Shine a light on your life and practice with yoga philosophy...

Ask the average yogi to name their favourite yoga pose and you’ll likely get all sorts of responses…

Ask the average modern yogi to name their favourite yoga philosophical text and you may not get a response at all!

The philosophy of yoga is a side of the practice that is nowhere near as well-known as the physical postures we know and love.

If you want to learn how to do a yoga handstand, strengthen your downward dog, learn arm balances or progress your backbends, there’s a course, a dvd, or a workshop for that. But if you wish to learn more about philosophy…well, it’s harder to know where to look.

Many students simply aren’t exposed to this side of yoga or at least not on a regular basis. Some studios and gyms forbid the use of Sanskrit, let alone anything spiritual like the philosophy. God forbid we give the people something meaningful!!! *eye roll*

I’ll admit that, like most people, I came to yoga for the postures. This is the experience of most modern practitioners – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s all good.

But as my practice grew and developed, I began to yearn for something deeper. It’s like I could feel there was something more, underneath the surface of the physical asana and breathing. I sought out teachers who were sharing more of the philosophical side and began to read books like ‘The Wisdom of Yoga’ by Stephen Cope.

Really, I think the teachings are the reason I stayed. They helped me find deeper meaning in my practice and ultimately in my life. They brought me solace during life’s challenges and something to help make sense of it all. They are the reason why I keep stepping on my mat.

So, why is it that in modern yoga we so often favour the postures over the philosophy?

Well, at face value, the challenge of yoga philosophy is that many of the original texts were written in a time that is so very different to our own.

The Yoga Sutras for example were written mainly for male, renunciant practitioners who lived in caves away from the rest of society. That doesn’t ring true for the majority of modern yoga practitioners, so it’s only natural that this is a barrier to understanding and sharing the teachings.

BUT for those willing to dig a little deeper, the yamas and niyamas, when fully understood and applied with consideration to our own lifestyle and circumstances offer an incredibly useful moral code. I recently undertook a home study course about the Sutras by Stephanie Snyder over on Glo and it gave me a whole new beautiful perspective which I’ve been relishing sharing with my students these last couple of months.

The other challenge is that to really unlock the depth and breadth of meaning, the yoga texts requires considered study over time. As Stephanie Snyder says, ‘yoga philosophy is ground down through the anvil of our experiences’, meaning that, you read the philosophy, you sit with it, let it assimilate, you keep coming back to it and over time, like the petals of a lotus, more and more opens up and makes itself known.

That doesn’t always fit with our ‘I want it right now’ culture. We want all the answers, immediately. And if it doesn’t make sense, we move on to the next thing. Yoga philosophy takes perseverance and a willingness to accept that it may not all make sense right now…but to trust that it will over time.

My own understanding and experience has definitely deepened and grown over the years.

One of my favourite things to do now is bring the teachings alive and make them accessible to others.

My view is that philosophy is one of the most important parts of the practice for modern yogis. In a world overwhelmed with information, choices, things to buy, technology, plastic, social media – never before has it been important to have some sort of spiritual backbone to guide you through the confusion.

This is where yoga can truly serve us. A shift in your perception, no matter how subtle, has the power to instantly change your life for the better and those of the people around you. It will serve you during the good times and bad times. Especially the bad times.

It all starts with a willingness to learn and an open heart.

I love how every time I come back to the texts, something new speaks to me, something else makes sense or offers me a different perspective on a particular life experience. A different translation or fresh look at the same text can unlock a whole new world of understanding. It’s that powerful.

The teachings are not there to judge you or make you feel less than, they’re there to shine a light, to show you the way forward into a life filled with less suffering and more meaning.

I hope this inspires you to take a deeper look at the teachings and to seek out ways to learn more. And if you’d like to hear more about my own perspective on the teachings, I’d like to invite you to join me for my workshop, ‘Yoga for Everyday Warriors’, happening at The Yoga Factory on Saturday 22nd June.

We’ll be taking a look at some of the key teachings from the Bhagavad Gita – one of the classic yoga philosophical texts. The Gita (as it is affectionately known) was written for householders – those of us who live in the world, not away from it. It teaches us taking responsibility for our lives, being authentically ourselves and playing our unique part in the world – lessons which are worth being reminded of and holding on to.

Click here to find out more and book your spot.