The constant, mindful practice of yoga helps keep one aware of the power and potential of each moment, and not to waste it. All the classes branded as “Power Yoga” in the gyms should really be about this transformative power, rather than just a strong aerobic training. At any moment, we can choose to be happy, or sad, or to continue in status quo, or completely change the course of things. Yet, so many people waste the present moment, concerned or fearful about the future, or having lingering haunting thoughts from the past, stopping them from blossoming into their full potential. If we live and breathe yoga, we would eventually internalise the transformative power of yoga, learning to effect change where we can, within the window of opportunity of each moment.

Similarly, classes branded as “Vinyasa Flow” should really impart more on flowing through life, from one moment to another. In yoga, nothing is stationary, including one’s flexibility and strength. One can be very flexible this year, and lose all that in a few months once the regular practice is dropped; one can also start off relatively weak, but grow stronger in body and mind, with devotion to practice. There is no beginning and no end; yoga is a way of being; it is a lens through which we can view life as well, as life’s trials never end and changes always come our way. Let’s all flow through life, mindfully.

@SpiceSadhaka

This is not about little Spanish dishes.

Tamas (inertia) and tapas (ardour) are opposites. When the mind slackens and is lazy, it is too easy to do nothing, and doing nothing invites further inertia and sluggishness in the body, in a vicious cycle of inertia. We have all been there before. On the other hand, like a switch that is flipped, the mind can just as easily fire up the body. Ask any first-time marathoner about their final 10km and they would tend to share similar reflections on the mind carrying the body through to the finishing line, when the body is apparently no longer able.

The mind is a powerful tool that we can harness to realise our goals. With the body, mind and soul aligned, we can make many things happen, from using visualisation to hold a power yoga pose, to realising a dream. We can all share personal epiphanies that reflect that this is true. For myself, some time back, I had set my mind on deepening my yoga knowledge and to share it with others, and now, I am living that dream.

But care must be made that the mind is not used to serve the ego but to serve a higher purpose. In kundalini yoga, there is a lot of emphasis on awakening the kundalini, firing up the chakras to move closer to the spiritual plane. The mind, when engaged through yoga study and practice, learns to align with the ultimate, be it a God, goddesses, or a supranatural universal life force. Yoga is meant to guide us towards ultimate spiritual bliss, or samadhi. Whilst many of us may never achieve that, the idea is to, constantly – in spite of real world challenges, including stress, temptations, lack of resources – move in the direction of blissful self-absorption, samadhi.

This has applications in our asana practice. I remind often in my practice sessions, that one should constantly, mindfully, work on the actions of the pose, more than look to achieve the photogenic ideal pose itself. The pose will achieve itself, once the rest is ready. And surprise, surprise, you would feel joy at finally breaking a barrier, perhaps at getting into a headstand after months of working on the core, the shoulders, the arms and integrating all the actions together.

@SpiceSadhaka