Yoga Saves the World
This is an essay written by Brandi Bosch, a recent graduate of Balanced Rock's WildYoga Teacher Training. She is a great new yoga teacher with a brilliant practice, and unconditional love for her students. Brandi's essay is a powerful statement of how yoga can be instrumental in saving the world!
Changing the world begins with returning to or establishing an inner state of peace, contentedness, and balance – just as nature is responding to a feedback loop to reach a state of equilibrium in an ever-changing, ever-disrupted global climate.There is a deep connection between the practice of yoga (in its entirety) and the various ecosystems we live in (Eagan, 2011). In the article Yoga, Personal Transformation, and Global Sustainability, Dr. B.K. Bose reminds us that “the keys to global sustainability lay in aligning our thoughts and actions so they are congruent with our long-term interests as a species and life on Earth while requiring us to delay our need for immediate gratification. Yoga is a practice that makes this possible”. This work, to live conscientiously and in harmony with our world, is life long and it takes effort. Immediate gratification may temp us initially to take an “easy” approach to the complexities of existence, but when we look deeply with mindfulness, we understand that growth and sustainability cannot be immediate – it takes perseverance.Looking carefully at the eight-limbs of yoga, specifically at the yamas and niyamas, we are given a basic blueprint for living a whole-hearted life, one which nurtures the body/mind/spirit connection and can also bring about a sense of peace when faced with the myriad challenges and stressors present day to day. It is a practice. A practice which requires patience and mindfulness. It is a practice that aligns our inner-space with the world around us.
The practice of yoga can act as a catalyst for deepening our understanding of the grand connection with all of life and foster participation in a sustainable community for the present and future generations.
The practice of yoga can act as a catalyst for deepening our understanding of the grand connection with all of life and foster participation in a sustainable community for the present and future generations. I believe this to be true. I also believe it to be some of the hardest work one will ever encounter. Once you begin to notice subtle changes in yourself, areas of stagnancy or pain, rather than running or burying the burden, yoga helps you to settle into the discomfort with an open heart, mind, and whole-hearted compassion – just as we must look at environmental dilemmas with a goal of sustaining and working toward equilibrium.Whether or not I opt to teach yoga, it has slowly been changing my mental and emotional processes, and allowing me to see the areas in which I am imbalanced. Often I do not fully understand how to work with these imbalances, but the goal is clear. Each time I mindfully practice, deep healing is taking place. And in turn, the stage is set to heal the planet.
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