Seit sehr vielen Jahren weiß ich, dass ich ‚Yoga‘ praktizieren möchte, habe es aber nie getan. Ähnlich wie bei der Meditation, fühlte ich mich nicht reif dafür, bzw. war abgeschreckt von westlichen esoterischen Formen, die sowohl Meditation als auch Yoga letztlich als eine Selbstoptimierung begreifen.
Meditation and yoga are philosophical, spiritual and ultimately transcending practices to overcome the self, to open up to a greater consciousness. This all seems so clear now. My 'study' of Indian philosophy is slowly taking shape and I realize that my days are getting shorter and shorter. I am starting to learn a little Sanskrit. Reading the Upanishads and the Vedas in German and English in Sri Aurobindo's translations shows me how deluded, ignorant and short-sighted all the theories of the West are. Aurobindo's 'Notes on the Mahabharata' (Sri Aurobindo Vol 1 'Early Cultural Writings' p.277ff.) is a wonderfully sharp attack on European culture that is absolutely worth reading. It is one of his early texts, and the disappointment and anger at European arrogance can be felt here quite unfiltered. A lifestyle without meat and alcohol, getting up early and good, open conversations with great people all contribute to this.
Holistic yoga
Anyway, yesterday I went to my first Yoga class It wasn't exactly a beginners' course. But I've been toying with the idea of attending the class for weeks. It's a holistic approach that incorporates pranayamas/ pranavyayamas/ mantras/ mudras/ asanas/ meditation. I was surrounded by demigods of the art of yoga, yet everything was so easy and light-hearted, no one seemed to have to exert themselves, although it was quite obvious that most of them had been practicing yoga for many years. For me, of course, it was almost impossible to follow, but the combination of breathing exercises, mantras, concentration and meditation, body awareness and rhythm made me almost forget about time and my own limitations. I don't think I've ever pushed myself so hard without realizing it.
Perhaps this wonderful queue that greeted me on my way to the canteen at lunchtime inspired me to practise yoga in this form. But actually, all of life is yoga.
