San Francisco: Why Yoga Works
The Piedmont Yoga Studio (which was founded, in part, by Rodney Yee and has birthed some of the Bay Area's best teachers) turned 21 this past weekend and celebrated its anniversary with a number of events to benefit the studio, including a very interesting lecture called Why Yoga Works. The panelists were local teachers Judith Lasater, Tony Briggs, and Yoko Yoshikawa and the talk was moderated by another PYS founder, Richard Rosen.
So, why does yoga work? The articulate guest speakers spoke a bit about how yoga focuses the mind, relieves the body of stress, and digs below the surface emotionally. But, in general, they also seemed to struggle somewhat with the question. And upon reflection, so did I. After all, this is a question we all get asked from time to time by people who don't practice: Why does yoga work? But how can we answer that question without defining what exactly we're talking about. Asana? Pranayama? Yamas and niyamas? Kriyas? Mantra? Sure, all of these things "work," but they work differently.
The discussion meandered somewhat until Richard asked a great question: What exactly does it mean for yoga to "work"? What is the goal we are trying to accomplish with our practices? How do we know when we are "successful"?
We could ask 100 practitioners why yoga works and get 100 different answers. One person might say, "I feel calmer after a yoga class, so it works"; another person might say, "My injury doesn't hurt anymore, so it works!"; and yet a third person might say, "Yoga helps me feel closer to God, so it works." See the problem? Perhaps the question really is: "Why does yoga work for you?"
All of this difficulty speaking about yoga's ultimate benefits got me thinking of my own troubles defining yoga to friends and relatives who don't practice.
So, it's exercise, they say?
Well, not exactly.
It's breathing?
Well, yes, but there's more.
Is it praying?
Well, in a way, but … (Sigh.)
If only they just tried it, they could tell ME why it works!
In the end, even the panelists agreed that there was a certain mystery to yoga, that its powers couldn't be completely explained by simple terms and definitions. I wonder if anyone out there, teachers or students, have thoughts about the question of "why yoga works"? Or maybe just share with us why yoga works for you?
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Comments
It's very true. People do yoga for millions of different reasons and no connection is ever the same as the last. Either you feel deeper into your inner spirit or your feel calm , or you feel at peace, or your feel enlightened. All very different but all along the lines of the benefits of yoga and why it works. Each time a person does yoga , it's a different experience no matter if they are a "master yogi" or a beginner.
Posted by: Shayna | March 13, 2008 9:42 PM
I'm not a practitioner of yoga, but your column resonated with me. From what I've heard about yoga, and I do know people who practice it, it seems to me that it has so many different aspects to it, and thus it means different things to different people. Yoga works in so many different ways for different people depending upon their needs and what they want to get out of it. Some people want the physical benefits, some the emotional and/or spiritual, some the mental benefits. And for many, I suppose they benefit in all areas. Great column.
Posted by: Barbara | March 15, 2008 4:26 PM