Yoga Isn’t Just What You Do—It’s How You Live

"Yoga isn't about touching your toes, it's about what you learn on the way down" - Jessamyn Stanley

The poses are the beginning of a beautiful journey.

True yoga is a rich, time-honored holistic system for living with purpose, balance, and awareness. Long before it reached modern studios, yoga was known as a complete system for personal refinement and spiritual awakening. It is a way of life rooted in discipline, mindfulness, and connection with the self and the world - one that has been practiced in India and the larger region of South Asian for many thousands of years.

As practitioners, it's wise to explore yoga's deeper roots and re-orient ourselves to the traditions and practices of yoga. Sacred traditions that teach us how breath, ethics, nutrition, rest, and meditation all work together to support a life of harmony and have been shared by gurus and teachers in the Indian sub-continent for thousands of years.

While modern approaches strip the depth from the practice and make it only about asana, there is a system, multiple philosophies and a vast culture that is a background upon which yoga rests. It is important as students of yoga to acknowledge the depth of the practice and commit to learning as much of the wholeness of the practice we can. Otherwise we risk contributing to the watering down of the traditions, cultural appropriation of the teachings and even the erasure of the people, culture and traditions of yoga.

Awakening

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj", meaning "to yoke" or "to unite." While there are many usages of the word "yoga" across yogic texts, in general, yoga is about the journey of recognition: that the Individual self within is no different than universal consciousness. In Patanjali's yoga, also known as Raja yoga, the process of awakening ~ asamprajnata samadhi, happens via the gradual refinement of the mind.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga aka Raja Yoga)

Outlined in the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, these are the foundational aspects of yoga:

1. Yama – Ethical restraints

   • Non-violence (Ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), celibacy/moderation (brahmacharya), non-coveting (aparigraha)

2. Niyama – Personal observances

   • Cleanliness (saucha), contentment (santosha), discipline (tapas), self-study (svadhyaya), surrender to a higher power (Ishwara pranidhana)

3. Asana – Physical postures

   • What most people think of as "yoga"—but originally intended to prepare the body for meditation. Asana translates roughly to "seat"

4. Pranayama – Breathwork

   • Management of the vital energy through breathing techniques

5. Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the senses

   • Turning attention inward to focus the mind

6. Dharana – Concentration

   • Fixing the mind on one object (preparation for meditation)

7. Dhyana – Meditation

   • A sustained, flowing state of concentration

8. Samadhi – Blissful absorption / Enlightenment

   • Union with the Divine, liberation from the mind-body-ego construct

 A Way of Life

Yoga isn't just a practice we do on the mat once a week, or even once a day —it’s a way of living consciously. Practically, this includes:

• Eating mindfully

• Practicing deep relaxation

• Intentional breathing

• Having a regular practice

• Having a contemplation / meditation practice

• Developing a devotional practice

• Studying sacred texts

• Refining our thoughts and mindset

• Living ethically

• Being present

• Practicing compassion

• Cultivating inner peace 

• Having a spiritual practice

• .... and more!

The 5 points of yoga

Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh simplified yoga as a way of life that is supported by five lifestyle choices that make yoga easy and practical for every day.

1. Proper Exercise (Asanas)

• Yoga postures keep the body strong, flexible, and healthy.

• Said to benefit muscles, joints, spine, and internal organs and systems

2. Proper Breathing (Pranayama)

• Deep, conscious breathing to direct the vital energy

• Helps control your emotions and harmonize the system.

3. Proper Relaxation (Savasana)

• Deep rest allows the parasymphatic system to promote healing and restoration in the body

• In savasana we have an opportunity to learn how to let go of worldly attachments.

  
  

4. Proper Diet (Non-harming & Digestible)

• A simple, natural, vegetarian plant-based diet is generally recommended to keep the body energized and focused for sadhana.

• Foods chosen are light, nutrient dense and easily digestible.

  
  

5. Positive Thinking & Meditation

• Train the mind to focus on uplifting thoughts and stay centered.

• Meditation helps find peace and understand your true self.

For those who’ve already started the journey, yoga becomes less about perfecting the posture and more about refining your awareness. It’s a way to move through life with clarity, strength, and intention. Your practice evolves with you—and why going back to its foundations might just take your practice further than ever before.