Yoga and Modern Life

How you can incorporate Yoga into your daily life 

Words by Sophie Walton, images by Katie Harris

Picture this. You’ve woken at the heavenly hour of 6am. You’ve showered, slurped a green smoothie, exercised, stretched and written some intentions for the day. Your assignments are finished and you’ve cleaned the house, and leave for your day feeling a quiet calm. There is a spring to your step as you bound out of the house and check the mail, only to find a bill from IRD. You grit your teeth and put the letter inside, making the mental note to deal with it later. Taking a deep breath, you step out onto the street, only to hear the blare of a car horn and nearly be knocked over. To add insult to injury, given the finger. You are flustered, but continue on your way, making it to your local coffee shop when your phone beeps. Your boss is asking why you weren’t at the meeting this morning? By the time you are sipping on your morning coffee, you already have an accumulation of stress consuming your body and mind. Only 30 minutes ago you were sitting in peace, and here you are now, in the middle of a drama that your ego and the environment had conspired to create. Sound familiar? 

This, of course, is where the discrepancy arises in trying to live a wholesome, spiritual and balanced life.  It is why most people who really aspire to cultivate a life free of suffering end up meditating in a monastery 8,000km away in the Himalayas. The environment (outer and inner) that we are exposed to every day makes it challenging to try and live connected to your spirit. However, there is a movement underway, and it is much more than a New Age fad. People are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with the ego-driven surface area of their lives, and wanting something more than a good job or a nice car. On one hand, we desperately want to achieve highly and contribute to society, but on the other, we yearn to know ourselves on a deeper level and live to make the earth a better place. This is where the practice of Yoga fits in. 

Before you start to visualise a Lycra-clad, slim woman contorting herself into a series of seemingly impossible postures, let me elaborate on what I mean by Yoga. Yoga is an umbrella term for a set of principles, or values, that can teach you how to connect with your spirit and well-being, despite the hurdles of the stress-induced modern life. The Asana, or physical practice is actually only one element of numerous different ‘limbs’ of Yoga Philosophy. Yoga is an ancient, well-tested system of philosophies and practices that originated in India around the same time as the Hindu Religion.

Practicing yoga is essentially calming the mind. Applying the principles of Yoga to the whole of life is an incredible tool to help deal with everyday stress and anxiety, as well as propel you forward as an individual in society. Yoga can help you connect with a greater ‘Truth’, while at the same time still living in the real world, rather than escaping to become a Monk. It’s the same as having a really positive moral code that helps to shape your perceptions and reactivity to the external environment around you (which we obviously can’t control). Here are the elements of Yoga you could apply to your daily life: 

Put in the practice
To achieve a strong foundation in our practice, we must practice over a long time, without interruption, believing in it and looking forward to it, with an attitude of service.

Whenever something new in your life is presented, recognise that there is going to be effort involved. Be it taking up a new sport, learning a language, starting a family, your efforts must be wholehearted. Realize that these things cannot be perfected overnight. Enjoy the process! 

Get to know your true selfThe inability to discern between the temporary, fluctuating mind and our own true Self, which is eternal, is the cause of our suffering, yet this suffering provides us with the opportunity to make this distinction and to learn and grow from it, by understanding the true nature of each.

In our distraction-rife world, we can easily become consumed with the whirlwind of events outside of us. Go inward, try sitting at home for 10 minutes before you leave the house, no phone, and just sit and be. Listen to your breath. 

Walk in someone else’s shoesTo avoid hasty actions that may be hurtful, we must practice trying to imagine or visualize the opposite of our first, instinctual reaction. We must see things from a different point of view and weigh the potential consequences.

That person who pulled the finger at you may have been experiencing some deep emotional turmoil! Have compassion for them, understand where the intention has come from. 

Tap into your inner strengthWe must cultivate self-confidence and conviction to help us maintain our persistence and strength, and to remember our direction so that we may attain our goal of a focused mind and clear perception.

If you’re facing a stressful time at work or dealing with an illness or a difficult relationship, it helps to remember that within you is the strength that can carry you through the hardest of times.

Align your attitude

An attitude of friendliness toward those who are happy, compassion toward those who are suffering, pleasure and delight at those who are doing good deeds in the world, and non-judgmental watchfulness toward those who do harmful deeds will help us to attain a peaceful and balanced mind.

Recognise that you can shift your mood by changing your attitude. Be grateful for the IRD letter, you have a job, and a country rich in resources and freedom!

Yoga is a guide to feeling better in daily life and preserving your mind and well-being. You don’t have to become a Yogi overnight, but using some of the principles could help you have a better, calmer day.