Yoga or exercise? What will give you more?
Choosing between traditional exercise or yoga is an interesting one. What will give you the most benefits? And how can a deeper understanding of what Yoga actually is, lead you to its depth.
This is a deeply biased, love-for-yoga piece of writing - of which I make no excuse!
Exercise mostly focuses on physical benefits for the body. Benefits for a person’s mind can be a bonus. Yoga focuses on transforming someone’s internal state of body, mind, and beyond so that they can experience a calmer, more meaningful life. And the ultimate goal of Yoga is the benefit it can bring to all beings, one breath and a time.
In Yoga, there is a focus on how an asana (posture or pose) feels, and not looks. There are usually no mirrors in the room. Whereas exercise can have more of a focus on looking good. Let’s take a deeper dive.
What history tells us
Exercise: Hunting and gathering cave people didn’t need Pilates or jogging. Romans and Persians then began to use exercise as a way to prefer for battle. Along came the Olympics and competition. From an indigenous perspective, many cultures have always used forms of dance and movement in their life practices. The cultural and social nuances of exercise is so vast I’m going to stop here, but we could say that the ancient and modern history of exercise can be themed into competition, physical strength and wanting to look good.
Yoga: Traditionally, Yoga was a spiritual practice. Asanas were to move you towards meditation and the ultimate experience of bliss or Self. The Vedic period and early yoga became codified and more palatable as it moved outside of India. The “West” grabbed the physical side with a vengeance! Traditionally, yoga practice is handed down from teacher to pupil so there is much being lost in translation as Yoga continues to move online.
Yoga is more than the physical shapes.
Does it matter?
Yes and no. Any movement is good as we all know. But there is so much you can discover through Yoga. After all, what’s the point in investing in looking good if you’re still unhealthy, angry and unfulfilled. Yoga is a way of life: regularly practice it and you have potential to transform any nook and cranny.
What is yoga?
The moving bit is only a small, less important part of Yoga. There are eight branches, or ‘limbs’ of Yoga, of which moving is just one. There’s lifestyle and values; breath control; physical shapes and how you move in and out of them; withdrawing from reaction to what’s around you via the senses; and three stages of meditation. There’s is a global movement towards Yoga teachers teaching more than the physical practice.
The reverence for Yoga
There’s a lovely layer of Yoga which is about the deep love for the practice. It’s like a foundational attitude that gets you out of bed in the morning and onto your mat, no matter how much a part of your mind wants to stop you from doing so. Reverence for Yoga is choosing a difference way of seeing the world. For me, Yoga is this ever present potential and experience of a more meaningful and graceful life, which already exists within us. And this is what connects us to other beings.
Practice here with me, in Titahi Bay, Porirua, Wellington. Or, at Kai Tahi, Kura St School, and other interesting places.