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International
Meditation Society
Sivananda Ashram, Victoria, BC |
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International
Meditation Society
Sivananda Ashram, Victoria, BC |
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-- LIFE WITHOUT YOGA? --
By Kim Tipper
In 1997, at the age of 42 I was motivated by curiosity and nagging joint problems to attend my very first yoga class with Anthony Eriksson. Before that time I knew little of yoga though it had been recommended to me by several acquaintances. From that first class I knew I had found something true, honest and worth putting ahead of the many mundane things that clutter one's too busy life. This seemed to be something I was looking for without being aware of it.For me the benefits of yoga can be divided into the physical benefits and the emotional and spiritual benefits. Physically I have found a sense of well being that is with me every minute of every day. Of course the breathing exercises and postures have remedied my joint and respiratory complaints and made me more flexible and energetic than my kids. But also I have become more resistant to infection, less prone to headaches, able to work longer, need less sleep and sleep better when I do sleep. Without an alarm clock I feel compelled to rise with the sun every day.
In keeping with the teaching of yoga I became a vegetarian. For me this was not an act of abstinence but of freedom. Freedom from the fear, guilt and resentment of eating animals. It was something I had long intended and yoga provided the impetus for this change. This opened up a new feeling of exploration, enjoyment and self-care in both eating and fasting.
Spiritually, I found that yoga provides a framework which accommodates all my own beliefs and at the same time provides a new perspective on the reality around me. I feel that I have been freed from long-held assumptions of the limits on the body and the mind. I am willing to explore freedom from misery. All these things have made me better able to provide for everyone around me.
Yoga has taught me the value and importance of meditation. And through meditation all things are open to us.
For me the central message of yoga has so far been, 'You have a lot of work to do'. There is always something to work on, there is no need for boredom, there is no need for diversion. With this has come patience and a sense of peace. What I have found in yoga has made me able to face the future not with fear and resignation, but rather with joy, enquiry and anticipation.
Copyright - (C)1998 International Meditation Society - IMS