The world is a complicated place. Life in our culture can be fast paced, stressful, confusing and frustrating. Yogis are not immune to this stress; hopefully we can recognize it in ourselves early and release it, keeping the mind, body and spirit calm and present.

My life has been particularly stressful lately. Lots to do, lots to learn, places to be, people to talk to, plans to make, plans to execute. I can't remember a time when I have been so busy and pulled in several directions.

So my most important yoga has been mental and energetic. I do a lot of breathing (Pranayama) to quiet the mind. I also remind myself constantly of who I am and what I care about. Humility.

I will work as hard as I can in an effort to make progress and follow through on the commitments I have made. But I need rest, I need quiet, I need to be still. I can not go, go, go for 24 hours per day. I will become stressed and ill.

I can only do as much as I can do, trying to keep my mind, body and spirit strong and healthy. My mind present.

I have been working with a lost manuscript by the great yogi Buddha Bose (much more about this later!), one of Bishnu Ghosh's early prodigies (a couple decades before Bikram). In the preface to this volume, Bose gives the following insight about yoga practice.

"Yoga means union - union of the human soul with the Spiritual Soul or Spirit - God. The Yoga Asanas or exercises greatly facilitate this union for they aid the aspirant in achieving that most necessary and desirable quality in approaching that state, viz., the power of concentration."

"The student requires perseverance, patience, the ability to concentrate, and above all, a willingness to adopt healthful and regular habits."

"No one, however skilled, should perform all of the asanas every day. It is better gradually to increase the duration of practice of each exercise than to strive to practice a large number of them for a brief period."

When practicing Postures/Asanas, move slowly. 

Enter the postures slowly, with control. Hold the posture where you can have proper alignment in the body, especially the spine. Find stillness in the posture. Come out slowly. Return to standing, sitting or lying and rest for a few moments, letting the circulation, heart and breath return to normal.

This may seem like oversimplification, but it is harder than it sounds. Moving fast and clumsily is easy to do. Moving slowly is difficult, stillness even more so.

Remove the complexity and the rushing from your practice. Practice slowly and simply. The body and the mind will develop quickly. Stress will dissipate. Clarity will emerge.

How do we find our path?

I, like many others, came to yoga through the Posture/Asana practice. I wanted to "get in shape." I wanted to be strong and flexible and be able to stand on my hands. I wanted to be graceful and beautiful. 

Over the course of about 2 years of daily practice, the Practice did its work on me: the mindful breath, the quiet mind, the linking of mind and body. I found my mind a quieter place and my life more peaceful. I was happier.

It was only when I discovered this deeper layer to yoga that I found the beginnings of my path. 

So if you are new to yoga or struggling to find meaning, I say simply: persist and practice. Practice mindfully, stay present, give honest effort. Practice often, every day if possible.

If you persist, the path will reveal itself and you will find that you were walking along it the whole time.

Having beautiful postures or a beautiful body is not the point of yoga practice. Quite the contrary really. Exploring and challenging our conceptions of the body is fundamental to the Posture practice. We are only as strong and flexible as we think, no more and no less.

Who do you look to for information and advice to advance your yoga practice?

Do you have a favorite teacher or advisor?

Do you like to go to classes taught by many different teachers?

Do you have questions that don't get answered in a normal yoga class?

Where do you look for the answers?

Do you read books or search online?

Do you observe the practices and advice of more advanced yogis than yourself?

Are you ever your own teacher?

It is becoming clearer to me that each person's yogic journey is unique. I must be true to my curiosity and motivation just as you must be true to yours.

As the ancient texts say: many paths that lead to the same goal - unity, oneness. Peace and happiness. Love and compassion.

Yoga teachers are nice, especially at the beginning of the journey, but we must make sure that we are nurturing our own identities, strengths and curiosities.

When we know who we are and what we want, a teacher's guidance grows tenfold in meaning.

Most every day my teacher Tony Sanchez posts something about yoga to his Facebook page. Every now and again he writes something that really resonates with me. Yesterday was one of those days. His post is below. I love the encouragement that self-confidence, like everything else, can be practiced and developed. I also love the reminders to stay humble and true: "Practice for understanding and not for power over others." His complete post is below.

