The Flow Must Go On
Dear Friend,
I hope life is treating you well and you're enjoying the changing of seasons, which just like every year has come at the right time.
The term "flow" is certainly a trendy one in the contemporary yoga scene and seems to be synonymous with any yoga style that incorporates movement, I see so many yoga classes using that title, such as "soul flow", "power flow", "warrior flow", "slow flow", "deep flow", "open heart flow", I even saw recently something called "sattva kundalini flow" mixing in some Sanskrit terminology. I actually like that term as it reminds me of the new-age saying "go with the flow", but I am not always sure how it actually applies in the context of yoga.
Going back a 100 years or so to India, the birth place of yoga, movement was rarely a part of a conventional yoga practice. In fact, yoga-asana (yoga posture practice) was considered a basic introductory, often preparatory part of a full yoga practice routine. Sun salutations were incorporated to an asana practice in some traditions, but it was mostly in the context of an homage to the sun and usually revolved around chanting mantras. Back in that time, dedicated yogis and yoginis were engaging in various practices, such as intense kriyas (cleansing practices) as well as other extreme austerities, and mostly doing lots of pranayama and meditation. Asana was considered a low priority, a practice that is primarily complementary to the other forms of practice, the ones that were believed to have a higher potential to bring about the deeper internal effects that yoga could offer.
The world has changed dramatically in the past century or so, and even India that always seems to change at a slower pace has gone through tremendous political, social, cultural, and economical changes. The modern life style is more sedentary, attention span gets shorter and shorter as sources of distraction become more powerful, and even though human kind as a whole is more prosperous than ever there is also a dramatic spike in mental health issues and it seems like the gap between the objective high quality of life and and the low level of overall happiness and wellbeing has never been so big (this is just a personal observation and not a claim that can be backed with sufficient evidence).
Yoga has obviously also gone through significant changes in the past few decades, people living in developed countries in 2024 are mostly unable to sit still for longer stretches of time. We need to move, to exercise, we need a certain level of stimulation to be able to be present. When Krishnamacharya, the grandfather of modern yoga, came up with the concept of Vinyasa about a 100 years ago, he intended it to be a tool to help expand our breathing capacity and concentration level, and improve circulation in the body, he never imagined a room full of people moving is unified choreography to the sound of music. I wonder how he would react if he observed a conventional yoga class today, I would imagine he would be appalled, but then again, we all tend to resist change and glorify an idealized past, it is human nature. He would probably fall into that trap too.
The main concern in my opinion has nothing to do with the aesthetics of yoga or whether it is "flowy" or not, but rather what's its purpose, what are the benefits that it provides. A friend once told me that if there isn't loud music in the room she can't relax when she's doing yoga, she needs the level of sound to be in tune with the internal noise in her mind in order to be able to calm herself. I totally get that! We are all different, we have different capacities and needs. Some use yoga mainly for exercise which is great since it can be very holistic and have wonderful benefits for health and wellbeing. Some use it to reduce stress or anxiety which is also a great thing, stress creates all sorts of physical and psychological harm and reducing it can significantly improve wellbeing. Some people even use it for a communal effect, moving and breathing in a room full of like-minded people with a positive supportive environment. Most of us need some combination of the above or something else, depending on where we are in our life.
However, I find it very important to remind myself and others that yoga can reach much higher. Yoga has the potential to lead us to the most profound states of inner peace, joy, clarity and wisdom. It can bring us to deeply fulfill ourselves as humans, to express authentically our truest nature and live life to our maximum potential. We can transform the way we think, the way we perceive reality, the way we experience the world and ourselves, we can develop a capacity to be fully present in our life, to experience pure love that needs no objects, to let go of all patterns of self-inflicted harm and be truly free at our core. If and when the right time comes yoga is always there for us to serve these purposes and all our previous efforts never go to waste.
Unfortunately (or not), to maximize yoga's potential we need to dedicate our life to it. It doesn't mean that we have to spend 10 hours a day on the mat doing intense practice, 1-2 hours is probably enough and the intensity level depends on the circumstances. For yoga to be maximized we need to live and breathe it, to use every living moment to be mindful, be compassionate, be fully awake. We want to make choices and take actions with the right intentions in our heart, to express our true Self in our interactions with others, to carry ourselves in the world in harmony with the wisdom that arises out of a sincere yoga practice.
The ultimate yoga flow is the one that moves us from one moment to the next, guiding us through the journey of life one breath after the other.
If you find yourself curious about these kinds of topics - join a workshop, a retreat, or any other event on offer.
Looking forward to sharing yoga with you in October.
Wishing everyone peace and happiness,
Oren
♡
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