By Lakhram Bhagirat
The word yoga is of Sanskrit origin and derived from the term yug which means to attach or join. Therefore, the practice of yoga is uniting with one’s inner or spiritual self.
Throughout the Western world, yoga is seen in just the physical light when, according to yoga instructor Agnela Patil, it has more to it than just a physical workout.
For her, yoga is a way of life and practising yoga just increases the quality and longevity of one’s life.
Hailing from India – the land of Yoga, Patil knows exactly what she speaks about when she says that in the West just the asanas or posture aspect of yoga is focused on. However, she says that according to Yoga Sutras of Patanjali there are eight limbs of yoga.
“In the West they give emphasis on the physical aspect of yoga – that is just one limb. We call it asanas; we call it postures, but we have many more things added to it. If you see Patanjali Yoga Sutra you will realise that Patanjali has mentioned ashtanga yog that means eight limbs or parts of yoga. So, all has to go together. He was so precise in using the word ashtanga. He didn’t say steps, he said limbs,” she emphasised.
She notes that the term limbs were used because the Yoga Sutras does not explain how it should be done, rather they emphasised on what should be done in order to achieve the unity one so deserves.
To practise holistic yoga one must first go with yama – restraints and the implementation of ethical behaviours; that is followed by niyama – observances; asana – postures; pranayama – controlled breathing; pratyahara – which is withdrawal of the senses; dharana – concentration; dhyana – meditation; and finally, samadhi – absorption.
Those eight limbs are the guides towards invoking and connecting with divinity.
Patil has been studying yoga all her life and later took it up as a profession. She is the yoga instructor at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Georgetown. She says that yoga speaks to connection and every day we practise yoga whether consciously or subconsciously.
The very fact that we breathe means we are doing yoga.
“It can be anything – your body, your soul, your mind, it can be anything. Whatever you do with your full connection, that’s yoga. Yoga is just not what everyone thinks it is. It is a way of living, a way of life. Practice of yoga will help you live a healthier and better life,” she opined.
Before moving to Guyana, Patil said she researched the country but could not find anything that would suggest that yoga would be accepted here. She explained that because of close similarities to countries in the West, she thought Guyana would be more inclined to accepting other forms of exercise as opposed to the practice of yoga.
Nevertheless, she came and to date she has over 200 students attending yoga classes at the SVCC.
“Yoga is for everyone. It is not just for those who are flexible. Most of the people, they come to me and they say that we cannot practice this asana because we cannot do headstands. You have been standing on your head, but we cannot do this, so we cannot do yoga. It is not true. Yoga is not just about asanas and I always keep repeating that yoga is not just only about asanas. There are many things connected to it. Anyone who breathes can practice yoga and, I feel, has to practise yoga,” she said.
Patil said that while all eight limbs of yoga are essential, there are three – asana, pranayama and dhyana that most Westerners know of and practise. She notes that those three components are important to fostering the unity that one should.
“In my experience as a yoga teacher, I find that most people come with physical difficulties saying that we have so and so and we need to come out of this. That is like just going to get a drop of water from the ocean. Yoga is like an ocean and if you go deeper into it, then you will know more of it. Physical aspects are just a part of it. That is just a by-product. You need to go deeper into yoga and then you will understand that,” she advises.
Patil is encouraging everyone to join the International Yoga Day celebrations by doing yoga at home with their families.
