adapting your lifestyle
A traditional yogic lifestyle is built around five principles: proper
relaxation, proper exercise, proper breathing, proper diet, and positive
thinking and meditation. Here are some ways to bring them into your
own life, which is often as easy as living more simply.
You don’t have to retreat to a mountaintop or
move out of the city to live your life according to
yogic principles. The simplest way to introduce them
into your life and home is to let go of a consumer
approach to living, and to let an awareness of the
planet and all those who share it inform the way
you work, play, eat, and shop, which helps to
bring your priorities into balance.
LIVING A RELAXED LIFE
Relaxing is more than setting aside time to relax by
meditating or going for a massage—though these
are helpful for stress-recovery—it’s about finding a
lifestyle that nourishes you and allows you time to
spend with the people you love and in the places
that inspire you. If current commitments have you
working all hours and racing from place to place,
you need to sit down and think about how you
might simplify things. Could you opt for part-time
work, perhaps, work flexibly, or from home
sometimes? Once the basics are in place, look at
ways of introducing more relaxing pursuits into your
day. Build in times to listen to beautiful music, watch
inspiring films, and read uplifting books; play some
music in the car to sing along to; book a yoga
vacation or weekend break; and, most importantly,
make space for simply sitting in silence doing
nothing every day.
“Proper exercising” isn’t something you only do
at yoga class; it’s about using your muscles and
joints as they were meant to be used every day
(which wasn’t by moving only from car to office
chair to sofa). Try to make your life more active by
choosing to walk whenever possible rather than
using transportation, and take regular breaks from
work to stretch out. Make sure the activities you use
to relax are based around a good amount of activity,
too—gardening, walking, and dancing are perfect.
We learn “proper breathing” of course, as we
practice yoga’s pranayama exercises, but this pillar
of yogic balance also encourages us to be aware
Incorporate yoga into
your everyday activities.
Sit cross-legged or in Lotus
Pose while working at your
laptop or watching television.
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of our breathing in everyday situations. Bring your
attention to your breath especially when you feel
anxious (see p.106), watching it become slower
and deeper. This results in a calm mind, too.
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT
A diet rich in sattwic foods—those bursting with
vitality, such as fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables
and whole grains—nourishes the body with vitamins
and minerals, keeps the mind relaxed, and the
emotions steady. But what we eat has an ethical
dimension that can nourish the spirit, too. Building
your diet around local, seasonal produce cuts down
on food-transportation miles that have a detrimental
effect on our planet, and choosing fairly traded
goods from abroad and products from small
suppliers near to home ensures that consumption
reflects your yogic principles. Some people who
practice yoga extend the yama of nonviolence
(see p.101) to diet, choosing not to eat meat.
Honor the origins of the foodstuffs you buy by
cooking them with care, and by sharing them with
those you love, giving thanks before you eat.
At work and at home there are
plenty of ways to become more
active, from practicing leg raises
during phone calls to conducting
meetings on a walk.
WHO ARE YOU?
•
You are what you think, yoga teaches,
so reflect on your thoughts as you go about
your day, and observe how they color your
reactions to events and people.
•
Respect yourself first in order to learn
how to respect others. You can do this by
becoming aware of your negative self-talk
and by taking steps to replace it with
positive affirmations (see p.105).
•
“Are you friend material?” yoga
encourages us to ask. It’s good to keep
thinking about how you might become the
kind of person you would like as a friend.
•
How creative are you? Yoga encourages
creative pursuits to keep the mind vibrant.
ALL ABOUT YOGA
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