Yoga and Household Life
There is a common misunderstanding that yoga is a series of techniques and practices. In the West, most people think of yoga as a set of stretching exercises that are good for relaxation and fitness. Many people think of yoga as techniques such as postures (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation, and so on. Therefore, some yoga practitioners believe that when they are not practicing a technique, they are not practicing yoga.
Technique alone is not yoga. It is self-awareness and expanded consciousness that is the essence of yoga and the keys to a truly healthy, happy and fulfilling life. Physical and psychological health is a side-effect of self-awareness.
Yoga is Beyond Technique
When we understand that the cultivation of self-awareness is the essence of yoga then anything we do becomes a form of yoga, allowing us to feel more connected. Self-awareness can be cultivated by the daily practice of yoga techniques where we work on ourselves to develop a stable state of heightened awareness that we can then carry into our daily life. This is called living a ‘sattwic life’, a life filled with the light of awareness. We aim to make every interaction as conscious, creative and uplifting as possible.
This principle applies to all of our interactions and especially to our family life. Family relationships can be the most complex and demanding of all as they are the most intimate. It is in this setting that the things we often try to hide from the social world are revealed. Family knows us better than most people. A great test of our yogic accomplishment is how well we handle our family karma. The aim of yoga in the family situation is to become more aware of ourselves so that we can make the family environment a place where we can grow and fulfill our human needs and our ‘destiny’.
Self Awareness in Family Life
In the family situation we can practice yoga to stay relaxed and healthy, to live vital and fulfilling life. We can also use yoga to face our own inner ‘demons’, to shed light on the shadow part of our psyche. Awareness of our own shadow allows us to develop more authentic and meaningful relationships, to be more real. The cultivation of self-awareness allows us to avoid the trap of living a life of hypocrisy that is based only on ideology, what we have read and think we should be, rather than on who we truly are.
The secret to integrating yoga into daily ‘house-holder’ life is to understand that a little practice performed regularly will support profound changes over a period of time. One practice performed well will make a much greater impact than a lot of techniques performed without understanding or awareness. So we really need to practice a few stretches (asana), a little breathing (pranayama) and make one meditation practice our core practice to feel that we are starting to take control of our lives. Yoga does not require hours of practice that take you away from your family into seclusion, except perhaps for the occasional retreat, workshop or seminar where you can do an intensive program to upgrade your skills.
It is important not to place expectations on your family. Do not expect that just because you like yoga that they should also like it. Do not think that just because you practice a form of yoga, such as hatha yoga, that this is the only way to practice yoga.
If you place expectations on your family you will probably drive them further away from yoga, because placing expectations onto others is not a ‘yogic thing’ to do. In fact if you look very closely you might see that your family has its own form of yoga. And if you can find a skilful way to encourage more awareness in the family then this may be the thing that unites you all and creates the highest transformation.
If you are practicing yoga well then everyone will notice change in you. You will feel more relaxed and more in charge of your thoughts and emotions, happier and more accepting of yourself and others. Only then can your interactions with your family, friends and colleagues improve. Of course it does take time, along with regular practice and application to achieve and stabilize these things.
About the Author(s):
Dr Swami Shankardev Saraswati is an eminent yoga Acharya (authority), medical doctor, yoga therapist and internationally acclaimed author. As a direct disciple of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, he lived in the Bihar School of Yoga India for 10 years (1974-1985), where he trained to teach the highest practices of yoga-tantra.
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