INTERFAITH SPECTRUM MAGAZINE Vol. 1, Issue 1: Winter 2010 |
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The Yogic Path
Diane Finlayson, OUnI
The German writer Thomas Mann believed that, “A person who only knows one language, knows no
language”. I believe that this is also so when it comes to understanding our own faith tradition. When we
are only familiar with one way of thought it keeps us from understanding deeply what we really believe and
what it means in the context of our world today. A wonderful entry into another way of viewing the meaning
of life in this world comes to us through the lens of Yoga.
Yoga offers a way to reconnect with our physical beings and honor and care for the vehicle (this body) that
we have been given by our source or Creator. Over the course of the past three decades Yoga has gone
from being an esoteric meditation path associated with India and the 60’s generation to becoming a
favorite offering in gyms and health clubs. Many high schools and colleges use qualified yoga instructors
to replace the physical education that was once offered as a matter of course.
Yoga studios catering to different populations are popping up with almost as much frequency and
regularity as corner coffee shops, and the medical establishment has discovered that those ancient yogis
may have been on to something when it comes to relieving our day-to-day stress and worries. What is it
about this path that brings it into the mainstream of American culture? What can we learn from this path to
enhance our faith traditions and enrich our own spiritual paths?
The root of the word “Yoga” in Sanskrit (the language from which many Yogic texts derive) is “yuj”. ‘Yuj’
means “to yoke”. What might we be yoking together in a Yoga practice? We harness breath and body so
that we may pull ourselves forward to a sense of union with our sense of the Creator. We yoke together
mind and body in service of Spirit.
Authentic spiritual traditions usually have some form of scripture that they turn to for reference, and the
Yoga tradition is no different. Teachers of hatha or physical yoga classes may or may not be familiar with
these writings, depending on the training that they received. One of the most important texts for Yoga
practice is a four-chapter set of verses called “Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras”. The actual date that this work
was compiled and its author are uncertain, but the work seems to have taken its final form sometime
between 100 BCE and 500 CE. Sutra means “thread” and what Patanjali did was take all the threads of
wisdom about the Yoga path and weave them together into a short, tersely-worded scripture that those on
the path could use to remind them of what they had learned from their teacher, were they to forget or get
confused.
This Yogic path incorporates eight important concepts from the Yoga Sutras, often called “The Eight
Limbs”. Interestingly, the path begins with what I like to think of as “Yoga’s Ten Suggestions” which are
similar in nature to the “Ten Commandments” of the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam.
The first limb, “yamas” includes what are called “restraints”. These are suggestions to help us live
comfortably in society. They include: non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy or the restraint of
energy for spiritual aims, and non-grasping. Sound familiar? The second limb, “niyamas” or
“observances”, provides five suggestions for living comfortably with ourselves. These include:
cleanliness, developing contentment, austerity, study of self and scripture and surrender to the Divine.
These concepts provide the yoga practitioner with some important ethical underpinnings for the physical
part of yoga practice. When the underlying ethics of the practice are brought into a good class they can
help the students understand how they treat themselves and the world around them. Just bringing the
notions of non-harming and truthfulness into class, then “off the mat” as yoga practitioners say, and into
our daily lives, can go a long way toward helping us start setting those important “yokes” into place,
connecting mind and body, head and heart. Paying attention to how we are in our postures and noticing if
we are consistently pushing ourselves past our limits invites us to consider the quality of non-harming and
truthfulness both on the mat and off the mat.
The five restraints provide a springboard for discussions about a variety of behaviors. The first restraint of
non-harming is followed by the suggestion that we employ “truthfulness” in our lives. Does that mean we
are to become brutally honest? The Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh suggests we ask
ourselves three questions before we say anything to anyone; first is it true? If it is not true, we might be
happier if we resist the temptation to say it. Next, is it kind? This helps us stay in line with the first restraint
of non-harming. And lastly, is it necessary? If what we wish to say can pass all three of those questions
then we can be satisfied knowing that we are operating within these suggestions and can then settle back
into noticing what if feels like to operate in this manner. If it feels roomier than what we’ve been doing, if it
leaves us with a sense of ease and freedom, we may wish to continue in that manner.
Time is another area where we can watch our behaviors. When we are not able to show up at agreed upon
times for class or events or try to take lots of the teacher’s time after class, we may be called to question
our relationship with non-stealing and whether or not this is a pattern we carry into other areas of life. Do
we regularly demand more than our share?
These are just a few ways you may wish to get started in your consideration of this path. If your children,
including teenagers, are interested in the Yogic path, introduce them to the underlying principles of the
path. It will give the whole family an interesting framework in which to consider their lives and spiritual
paths, as individuals and as a whole.
The remaining limbs are postures, breathing practices, withdrawal of the senses, concentration,
meditation and union with the Divine, which we will explore together over the course of the year. Let us
know about your home experiments!
Diane Finlayson is the owner of yama studio and the program director for the yama therapeutics Yoga
Therapy Training progams. She has been practicing yoga & meditation for more than 20 years, is an
E-RYT 500T through Yoga Alliance and holds a 1,000 hour Yoga Therapy certificate from Integrative Yoga
Therapy and leads workshops and retreats across the country. She is a seminarian at One Spirit Learning
Alliance, an aspirant of the Universal Order of Interfaith and has taken the vows of the Universal Order of
Sannyasa.
