The Perfect Yoga Recipe

Yoga is quickly growing in popularity.  As a result, students are find it challenging to comprehend the vastness of this ancient tradition.  So many styles of yoga have been created in the west since Hatha Yoga was born over 2,000 years ago.  What you need to know is that most have one thing in common; they are based in a style called Vinyasa.

You will quickly understand what Vinyasa means when you compare it to cooking a batch of soft oatmeal cookies.  Come into my kitchen.

I love to prep my kitchen. (I Iove to do yoga.)  I preheat the oven to a steamy 375 degrees. (I go to my yoga mat.)  With all ingredients spread out on the counter, I allow the butter to soften on the stovetop.  (A short meditation to begin.) I start by putting two sticks of softened butter into a big yellow bowl along with the sugars. (I connect with my breath.) Then I mix. (I flow, connecting breath with movement.) I beat 2 eggs and add them along with vanilla extract and my “secret ingredient”. (I sequence a series of poses together.)  All this goes into the big yellow bowl. (Prana or vital energy begins to move more deeply inside me.)  Then I mix.  (I feel internal awareness build inside my body.)  Next is the flour with baking soda. (I do another sequence, a bit more challenging, but physically informed.)  Again, I mix them into the big yellow bowl. (I stop and feel where the prana moves.)  Finally, I add three cups of oats. (I build my sequence to the apex pose of the practice.) I stir and stir and bingo, I’m done! (Corpse pose.) I roll big balls of this earthy goodness and line them carefully in rows on the parchment lined cookie sheet.  Into the oven they go. (I return to a comfortable seat and begin breath.) I set the timer, and in 9 minutes I have a thick and chewy oatmeal cookie cooling on the counter.  (I meditate, using the whole practice to inform the vital energy moving inside my body.  It is here I discover a still mind.)

Vinyasa literally means, “to place in a special way”. The sequence of the recipe is essential to create the best oatmeal cookie…one that tastes irresistibly yummy. And in yoga, the Vinyasa is the recipe.

There are as many styles of yoga as there are varieties of cookies: Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, Bikram and Iyengar to name a few.  They all are Vinyasa-based practices that have recently been developed.  This means they are not a part of the yoga tradition.  Only Hatha Yoga can claim this title.  Each Vinyasa style will have very different results for you.   You need to address which style tastes/feels good inside your body during and after the practice.

Don’t do it because it’s popular or because the studio is right around the corner from your house.  You could be making your life worse rather then better.  Knowing the reason why you practice a certain style is fundamental to the health of your body and mind.  As you explore the buffet of yoga styles, be clear as to the methods and goals that are at the heart of the practice.  The style of yoga needs to fit your current phase in life, your lifestyle and ultimately your purpose (Dharma).

My advice is to find a teacher that is experienced, comes highly recommended, who is invested in the community and is willing to sit down with you to discuss what practice is ideal for you. Once you find a style you like, stick with it for a long time and invest in understanding it intimately.  This will begin a productive spiritual path towards reaching your goals.