyond the darkness of ignorance. The yogis viewed this
ignorance and suffering as optional. They chose empowerment over victim-
hood. Through many generations, yogis were able to find a path that gave
them freedom and liberation. But it required practices that moved beyond
the physical body into the subtle body. Two of these primary practices were
pranayama and meditation.
In this chapter, we explore in detail pranayama and meditation and why
they are valuable. The physical poses prepare you for these deeper, subtler
practices. I’ve found in my own life that pranayama and meditation are a natural
extension of the physical practice. Have you ever tried to sit and consciously
breathe or meditate, but you couldn’t because of physical discomfort? Perhaps
you planned to sit for 30 minutes, but halfway in, your knees started aching,
your hips felt stiff, and there was pain in your lower back. Sound familiar?
(By the way, these are the primary areas in the body that yin yoga targets!) I
know it does for me. And this experience was common for the yogis, too, so
they created the poses so they could sit for longer periods without the body
getting in the way of their breathing and meditation practices.
Some students may elect to focus only on the physical poses in the beginning
and that is perfectly OK. As a teacher, I know this is quite common. However,
because the physical practice is limited, eventually the student’s growth hits
a wall. In the beginning, the physical practice feels exciting, powerful, and
transformative. Then one day, you feel like you have stopped growing, and
your practice no longer provides what it once did. Typically, at this point,
you might start to feel restless, depressed, or no longer motivated and want
to quit. This is the point when you should start moving beyond the physical
poses into pranayama and meditation.
As you start to challenge yourself in a new way, you will begin to grow again
and make all sorts of exciting discoveries. You will find yourself moving into
a new chapter of awakening. These awakenings will enhance your physical
practice and other aspects of your life. The exciting thing is, there is no limit
to the heights you can reach in pranayama and meditation practices. Let’s
begin by taking a look at the world of pranayama.