Return to Main Menu
The Yogic Path
Diane Finlayson, OUnI
The German writer Thomas Mann believed that, “A person who only knows one language, knows no
language”. I believe that this is also so when it comes to understanding our own faith tradition. When we
are only familiar with one way of thought it keeps us from understanding deeply what we really believe and
what it means in the context of our world today. A wonderful entry into another way of viewing the meaning
of life in this world comes to us through the lens of Yoga.
Yoga offers a way to reconnect with our physical beings and honor and care for the vehicle (this body) that
we have been given by our source or Creator. Over the course of the past three decades Yoga has gone
from being an esoteric meditation path associated with India and the 60’s generation to becoming a
favorite offering in gyms and health clubs. Many high schools and colleges use qualified yoga instructors
to replace the physical education that was once offered as a matter of course.
Yoga studios catering to different populations are popping up with almost as much frequency and
regularity as corner coffee shops, and the medical establishment has discovered that those ancient yogis
may have been on to something when it comes to relieving our day-to-day stress and worries. What is it
about this path that brings it into the mainstream of American culture? What can we learn from this path to
enhance our faith traditions and enrich our own spiritual paths?
The root of the word “Yoga” in Sanskrit (the language from which many Yogic texts derive) is “yuj”. ‘Yuj’
means “to yoke”. What might we be yoking together in a Yoga practice? We harness breath and body so
that we may pull ourselves forward to a sense of union with our sense of the Creator. We yoke together
mind and body in service of Spirit.
Authentic spiritual traditions usually have some form of scripture that they turn to for reference, and the
Yoga tradition is no different. Teachers of hatha or physical yoga classes may or may not be familiar with
these writings, depending on the training that they received. One of the most important texts for Yoga
practice is a four-chapter set of verses called “Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras”. The actual date that this work
was compiled and its author are uncertain, but the work seems to have taken its final form sometime
between 100 BCE and 500 CE. Sutra means “thread” and what Patanjali did was take all the threads of
wisdom about the Yoga path and weave them together into a short, tersely-worded scripture that those on
the path could use to remind them of what they had learned from their teacher, were they to forget or get
confused.
This Yogic path incorporates eight important concepts from the Yoga Sutras, often called “The Eight
Limbs”. Interestingly, the path begins with what I like to think of as “Yoga’s Ten Suggestions” which are
similar in nature to the “Ten Commandments” of the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam.
The first limb, “yamas” includes what are called “restraints”. These are suggestions to help us live
comfortably in society. They include: non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy or the restraint of
energy for spiritual aims, and non-grasping. Sound familiar? The second limb, “niyamas” or
“observances”, provides five suggestions for living comfortably with ourselves. These include:
cleanliness, developing contentment, austerity, study of self and scripture and surrender to the Divine.
These concepts provide the yoga practitioner with some important ethical underpinnings for the physical
part of yoga practice. When the underlying ethics of the practice are brought into a good class they can
help the students understand how they treat themselves and the world around them. Just bringing the
notions of non-harming and truthfulness into class, then “off the mat” as yoga practitioners say, and into
our daily lives, can go a long way toward helping us start setting those important “yokes” into place,
connecting mind and body, head and heart. Paying attention to how we are in our postures and noticing if
we are consistently pushing ourselves past our limits invites us to consider the quality of non-harming and
truthfulness both on the mat and off the mat.
The five restraints provide a springboard for discussions about a variety of behaviors. The first restraint of
non-harming is followed by the suggestion that we employ “truthfulness” in our lives. Does that mean we
are to become brutally honest? The Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh suggests we ask
ourselves three questions before we say anything to anyone; first is it true? If it is not true, we might be
happier if we resist the temptation to say it. Next, is it kind? This helps us stay in line with the first restraint
of non-harming. And lastly, is it necessary? If what we wish to say can pass all three of those questions
then we can be satisfied knowing that we are operating within these suggestions and can then settle back
into noticing what if feels like to operate in this manner. If it feels roomier than what we’ve been doing, if it
leaves us with a sense of ease and freedom, we may wish to continue in that manner.
Time is another area where we can watch our behaviors. When we are not able to show up at agreed upon
times for class or events or try to take lots of the teacher’s time after class, we may be called to question
our relationship with non-stealing and whether or not this is a pattern we carry into other areas of life. Do
we regularly demand more than our share?
These are just a few ways you may wish to get started in your consideration of this path. If your children,
including teenagers, are interested in the Yogic path, introduce them to the underlying principles of the
path. It will give the whole family an interesting framework in which to consider their lives and spiritual
paths, as individuals and as a whole.
The remaining limbs are postures, breathing practices, withdrawal of the senses, concentration,
meditation and union with the Divine, which we will explore together over the course of the year. Let us
know about your home experiments!
Diane Finlayson is the owner of yama studio and the program director for the yama therapeutics Yoga
Therapy Training progams. She has been practicing yoga & meditation for more than 20 years, is an
E-RYT 500T through Yoga Alliance and holds a 1,000 hour Yoga Therapy certificate from Integrative Yoga
Therapy and leads workshops and retreats across the country. She is a seminarian at One Spirit Learning
Alliance, an aspirant of the Universal Order of Interfaith and has taken the vows of the Universal Order of
Sannyasa.
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