Moments of silence, contemplation, and introspection are the foundation of a yogic lifestyle. Is that too difficult to practice?
“Is it even possible to live like a yogi in today’s world?”
When students first encounter yoga philosophy, this is often one of the first questions.
“Sure,” they say, “it all sounds great in theory. Who doesn’t want a tranquil mind and a peaceful life? But I have a job, I have responsibilities, I have relationships that need my attention, I have a home to run, I have kids…” The list continues.
“Maybe one day, when I’ve retired, when my kids are grown up, when I have fewer things to worry about, I can go up to a cave somewhere, maybe in the Himalayas if I’m lucky, and think about it.”
Often, people who say this break out into a half-guilty smile afterward. “I know it sounds silly,” they say, “but that’s just how I feel right now.”
As a yoga teacher, I understand. And such reasons, no matter how stereotypical they might sound, are not silly at all. If you read between the lines, you find the hidden subtext: My life right now is so far removed from what I imagine a yogi’s life should be like. Flying to the peak of Mount Everest with my own two hands seems more realistic than living like a yogi. Living like a yogi needs a lot of free time, space, contemplation, study and practice, and I just don’t have that right now. Given the current demands of my everyday life, I don’t think it’s possible for me.
It makes sense. These days, the idea of living like a yogi seems like a huge project. It feels unattainable and exclusive, out of reach for most regular people and only possible for a select, special few.
Why? Here’s a possible explanation. In a world where our attention is considered a prized commodity, and everything we interact with is designed to grab as much of our attention as possible for as long as possible, having a quiet moment to yourself can feel like a luxury, and one that has to be deliberately and intentionally carved out.
Moments of silence, contemplation and introspection are the foundation of a yogic lifestyle. It is from these moments that awareness springs forth. To live with awareness means to turn your attention from the outside world to the world within, to perceive things that are unseen, unheard, and unspoken.
For many of us, these pockets of calm are difficult to come by in day-to-day life. We have to create them for ourselves. This entails effort and willpower. On some days, when it feels like too much effort, we must consciously resist the urge to surrender our attention to a screen.
In the beginning, just the thought of having to seek out such moments consistently, day after day, can feel exhausting. No wonder living like a yogi can feel like a herculean task.
Nowadays, yoga is understood to mean physical postures and breathwork. But Patanjali defined yoga as “restraining the modulations of the mind.”
Understanding yoga
Ideas and speculation aside, what does it really mean to live like a yogi?
First, let’s dive into what yoga really means. Yoga includes physical postures (asana), breathwork (pranayama) and meditation. For some, the practice on the mat stretches into a lifestyle: being conscious of what you eat, practicing gratitude and compassion, taking care of nature and the environment, for example.
But the true meaning of yoga goes a few steps deeper. In the classical text of yoga, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, yoga is defined as “restraining the modulations of the mind” (Sutra 1.2). Compare that with what is said by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita: “Yoga is equanimity of the mind” (Chapter 2, Verse 48).
When we put both these definitions side-by-side, a simple truth emerges. To live like a yogi means to have a calm mind and an inner peace that never leaves you, no matter what your external circumstances may be. It is to be centered amid daily life’s particular ups and downs and respond to various situations and challenges without getting ruffled.
If living like a yogi has nothing to do with the external world, but rather with our own mind, then the good news is that you don’t have to overhaul your entire life to live like a yogi. You don’t need to give up your job, move away from your family, or go to a place high up in the mountains. You can take the first step from exactly where you are right now.
Living like a yogi starts with being aware of your external environment, the stimuli you’re exposed to, and where your attention goes. This is your starting point.
The Roadmap to Tranquility
So how do you cultivate a tranquil mind?
The answer, in one word, is practice.
Now, practice doesn’t mean sitting in one place, closing your eyes and telling your mind to stop thinking. That probably won’t be very effective!
An effective practice needs a strategy, a plan. The Yoga Sutras give us a systematic, multi-pronged approach called Ashtanga Yoga or the Eight Limbs of Yoga. Tested and perfected over centuries, the Eight Limbs of Yoga offer a complete framework for both the practice of yoga and for cultivating a yogic lifestyle. If understood and practiced the right way, it can transform your mind, and with it, your entire life.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga are not a code of conduct for yogis, as some believe. It is a practical method, that if understood and applied in day-to-day life, will produce the desired result: a tranquil, peaceful, unfettered mind which is the very definition of yoga.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga offer a complete framework for both the practice of yoga and for cultivating a yogic lifestyle.
First Steps
So, is it possible to live like a yogi in today’s world?
Absolutely.
Living like a yogi doesn’t mean you have to isolate yourself or turn your back on a world that is hungry for your attention. It means being present with what is, having a clear and tranquil mind and an open, empathetic heart. It is moving through the world with awareness.
When you go on a journey, knowing where you’re starting is important. Your starting point is your reference point, telling you how far you’ve traveled.
Similarly, when you embark on the journey of living like a yogi, it’s important to understand the current state of your mind and your life because that is your starting point. As you bring the practice, the Eight Limbs of Yoga, into your life, knowing where you started will help you gauge how much you have progressed.
As noted earlier, in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, yoga is defined as “restraining the modulations of the mind”. The internal modulations of the mind are elaborated in detail in the Yoga Sutras. But it’s also important to remember that these internal modulations occur in response to information and experience gained from the outside world.
In other words, your mind is linked to your external environment.
Have you ever stayed up late to watch a movie and woken up the next morning with the same movie playing in your head? Have you ever found your mind going over an event that happened in the day right before you go to sleep at night? Even though the event is long over, it still lingers in your mind.
Living like a yogi starts with being aware of your external environment, the stimuli you’re exposed to, and where your attention goes. This is your starting point.
When we take an honest look at where we are in the present, without judgment, we can then begin to consciously choose where we want to direct our energy and our attention and nurture the aspects of life that are truly important to us.
So ask yourself: What’s the state of my mind right now? Where is my energy directed? Where is my attention going?
Take an honest look at yourself.
As Lotus discusses Eight Limbs of Yoga further, this will be your reference point, from where you will embark on your unique journey to living like a yogi. While the Eight Limbs of Yoga are the same for everybody, the life that will emerge when you apply it to your unique situation and circumstances will be one of a kind, especially suited to you.
The follow-up article, Eight Limbs of Yoga as enunciated by Patanjali Yoga Sutras, will be published next.
Images from Unsplash.com
