Yoga Being Present

Yoga Being Present

365 Inspired Yoga Classes Day 1

So we begin at the beginning. 

A brief history of yoga helps explain how to be present in yoga today.

As far back as 5000 BCE (Before the common era) the teachings of yoga were passed down through word of mouth, before the written word, from Brahman to Brahman, who we might think of as the spiritual teachers in society.

In order to receive the sacred teachings of yoga, one would have to be born into this caste or position and trained to be a Brahman from as young a five years of age.

Around 500 BCE the teachings of yoga, including the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, were written in the ancient language of Sanskrit. 

Today many teachers and scholars have translated these ancient ideas for us to understand. The Yoga Sutras provide us with 196 Aphorisms, or lessons on how to live a yogic life. 

They begin with:
Yoga Sutra 1.1 atha yoganusasanam, Now, the teachings of yoga (are presented).
Is this an introduction or as most believe, “Yoga is Now”?

Famous and inspired yoga teacher Ram Das wrote, Be Here Now. Many others in the yoga camp have also published books on this yoga principal. It teaches us how being present in the moment can be calming, reduce anxiety all day long. From morning to bedtime, yoga will help you feel not only present, but the flow will help you feel calm and centered.

Yoga Being Present Flow Explained

For me, this yoga flow of being present in the moment helps with meditation, concentration, and completeness.

Your bodym mind and spirit start to choose to be present. The chattering in your head, sometimes called your “Monkey Mind” starts to calm, the beginnings of being present start to emerge.

In 10, 20 or 22 minutes, people can feel more free, they feel changed. It’s a gentle, cozy change. It kinda sneaks up on you. It’s a new kind of peace that you enter.

Being present feels fresh, I mean it’s relief. Even doing the simple yoga flows, like cat and cow become more relaxing, it’s almost as your inner soul is relaxing. Now you can flow in silence and be yourself.

You can feel good in the yoga flow, become more mindful. Every minute enjoy the immersion into the yoga flow. You focus on the asahan movement, the yoga practice. The entire eight limbs of yoga.

This is your yoga sanctuary. Thoughts become simple, guilt, and stress free. It doesn’t matter if you are doing ashtanga, yin, power, or gentle yoga flow, as long as you stay in the moment, mental mindfulness does come into being.

Try to be present each moment as it occurs.

In teaching yoga on this subject, I explain in the simplest terms. I share what being present means to me and how I best accomplish it. Breathe, just breathe.

The power yoga flow often begins with Child’s pose to calm and center the mind and to bring the student into the present. In the extended version, the heart melts between the knees and the head bows down in reverence, to the present moment, to Atman or God, to the Self.

It is a posture of surrender. Many religions use this position or one like it to pray. Child’s pose gets its name because young children often sleep in this position. In child’s pose, we let go of the past, release the future, and cultivating being in the present moment. I hope you enjoyed this yoga being present flow.