"GUIDED YOGA PRACTICE

Empower your practice with faith in yourself and in yoga.
Don't expect progress when doubting yourself. 
Personal doubts are apt to backfire and set you back. 
Indifference and lethargy grows out of lack of confidence. 
Work on self-confidence for best results.
In the beginning of yoga practice bad days are common.
Persist and good days will shine forth. 
Practice for understanding and not for power over others.
Be effective, not vain."

I have felt myself change so drastically over the years since I began practicing yoga. It began with my body - physical health, strength and focus - and has shifted to my mind, my energy and my sense of self. As I begin to explore the mind and self with dedication, I perceive deep wells and vast horizons that I have never seen or realized before. My journey inward is beginning to fascinate me and give me great hope and understanding.

Although I have always been a quiet, introverted person, I haven't until now considered that I could develop my "self". I can study and explore the landscape that is the mind, senses and emotions seeking ever truer manifestations of who I am. But I need to make time to do this just like I have made time for the physical Posture practice. It is a new concept for me - exploring and developing inward - but one that holds great promise. 

"This is the essential difference between a spiritually minded person and a worldly person. Worldly doesn't mean that you have money or stature. Worldly means that you think the solution to your inner problems is in the world outside. You think that if you can change things outside, you'll be okay. But nobody has ever truly become okay by changing things outside. There's always the next problem. The only real solution is to take the seat of witness consciousness and completely change your frame of reference."

From "The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer

I decided last week to do 30 days of Energy Control (Pranayama) practice in a row (I have been doing every other day for about 6 months). I do one hour first thing each morning, gradually working through balance, extension and retention.

I am trying to be very careful about my mental and energetic state as I practice. There is an ancient verse that says we must take more care in Energy Control exercises than with training a tiger. The practice has the ability to destroy our minds and bodies if we are not careful.

Yesterday I felt scattered all day, like my energy was in several directions. Today was the opposite; I have felt very focused but also drained. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I am feeling significant shifts in my energy and I'm curious what the next 3 weeks will bring.

Much yoga practice begins with mindful breathing; the relationship of breath and movement is an important one. Mindful breathing during Postures/Asanas (and life in general) is the first step in our Energy Control (Pranayama) practice. 

There are four ways that we can relate our Postures and our Breath: we can 1) move the body and the breath, 2) hold the body still while moving the breath, 3) hold the body still while holding the breath, and 4) move the body while holding the breath. Each has its own benefits.

1) Movement the Body and the Breath is the most commonly known "yoga" practice in the west. It is called Vinyasa (especially in the Krishnamacharya lineage) - each movement of the body is linked with a complimentary inhale or exhale. This category of Posture practice begins the process of breath awareness, links the mind to the body, begins to purify the energy channels of the body and therefore generates tremendous energy and strength.

2) Holding the Body Still While Moving the Breath is powerful for the energy body and mind. It creates a "lock" with the entire body, shifting circulation and endocrine flow as well as strengthening the nervous system. When holding the body still while moving the breath, the body's energy circulates strongly. This category of Posture practice builds great concentration, focus and quiets the mind.

3) Holding the Body Still While Holding the Breath is often called a "lock" or "bandha." It creates vivid stillness in the mind and connects the energy of the body to the energy of the universe. This practice is used to purify the body on ever more subtle levels and to draw focus to the motion of the mind so it may be stilled. After we still the body and breath, stillness or Concentration (Dharana) of the mind is the next step on the path of Yoga.

4) Holding the Breath While Moving the Body takes great awareness and control of the body, energy and mind. It is the most advanced of these four practices. Once we can hold the Breath in stillness along with the Body (as in #3), we may decide to deepen our energetic control by moving the body without letting the breath or mind move. This practice creates powerful force in the physical and energetic bodies that can push up against a stilled mind and create energy disturbances if the yogi is not careful. If the mind can remain still and clear, the yogi deepens his or her connection with the divine.