Another Look at Yoga

In March of this year, the staff association at BowlingWidow’s place of employment organized a weekly yoga session. I agreed to attend with her thinking full well that I’d participate for a couple of weeks and go back to watching Monday Night Football. Truth be told, I even blogged about the experience and poked more than a little bit of fun about it.

Well, eight months later I’m still a regular on Monday nights, having learned far more about yoga than I ever thought I would. It’s hard to articulate but suffice it to say that I feel really good both physically and mentally after the sessions, and it’s now an essential ingredient in a portfolio of activities that are contributing to better overall health.

Our outstanding instructor, Paul MacNaughton, recently answered some questions I had about yoga and his approach to it. So here it is, my first ever interview on the BowlingJoe blog. Now if only Paul could do something to cure my sagging bowling average.....

BowlingJoe: In your words, what is yoga?

Paul MacNaughton: Yoga is a re-discovery of things we already know, in the present moment.

The yoga principles, including not harming, not stealing, not being greedy, and so on, are nothing new in themselves. What is new is how we can follow them in this moment. That is never the same twice.

The asanas (postures) remind us of what the physical body is capable, perhaps shapes and movements which we have not explored since we were children, at least not intentionally. In class we re-awaken to our own physical nature. The result is a greater range of awareness and health for both mind and body.

There are also breath disciplines/expansions, and internal focus techniques such as meditation. These are maps and practice guides for exploring the mysteries of living, such as the question "Who am I?", and "What is the source of suffering in the world?", among countless others. Except for a few rather fundamentalist sects of yoga, which try to provide the "answers" to these questions for us, the responses to these questions are newly re-discovered by the practitioner. In other words, rather than a dogma, yoga is experience in the present moment, first and foremost.

Just a few words concerning what I feel yoga is not. Of course, this could be controversial. Yoga is not a religion or a belief system. Some of the terminology and the sanskrit come from the Vedas, but clear lines between categories of things such as religion vs. science vs. philosophy vs. art did not seem to exist uniformly at all times in human history. So, we can say modern yoga is not a religion or belief system. It is a practice.
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Paul MacNaughton

BJ: How long have you been practicing yoga and what was your original inspiration for doing so?

PM: A friend of mine, Jeff Scott, took a TM course when we were in college, and said, "You have got to try this!" The Beatles had been to India recently to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and I figured that if it was good enough for them and Jeff, I should give it a try. With a few lapses, I have been practicing meditation in some form since that time. There were a few very simple postures and breath exercises as part of the TM training, but it was mainly about meditation. For the last 9 years I have had a much-augmented postures and breath exercise routine, and still continue the meditation practice on a regular basis, though I now mostly practice using techniques other than TM.

BJ: There are many different types of yoga styles being taught and practiced today. Which one (or ones) resonate the most with you and why?

PM: The style that I practice most of the time currently is the karuna yoga which I teach. It is a blend of Iyengar-like hatha yoga postures, kundalini yoga, which emphasizes reliance on the power of the core and the breath rather than the muscles, and some aspects of John Friend's anusara yoga, especially the alignment-opening-stabilizing work with loops and spirals, and the 5 elements.

While all styles of yoga have their advantages, and perhaps pitfalls, I tend to recommend the gentle styles. I believe that compassion for our limitations, and the limitations of others, is an essential part of the yogic process. I have heard very famous teachers speak to the contrary. Ultimately, it is matter of exploration and personal choice.

BJ: How has practicing yoga made a difference in the quality of your life?

PM: It is hard to say exactly what is causal in life, there are so many influencing factors. But, I was 50 pounds heavier 10 years ago. I also don't eat carbs or sugar very much, and I try to walk 4 or 5 miles per week. I cannot imagine life without daily yoga. I believe yoga has increased my strength and general health, including mental/emotional stability and equanimity.

Also, yoga has led me to discoveries which help me to see life more clearly. Perhaps that has been its greatest gift for me.

BJ: Prior to becoming involved in practicing yoga I had a rather oversimplified view of what yoga is. What are some common misconceptions about yoga in American society and popular culture?

PM: When we use the term yoga today, most of us are speaking about the postures (asanas). I fall into that trap myself quite often. When I catch myself and say "asanas" instead, most people look at me as if either I have misspoken, or am trying to get technical with them. So I don't usually fight it, unless I am trying to intentionally make a point.

Many still adamantly believe that all yoga is a religion, and some call it a tool of the devil. Of course, for these people, there is no satisfactory response--their minds are made up. Any "open-minded discussion" is really an attempt to paint an inaccurate and unbecoming portrait, and then protest the ugliness. It is about dominance/submission.

There are certain forms of yoga where worship and devotion are involved. That is true. But, in this country, is it not a right to practice one's religion within the confines of the law? Does it say somewhere that others can determine our choice in the matter? A person of any faith or belief system can practice yoga without interference. Almost all yogas do not tell us which God to worship, or any at all, including the forms I practice.

Yoga is about disentangling our body, heart, and mind, from the automatic patterns of behavior which rule us in our daily lives, and opening to our truest, deepest nature, which is always already free, compassionate, awake, and kind.
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Paul MacNaughton

BJ: For those who are interested in initially learning about or starting to practice yoga, where would you suggest they start?

PM: Locally, Kindred Spirit Learning Center, a branch of Sound Holistic Health, above the Sno-Isle Food Co-op in downtown Everett, has 3 yoga teachers on staff. Go to http://www.soundholistichealth.com/ for the schedule. My website, http://creativesourcealliance.com/ also has information. http://yogacirclestudio.com/ is another good source.

Generally-speaking, my recommendation is anusara yoga. But, there are many excellent teachers on almost all of the paths. Trust your own experience, listen to your body, and follow your heart!