ENLIGHTEN UP! a blogSelf-awareness stories: lighting our way to clarity, contentment and resilience in a complicated world.
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 Guest post by Jaime Boswell Ahimsa (non-harming) and Satya (truthfulness): The Heart and Soul of Science in Yoga As a yoga teacher, with 18 years of teaching experience, a yoga therapist, who has studied extensively the teachings and application of yoga to promote health and wellbeing of all people, and a scientist trained in using the scientific method to study the true nature of things, I am passionate about the intersection of yoga and science. I’d like to share with you my why for this passion. The traditional teachings of yoga and modern science both have an aim to understand the truth. The philosophy of yoga indicates that at the root of all suffering is ignorance (avidya) and correct knowledge (vidya) is the antidote to suffering. By increasing our understanding of how, why and for whom yoga techniques have benefit we can more effectively practice and teach the vast array of yoga tools without unintentionally creating harm and increasing suffering. The modern scientific method offers us an approach to studying the application of yoga in a way that can enable the teachings of yoga to reach and benefit a wider array of individuals than they have historically, while embracing the ethics of ahimsa (non-harming) and satya (truthfulness). The traditional teachings of yoga have evolved over time based on the direct experience of the practitioners. Those practitioners then passed on teachings to others, for most of the history of yoga this was through one-on-one instruction, and teachings were only provided when the teacher assessed that the student was ready. Yoga was a part of the culture in which the practitioners lived, and it appears was a practice based on philosophy that evolved throughout one’s life and study. We know from the traditional teachings some of the effects that those practitioners experienced, with commitment to long-term practice, self-study and personalized teaching. Does that mean that all people will experience the same effects? How does learning in a group setting as an older adult for example affect the experience? How does someone’s experience differ if they are from a culture not typically represented in main-stream yoga? What practices are safe and beneficial for those experiencing chronic or acute health conditions? These questions, among many, many more are the types of questions that as they are answered enable the teaching of yoga to reach diverse populations while embodying ahimsa and satya in the teachings. Modern areas of increased knowledge are helping to expand the application of yoga safely to populations that have not traditionally received the benefits of the practice. Some of the populations benefiting from this expanded understanding include veterans, people living with chronic pain, chronic disease and mental health conditions, trauma survivors and those experiencing the effects of chronic stress (e.g. related to race, economic status, work conditions etc.). The research is based on and informed by the tradition of yoga, while also incorporating a modern understanding of anatomy, physiology, mental health, disease processes and the intersection of social influences such as culture, race, and age. Most studies currently being conducted on the application of yoga, include protocols that incorporate pranayama (breath practices), asana (physical practices) and meditation. These protocols are designed and adapted based on the expertise of yoga teachers and yoga therapists that bring clinical experience working with specific populations to the programs. Increasingly, headlines are emphasizing the research findings around the benefits of yoga. But you might ask yourself what styles and techniques were studied? How do the findings relate to your own practice or your teaching? What classes or teachers should you recommend to your loved ones? Can this research help reduce suffering, your own or others, or increase the understanding of yoga? I hope if you love yoga and believe it can benefit more people than those who are currently practicing, that you get curious around some of these questions. One way to get more familiar with some of the recent research, is to check out YogaTherapy.Health, a fabulous resource that provides research summaries by various health conditions and considerations. Yoga has the potential to help all people reduce suffering at any stage of life or stage of disease, and by studying the application of yoga in these various populations, hopefully the benefits continue to spread far and wide.  Jaime Boswell, MS, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is a faculty member of the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy and a former research scientist. She has a passion for exploring the intersection of science and yoga, and teaching both in a way that is accessible and empowering.
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 "Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks." --- Gloria Anzaldúa I first read this on a calendar of inspirational daily quotes many years ago. The quote was printed on the page for December 28th. It spoke volumes to me so I ripped it out and stuck it to my refrigerator. It has been with me through four refrigerators and three moves. Does this quote have significance to my life and yours? Yes, it does. We build relationship bridges of friendship and intimacy with others but the most important bridge we can build, repair, maintain or upgrade is the one between our mind and our intuitive wisdom so we can cross back and forth with ease. First we need to understand the mind. The mind is clever. Some even say the mind is a bullshit artist, telling us what we want to think and believe about ourselves and the state of our relationships with family, work, friends, likes and dislikes. How can we become aware of, and differentiate our mental bullshit habits from the important work our mind does? Simple. We have to wise up. Why? Well, when we’re stuck in our mental bullshit, we are caught in our own drama and all too often can’t see beyond it. Intuitive wisdom gives us clarity about what we are thinking, believing and doing. It allows us to see and understand the why of what we think, believe and do and where those thoughts and beliefs came from. Here’s a visual. Imagine a two-lane bridge with three sections. What does yours look like? The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco? The George Washington Bridge in New York? Or maybe it’s that cute little wooden bridge you walk across on your favorite hike. Now see that a section of the bridge on one end is your mind and a second section on the other end is intuitive wisdom. The middle section of this bridge is shared by both the mind and wisdom. If the middle section is damaged and the two-lanes blocked, we won’t gain clarity about the what and the why of our own mental drama. Our mission, if we choose to accept it, is to keep the middle section in good repair and the two lanes cleared of debris in order for messages to go back and forth. Here’s an example of how this works. A core belief of “I’m not good enough,” can exist on both the mind section and the wisdom sections of the bridge. On the wisdom end, I’m not good enough, might be seen, and sourced as messages of unworthiness from family, friends, society and ourselves for any number of reasons like, race, sex, gender identification, class, physical or mental ability. On the mind end of the bridge, I’m not good enough, might be believed and expressed through depression, unhelpful attitudes, addictions and other self-sabotaging behaviors. However, our wisdom, seeing where it comes from, and knowing that the core belief of, I’m not good enough, is not true, does its best to send that message to the mind over the middle section of the bridge. If the two lanes are blocked, damaged or have deep potholes, that message might not get across, but if your bridge is in good repair, the mind will receive the I am good enough, message, and may recognize where the I’m not good enough belief came from and why you believed it. In either case, steps can be taken to make a choice for positive change, keep the status quo with full knowledge of the consequences or find acceptance if change is not possible. My favorite example of how the middle section of the mind/wisdom bridge can be repaired comes from a young boy who enrolled in the yoga program I organized for a summer camp. In addition to classes we were trying out yoga ‘interventions’ as a way to reduce the number of suspensions. If children were fighting or misbehaving and in danger of being sent home, they first went to see one of the yoga teachers who taught them some basic practices focused on self-awareness and centering. One young boy, who regularly got into fights, was taught to use a calming breath to help him make wiser choices. After his session he told the teacher, “I didn’t know I had a choice about how I act.” In that moment, he cleared the middle section of his mind/wisdom bridge. He made the connection between what he thought and how he behaved. When we, like this boy, take the time to remove blocks of misunderstanding and misperception between our everyday mind and our intuitive wisdom, our lives will be easier to manage, even with the inevitable bumps we all experience. |
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AuthorBETH GIBBS started her yoga practice in 1968, four months after her son was born and she’s been practicing ever since. She currently teaches all levels therapeutic yoga classes for adults, and specialty classes for seniors in the Hartford, Connecticut area. Beth is a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is guest faculty at the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy. She writes for the blogs, Yoga for Healthy Aging, and Accessible Yoga. Her master’s degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA is in Yoga Therapy and Mind/Body Health. Categories |
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