BEing vs. DOing

The other day I read something very “new-agey” about yoga.  The author said that yoga is being, not doing.  I immediately visualized the packing of my bags to trek to the Himalayas to meditate, to just be.  It made me chuckle.

Reality set it.  It’s rare that a person of the modern world has an opportunity to set their worldly duties aside to just be.

Doing is a reality of human existence if you want to pay the mortgage, feed the children, take care of grandma, do community service, train for a marathon race, achieve your potential through your chosen profession or make meaningful connections with your friends and family.

A more appropriate way to describe yoga might be that it is the being within the doing.  It is bringing attention, focus and presence to anything that you do. We often go on auto-pilot, especially with those closest to us.  One of the first challenges of presence is to just stop, breathe and listen.  Once you master that, then maybe the trek to meditate in the Himalayas will be a wise journey.

Until then, bring presence to your doing.  Breathe into the household chores, the yardwork, the carpools, the games, the job, the volunteering, the savoring of a good meal with friends, and into the cherished moments of your own personal practice of yoga.

“Explore the life that is the life of your present form.  One day you will discover it is not different from the life of the Secret One, and your heart will sing triumphant songs of being at home everywhere.”

— The Radiance Sutras