Why do you Practice?

This isn’t a trick question, but a good question to ponder as we turn up to our mat, our cushion or our life, ie. anytime to conscious seek to bring ourselves into alignment through yoga.

Any of you who have done my yoga classes might recall an invitation I often make in the front end of the practice, ‘To stop & consider why we are here today, what quality do we seek to cultivate through our practice of yoga today?'

When I first started yoga (over 25 years ago, yikes!) the objective was simple, I wanted to surf better. I was transitioning from a decade of playing rugby to what I hoped would be a stellar career as a surfer, I’d read that a few pro surfers practiced yoga, I’d always enjoyed stretching, the logic I thought was simple.

It’s a fairly common pathway into yoga practice I think, we come for our bodies &  stay for our minds.

To be honest at that stage I didn’t really consider that I might have emotional & mental issues that would one day need a lot of attention, and little did I know that there were systems of yoga well beyond my comprehension that would offer exactly the answers that I didn’t even know that I would seek!

And yet there yoga was, a decade later when I hit a brick wall in my life’s journey  and needed to spend some quality time looking deeply into how I was showing up in this world.

The 'Why' of my Yoga Practice had changed, whereas initially I had thought to come to yoga to be strong, sexy & flexible, as my journeyed with yoga, happiness became the goal, as I went further than that (I realised alas that any happiness was going to be temporary) my goal became to remain equanimous, to be content with all of life as it presents, to allow myself all the feelings, sadness, ecstasy, anger, anxiety and joy.

These days I practice to keep my body strong and flexible, as my body ages I feel more than ever grateful of the gift yoga gives, keeping me physically attuned so I can run, dance, play and surf better than ever. The physical practice of asana is as important now as it ever was, yogis learn to move with intelligence, avoiding injury and managing energy to create maximum effect for every action.

However the subtle gifts of yoga are perhaps more profound, the capacity to reset my nervous system and my mind, plus gain deep healing rest through yoga nidra, balance the nervous system with pranayama and explore the machinations of my mind with meditation. All of these practices bring me closer to the divine - align my awareness with that of the source of all things. When I experience this, life is less anxious, I am more content, accepting of who I am and the reality of how things are.

There is also the added dimension of a sankalpa, when practiced with intention, yoga aligns my action and awareness towards specific goals, cultivating immense willpower and fortitude, the kinda superpower that (when used correctly) can change your own life and the lives of many others.

For me, this is why I practice, for the multitude of gifts that yoga brings, the simple things, feeling graceful in my body, relaxed and focussed in my mind, happy in my heart. And for the big picture stuff, yoga supports me to say no to the things that don’t serve, refine my focus and actions towards the things that do. Yoga supports me to achieve my highest potential, to walk the road to happy destiny, one slow breath at a time.

So please, do tell me, why do you practice?

What is Yoga Nidra & Why do I love it So Much?

Yoga Nidra is at once a practice of deep relaxation as well as a potent system for mental & energetic refinement. Of all of the yogic meditation practices, Yoga Nidra is the one where many speak of it as in terms of a love affair. Yoga Nidra has affectionate names such as ‘Sleep of the Gods’, ‘Divine Rest’, ‘Effortless Ease’ or ‘Yoga Nodra’ - each of these names reflect an element of the transcendental qualities in this practice, and the affection that people have for this simple system of self restoration.

I am a deep lover of so many yoga practices, I practice a lot of hatha yoga/asana, and I do a lot of pranayama/breathwork as well as practicing seated meditation practices of Ajapa Japa (mantra) & Antar Mouna (mindfulness). I hate to pick favourites, but if I had to give all of my yoga toys back, and keep just one, I think that one would be Yoga Nidra. (I’m not giving them back by the way, I do love them all too much, and the thought of a life without all of those practices, sounds very angsty and bleak.)

What I teach people with Yogic Meditation is a system of yoga, a system of developing the personality & evolving our capacity of awareness - this is a system where all of those practices work together in symphony, a set of tools to manage your body, mind & spirit, that can be adapted for every lifestyle in every season.

All of the practices of yoga are wonderful, however Yoga Nidra has a special quality that makes every other practice work better - it is like the ‘Special Sauce’ that makes everything else taste good. As I describe in the video belong, Yoga Nidra is like a ‘glue’ that binds everything together.

In this video, I explain what Yoga Nidra is, as well reflecting on my own journey with the practice & reflecting as some of the reasons that I love the practice so much.

If you haven’t tried Yoga Nidra, you really should, there are lots of ways to practice, I teach regularly at Bamboo Yoga, running weekly classes & regular courses - I’ve also got some practices on Insight Timer, you can connect with me & listen to the practice here.

For those interest in learning to teach yoga nidra, you should check out our Meditation TTC - it is a fundamental part of this course.