Yoga Mind Vs. Yoga Body

This picture is of the famous Yoga guru, BKS Iyengar, practicing yoga in his last few days. When I saw this picture, the first thought that came to my mind was that how comfortable this man is in his old skin, with white hair and sagging skin! How many of us feel like that?!

The biggest shift in mind which yoga brought for me was , to accept the body I have and to accept it willingly. After all these years, today I love myself just the way I am. This feeling makes me feel free!

"I want a yoga body" has become such a commonly heard phrase. It surprises me that people are doing yoga for body not realizing that it is more important, rather more difficult to get a yoga mind. Practicing asana to “get” the body you “want” is yet another form of attachment. In this case, you’re attached to an illusion that it is even possible to get another body. 
 

Oh, wait, maybe what they are trying to say is that you can practice to make your own body look different, whether that means thinner, younger, or able to do showy yoga poses. But practicing asana to make your body look different means you’ve bought into an illusion that looking different—if that is even possible—will make you happier. This illusion is what sells yoga magazines and products, which is why messages to promote this illusion are so insidious,

And the attachment to this illusion actually causes a lot of suffering. For one thing, always working on changing the way your body looks makes you feel shame over the your current appearance, and dissatisfaction with your current life, which you believe will be happier only after you change. And I even think it is possible that practicing to get a different body may interfere with your ability to be safe in your asana practice. Rather than tuning in to your body as it is now, always thinking about the body you want to have may cause you to go overboard and take physical risks that aren’t appropriate for you.

All of this is the complete opposite of cultivating santosha (the ability to be content with what we have or don’t have), which Patanjali tells us is what leads to true happiness.

I realized about 2 years ago that trying to change that with my asana practice is not only fruitless but is counterproductive. I actively enjoy practicing my asanas, and if I kept thinking about how I wanted a different body or if I could only do the poses which make me look strong, the deep appreciation and gratitude I have for the body I do have and for the beauty of my aliveness would be crushed.

This is an issue for those of us who are aging as well as those younger people who struggle with body image issues. Shift the focus from "yoga body" to a "yoga mind" and enjoy the freedom!