What image springs to mind when you hear the word yoga? People twisting their body into crazy pretzel shapes? Using the mind to gaze at your fifth eye in a purple cloud? Spiritual life in orange robes and no chocolate? All these possibilities are spot on, they are all yoga, and it's a huge broad range of experiences.
How is it that yoga can mean so many different things? It comes from the practice consistently hanging around for thousands of years! Many yoga people have sat down (in lotus pose) and pondered all aspects of human life. Then they have shared experiences with discussions, speeches, books written on handmade paper thousands of years old and today DVDs and Twitter. So many people from ancient times to today have contributed to this body of knowledge that is collectively called yoga.
With all this contemplating, thinking, questioning and writing stuff down, today yoga is both an art and a science. Just like humans are both logical and creative. We have left and right hemispheres in our united brain, a scientific logical half and an arty creative half, joined together. It's no coincidence that the word yoga means join or union. Yogis have worked on ways to bring together all our separate bits together to bring balance and harmony to the body, mind and spirit.
Having the goal of uniting does not mean that all ways and means of getting to that ultimate end are the same. There are schools of yoga that emphasise different aspects of human life. Some focus on the mind, others get right into the spirit and many use the physical body as the primary tool. These are the general areas; there are also schools that use more unusual methods, such as laughter or food.
Yoga has been a constant in this world because dare I say it, because of its flexibility. Adaptation and going with the flow is yoga at its core. Adjusting to modern times, whether today or 100 or 245 or 2300 years ago, whatever was modern times at the time, yoga offered something to the people.
Today some of the most popular forms of yoga belong to the Vinyasa method. This is because people are receiving the immense benefits of being present, working with their breath but also moving their bodies dynamically to counter the sedentary lifestyle upon us. It is also the key component to reducing the ego and our identification with form and subsequent loss of connection with our heart. Over-thinking is the biggest addiction in the world today and it causes harm like any other addiction.
The earliest beginnings of yoga were in India, yet today there are probably more people outside of that great nation who would tick the yes box when asked if they do yoga. At its essence there are no religious elements to yoga, although many yogis are religious, they are not of any one religion.
There are Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and atheists in each class in studios around the world, all in the same pose at once. Yoga is about uniting not only the elements within an individual but also a community. Rich and poor, theists and atheists, locals and tourists all come together in a yoga class.
It is this emphasis on community that is strength of Power Living Australia Yoga (founded by Duncan Peak). Our aim is to annihilate the ego, reduce the mind chatter and bring us back to a more soulful existence, free of pretence and manipulation anchored in compassion and not concern for what others think. In short it is about returning the freedom we once had.
Power Living Australia Yoga is opening its third studio in Sydney at Bondi Junction on April 28. Classes start from April 30 and are set to be in high demand. More than 4500 Sydneysiders attend Power Living studios each week. It shows how popular and important this freedom is we all seek. Shanti, shakti, shambu — peace, power and plenty; we wish it to you all.
Duncan Peak and Tim Hulbert
www.powerliving.com.au
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