The Real Work of Yoga

By Jonathan Wood

Here's how my week is shaping up:

1. On Sunday my maternal grandfather died.
2. Monday, I started a new job (I’m one member of the new Yoga Heights management team).
3. My mom arrived from Massachusetts on Tuesday to stay the rest of the week (planned before her dad died) and I didn’t get to the airport in time to meet her as she walked off the plane as I had planned.
4. I’ve damaged my skin with a sunburn yesterday having lunch outside with my mom.
5. I’m already a failure at new job because I forgot to upload this blog post on time (one of my core new job responsibilities).

Wait. What? A failure at my new job? How is that possible? Mistakes happen. People die unexpectedly, the sun shines and we forget to wear sunscreen, people we love come to visit. Our lives can be full and sometimes our balance is a little off kilter. None of that means anyone is a failure...the very topic Meg Sanchez explored in her recent blog post. Same thing happens on the yoga mat: I only just mastered how to control the rise from low lunge to high lunge with steadiness and breath (instead of tumbling onto the person practicing next to me, causing a cascading domino effect that brings down the whole class.)

As yogis we have many opportunities to practice yoga...on and off the mat. Examining this topsy-turvy week I realize that I’ve actually have done a decent job of moving through it all. It’s so easy to be self-critical, to beat ourselves up for even the smallest perceived error. And that’s when the real work of yoga begins. At least for me.

For some, the asana practice on the mat is an important near-daily ritual. We come to class, we move, we breathe, we focus, we laugh, we build community.

What other reasons keep us coming back for more?

There are a million+ ways to answer that question--one for each of us. Beyond the movement and the flow of a yoga class, I come to the mat as a way to train my mind. In yogic philosophy we discover the yoking of our body and brain. In Sanskrit, the word yoga can be translated as “to yoke” or “to join together.”  Here, ancient yogis were calling our attention to meditation as a form of yoga practice that centers and stills the mind. I haven’t done much meditation lately, but I have used my class time at Yoga Heights to let my brain slow down and stop its tumbled thought patterns.  To breathe. To just be.

This week, with so much going on, I need to be extra gentle with myself. To give myself an extra hug. The real work of yoga, for me, right now on this day is to remember that nothing happening to me is so dire. My grandfather lived a full 93 years and died peacefully in his sleep. That’s pretty darn fantastic, when you think about it. My mom, who’s always feeling cold, sat in the springy sunshine for a few hours and relaxed after a very stressful few days--AND (note to self) she’s fully capable of navigating her way through the airport on her own. I gave myself a little pep talk last night and decided I’m not a failure...I’ll take care of the blog post the next day. Plus, I’ll toss some sunscreen into my backpack, just in case.

Turns out, I’m human and will make mistakes at times...and I’m doing just fine. This is my real work of yoga...what is yours?

Tell us how yoga manifests in your life on and off the mat!