Yoga: The Original Integral Practice

“The principle of Yoga is the turning of one or of all powers of our human existence into a means of reaching divine Being…” Sri Aurobindo

"You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state." Sharon Gannon

"Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union - the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul." B.K.S. Iyengar

In all of the excitement about integral practice (not just the one in a kit, but the whole kit and caboodle), it seems to me that yoga—fully practiced beyond the reductionist emphasis on Hatha-yogic postures—serves this rather well. As a yoga practitioner for the last twenty years, I have found that yoga fulfills what most people seem to be seeking in this quest for integral practice—a comprehensive method for engaging Spirit in our lives.

Maybe I’m an integral Luddite [grin], but I love being part of such a rich, global tradition exemplifying five thousand years or so of practice, especially one that requires so little—a willing body, heart, and mind. No bells (dumb or otherwise, but if you're into gear, there's no shortage of mats and straps and props for you), no whistles (although with practice you’re likely to hear the sounds of the universe, the music of the spheres). Wireless and portable. Pure simplicity with enough complexity to continue to evolve through centuries of practice.

I’ve taken it with me around the world and it’s never failed me. That said, I appreciate any offering that inspires people to embrace Spirit in the world—and I have even been known to lift a weight or two with some regularity. So without dismissing the value of ITP, ILP and other more recent self-transformative endeavors, I simply invite you to consider the relevance of what came before by offering this relatively brief and decidedly un-academic introduction to what may be the most useful and original integral practice that I know: yoga.