Yoga Matters
By Michael Mirdad

The benining of the year is a time for reflection on the past and aspirations for the future. The impulse to make New Year's resolutions illustrates a basic desire to improve our lives and to be happier and more satisfied with ourselves. Yoga practice can be part of that resolve.

Yoga has become a part of mainstream consciousness. You can find yoga mats and props in many bookstores and discount stores, and yoga postures are used to advertise a wide array of products and services. The images of yoga in the media tend to suggest that yoga is primarily concerned with stretching, sitting cross-legged and learning to relax. These ideas are not inaccurate but they are incomplete. Yoga is a comprehensive practice designed to transform the inner life of the individual and bring freedom from suffering. All the postures and breathing techniques that we associate with yoga were designed with this end in mind.

The power of yoga to ease discomfort may be initially experienced through relief from chronic pain. Many sufferers of lower back pain, for example, have found that yoga not only reduced their discomfort, but also taught them how to prevent discomfort. The same idea can be applied to more subtle aspects of pain, such as the distress caused by loss or disappointment. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a foundational text of yoga philosophy, sutra II.16 states, “The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided.” This sutra immediately points out three things. First, “the pains which are yet to come” reminds us that the future may contain difficulties. Second, “can be avoided” tells us that it is possible to prevent or reduce that suffering. Finally, “are to be avoided” implies that it is our responsibility to do so, both for our own benefit and for the sake of others.

Recognizing that challenges are part of life is not negativity or pessimism. It is the simple recognition that things do not always go the way we want them to and that when they do not, we often feel unhappy. So the question becomes, how can we prevent difficulties? Yoga philosophy teaches us that we prevent future pains through virtuous action in the present. Through the practice of ethical behavior we can cultivate a state of peace and freedom from craving. The traditional ethical principles in yoga are non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation of desire and non-greed. We also can practice the yogic disciplines of purity, contentment, effort, reflection and surrender. These practices, known as the yamas (ethics) and niyamas (disciplines) help us to avoid planting the seeds of future problems. As Jesus taught, if the seed is good the fruit also will be good.

Even as we strive to act with kindness and mindfulness, we may still encounter sorrow. To deal with adversity, we can practice adaptability and emotional resilience. Learning not to sweat the small stuff prepares us for bigger challenges. This ability to deal with the ups and downs of life is known as equanimity and it is a skill that improves with practice, just like patience or generosity. When we are open to change, we can find the possibility for growth in any situation.

Why does Patanjali say that it is our duty to avoid future pains? Learning to prevent problems and deal gracefully with those that come is a gift to ourselves and to everyone around us. To minimize our own suffering allows us to more fully serve and help others. So when you stretch into your next yoga pose, you may realize that you are helping prevent back problems. But as you quiet your mind, accept your pose, deepen your inner focus and breathe smoothly, you are also training your mind. Yoga prepares you to become a mindful and calm person who can work with life as it is – sometimes tough, but always full of beauty and blessings.

Karen Allgire, MFA, RYT, is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor. She has been teaching dance and movement since 1983 and yoga since 1998. Karen is co-director of Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. You can reach her at info@greentarayoga.com or (216) 382-0592.