How to keep a Yogic Lifestyle from becoming unhealthy
In case I haven’t made it obvious, I am in business to promote the Yogic Path- which means not just the physical/asana practice, but the philosophy and approach to life. Which is not to say that I am opposed to someone ONLY doing an asana practice and forgetting the rest…It benefits YOU to incorporate some elements of yoga rather than none (and who knows what will happen over time?) and it does not benefit ME and my yogic journey to judge you for taking a “half-assed” approach. This being said, I have made a few observations which lead me to write this somewhat cautionary post.
First cautions are for those who are obsessed with being a yogi. This is especially seen in the newly-converted. It starts off with the best of intentions- you notice some very obvious and dramatic gains in your practice and improvements in your health and physical form; you feel like you have an exciting focus in your life: your yoga practice. From here, you begin to self-identify (and often make your new identity very public) as a dedicated yogi, and perhaps consider completing, or complete a yoga teacher training. From here any or all of the following may happen
1) you devote at least an hour a day to a strong asana practice. Now straightaway I know I’m going to catch heat from Ashtanga practitioners, so allow me to elaborate: although an Ashtanga practice is long and rigorous, it is a set sequence, much of which, over time and practice, is not extremely taxing to the regular practitioner (sun salutations, standing series), whereas a more freeform vinyasa practice has the potential to be either quite gentle or as difficult as the hardest bodyweight training classes. Strictly following the ashtanga sequence(s) does not have the practioner spending an hour or more in handstands, strong core work, deep backbends etc., and yet it is entirely possible to have such a vinyasa practice. While occasionally a really “brutal” class is an excellent challenge to develop the body and train mental strength, if you find this sort of session your default practice, then you run the risk of overtraining, burnout, and injury. All 3 of which a proper yoga practice trains you to AVOID. Remember yoga is about union and balance- time spent pushing yourself/time spent recovering; effort balanced with ease- to make it through the ultramarathon of life.
2) Fatigue, illness,or achiness does not preclude the aforementioned strong asana practice (tapas, amirite??) . Your mind has planned a strong practice, but your body has other plans some days. Remember, yoga is about letting go of the ego’s need to CONTROL EVERYTHING.
3) you become increasingly obsessed with a “clean” diet, and perhaps quite restrictive. A sattvic diet of minimally processed, nutritious foods consumed in moderation is best for an optimal asana and meditation practice as well as for good health. However it is far too easy for many of us (probably because we were raised in a culture of excess) to forget about the moderation part. Cutting out meat may then be followed by cutting out dairy, then sugar, then wheat/gluten, then soy, then “white foods”, then nightshades…and so on. Not only does navigating social events with food become more challenging when you are rigid with your diet, but the more you narrow your “menu”, the more difficult it gets to obtain the full spectrum of nutrients that the body requires for long-term health. Coupling a low grade but chronic malnourishment with an intense asana practice has a synergistic effect in that more stress is placed on the body through exercise and yet less fuel and micronutrients are provided= body starts scavenging itself and physical recovery and healing become slower over time. In this way the dietary changes that initially improved the asana practice (loss of weight, decrease in inflammation), over time start to deteriorate the asana practice, as well as general health.
4) Everthing is judged by a moral scale– what people wear, eat, use, and spend time doing. You may find yourself taking umbridge to non-yogic choices others make. While it is commendable to be passionate and devoted, and yes, the yamas and niyamas do provide a moral “code”, I have witnessed the tendency, particularly in fellow teachers, to set themselves on a moral high ground. While I am not saying to not stand behind your beliefs, we have to remember saucha– or purity in our thoughts and words, as well as in our bodies. Before getting offended by one’s less-enlightened brethen ask yourself this: are my words or actions intended to prevent harm from ignorance or are they intended to cause harm to the ignorant? And if they are intended to prevent harm, will they accomplish that goal in that moment? If not, best to maintain equilibrium to preserve your mental and physical health to fight that battle another day. Always remember the long game…
And I have done a lot of preaching to the yoga zealots, but please know that it is because I understand how destructive each of these tendencies can be because I spent years doing all four!
My second cautions are to those who practice yoga as a complement to other activities or as a part of a well-rounded fitness plan. The biggest challenge for such people is to not take the fitness mentality into a yoga class. First and most obviously, bad things often happen to those who try to muscle their way through a yoga class. Don’t believe me? A quick internet search will reveal the shocking number of practitioners and teachers who have been injured by practicing yoga. Many yoga postures are INTENDED to humble the practitioner, and if one cannot leave their ego off the yoga mat, and therefore proceeds to push their body farther than it was ready to go, the body talks back-either immediately or eventually- with an injury.
My last caution is less an overt warning of potential danger, but a bit of advice for the casual yogi to consider. Fitness enthusiasts know that exercise is very effective for reducing stress. This is largely because it provides an outlet for our over-engaged sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous systems secondary to our fast-paced, competitive, overextended lifestyles. Often exercise can be addictive for this reason alone- we have learned to burn out the stress that we have allowed to build. This is very valuable, as nothing feels worse than being ramped up with no outlet- this bad state helps to explain the shocking amount of anger we see in our society- prickliness/oversensitivity, road rage, rudeness to strangers and casual acquaintances, lashing out at friends and family, as well as self-destructive behavior such as drinking, smoking, overeating etc.
This is why we NEED yoga. Yoga practice when not approached as just another form of exercise, but as a mind-body practice can not only help burn off stress through motion, but it teaches you to learn to relax in stressful moments. What do we do when running and working out when we get fatigued or uncomfortable? We fight through it! This builds willpower which is an important form of mental strength. However, many researchers have shown that willpower is not infinite, and thus can easily be depleted when a lot of stress is applied to a person. So training willpower alone is not adequate mental training for resiliency. A balanced yoga practice consists of yummy, feel-good postures which are easy to relax into, but also very importantly consists of postures which…to say they are uncomfortable is an understatement!! It is in these postures, that we have the opportunity to train ourselves to relax when the body and mind are sending alarm signals. And this is so important for managing stress in our lives- since anyone can be relaxed when all is going well, but it takes training and mindfulness to remain calm when things are decidedly not going our way. By cultivating the ability to surrender any unnecessary effort, and by learning to observe rather than fight back, we develop more mental stamina for hardships. When we approach yoga practice as simply another form of exercise, we may develop flexibility and physical strength, but we are not making our minds more resilient to cope with the challenges of life and this is a missed opportunity.
