Last year I started my first "365 days challenge" which was my first New Years Resolution Journey. I decided to do a handstand a day in 2017 and you can read about that experience here. Today I've decided to start a new 365 challenge - which I admit is already something I do on a daily basis, but I decided to document my daily practice with the focus on exploring the various Yoga paths there are. I am going to post a flow or foto each day in 2018 that you can feel free to copy or try out yourself. Just to move every day of our lives.
There are many yoga styles and ways to practice more awareness in our every day lives. Just as well as there are different styles there are also different definitions of the term YOGA itself. We can find the most important explanation in Patanjalis Yoga Sutras 1.2.: Yogas-citta-vrtti-nirodhah. Here are a couple of interpretations:
"Yoga is the removal of the fluctuations of the mind."
"Yoga is the cessation of the modifications or fluctuations of the mind."
"Yoga is the restriction of the fluctuations of consciousness." (translation by Georg Feuerstein)
Some interpretations refer to the stilling of the mind in order to experience Ultimate Reality. When our thoughts are calm and our mind in its natural state of tranquility, we can move toward Self-realization. In the end it is about seeing the world more clearly without experiencing duality between the world and us. Here's a more in depth explanation by Lucy Crisfield.
VARIETIS OF YOGA
In order to practice yoga, you don't have to rely just on a physical practice. There are more than just one way, which makes YOGA so beautifully rich. Some of these do not involve a strenuous physical practice if this is just not for you - yet:
KARMA YOGA
karma
ˈkɑːmə,ˈkəːmə/
noun
(in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.
good or bad luck, viewed as resulting from one's actions.
To a karma yogi, right work done well is a form of prayer. It is one of the paths in the spiritual practices of Hindus, others being Raja yoga, Jnana yoga (path of knowledge) and Bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion to a personal god). Washing the dishes or cleaning the toilet can become part of your yoga practice when done for the sake of doing instead of just for the end result.
JNANA YOGA
Jnana (wisdom or knowledge) is considered the most difficult of the four main paths of Yoga, requiring great strength of will and intellect. In Jnana yoga, the mind is used to inquire into its own nature and to transcend the mind's identification with its thoughts and ego.
BHAKTI YOGA
Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga, is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards a personal god. It is one of the paths in the spiritual practices of Hindus, others being Jnana yoga and Karma yoga.
HATHA YOGA
Hatha Yoga. Hatha is a general category that includes most yoga styles. It is an old system that includes the practice of asanas (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), which help bring peace to the mind and body, preparing the body for deeper spiritual practices such as meditation. All modern yoga styles can be categorized as Hatha Yoga, just as Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga or Vinyasa Yoga.
Since one of my purposes in this world seems to be to inspire others to grow, I am inviting you to look for educational experiences in your life that not necessarily involve traveling to exotic island, but rather to focus on what's going on in your personal inside world.