If you’re a keen observer of daily events, it would be hard not to rate the recent turmoil affecting air travelers in northern Europe right up there with the major stories of the year. Who would have thought an active volcano in remote Iceland could bring the world’s aviation industry to it’s knees (or should that read ‘ground’) while nature took it’s course, throwing the travel plans of thousands of people into chaos? Is there a link between erupting volcanoes and yoga?

The recent travel chaos caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano has been described as the greatest disruption to air traffic since the Second World War. The travel arrangements of thousands of people through some of the world’s busiest airports across northern Europe and the UK simply came to a halt. Airlines were unable to fly for fear of a combination of engine malfunction and aircraft damage, with the industry unable to predict how long travel would be affected due to intense plumes of ash in the sky. What a reminder of our vulnerability and susceptibility to unforeseen climatic events!

We are all aware there’s ultimately a cost of human endeavour impacting on the environment. To think such an occurrence as an exploding volcano would play havoc with modern day transportation to such a stunning extent is intriguing to say the least. Turmoil such as this happens in part because of the unexpected. We are never able to predict with certainty when things will go wrong. Yoga offers the practitioner a path to managing and accepting disruption and imbalance from unexpected change. Yoga allows us to embrace rather than escape from these moments of ‘mini turmoil’.  

Yoga delivers a sense of calm and inner stillness by connecting our mind, body and spirit. Just think how your mind is still and focused after an hour or two on the mat! Yoga practice and yoga retreat offer a path to inner peace and peace of mind and body is as close as a regular practice. 

Yoga offers a doorway into inner stillness to bring life into balance. Yoga also offers strength and direction to deal with events which threaten balance and harmony. Yogis know we needn’t endure inner turmoil even when our outer world descends into chaos and confusion.

One way to bring inner stillness is to engage in a yoga retreat and enjoy a week long program of yoga, rest, meditation and cleansing diet which can do wonders towards achieving balance and harmony. This is particularly relevant when the stress of daily routine begins to take a toll on our general state of wellbeing.

We have no control over nature. What really matters is how we meet the demands of changing external circumstances. Yoga practice helps keep ourselves in balance with our physical and emotional environments especially when our outer world is in turmoil. The inner stillness that comes through yoga is a powerful and accessible path to stability and harmony.

We sympathise with the tens of thousands of air passengers stranded in the recent crisis. The likelihood is that such an event will soon forgotten, to be replaced with a new set of challenging circumstances. Let us remember as life presents such challenges, not to fight change but accept what is. Let us meet challenge and change with love and surrender and use our practice of yoga to restore and maintain inner peace and stillness.

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Like you, I like to live a life which shows my passion about the environment. Like you, I recycle paper and glass waste at home. I try and buy locally produced food and goods from my neighbourhood greengrocer or weekly market, rather than those shipped half way round the world at the town’s corporate supermarket. When I visit an ATM I select view on screen rather than print a receipt. I try and cycle whenever I can. I even tear off the plastic window from bills envelopes (I’m told it’s the Virgo in me) when disposing off mail. And I practice yoga because of a sense of stillness and harmony a regular practice offers me. So when people more learned than me urge we tread lightly on the planet, I want to follow their lead because it sits comfortably with those values. Why then is there such a fuss over whether our response to climate change is right?

Recently, there’s been a spate of stories casting a cloud of doubt over what to do in response to climate change. Is the globe really warming? After all, parts of Europe and North America have just experienced one of their coldest winters on record. Some scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are now being discredited because statistics on melting Himalayan glaciers have been off the mark. Climate skeptics are on world tours while sections of the mainstream media are accused of falling short of rigorous scrutiny of the best available facts.

What we’re told and what we believe is dividing public opinion. Some think it’s a case of what you want to believe while others are happy with what science is able to tell us. Sound familiar? Have you ever felt a test of faith when it comes to understanding or accepting something you know little about? Some times there are no answers for why things are the way they are. Yoga practice and yoga retreats serve to instil a sense of inner calm to help us deal with the frenetic pace of life. The experience can help bring life into balance by taking a step back for contemplation. They also serve to bring clarity to understanding those things in life which require belief and trust alone.

When I hear of the dissenters of climate change theory, I try to empathize in case they have a point. Then I get stuck. But does it matter if I don’t fully understand? Is it really such a bad idea to try and take lighter footsteps for the good of the planet?

The easy thing to do would be to pretend the science is a fiction and we have nothing to worry about. Perhaps it IS a part of the planet’s natural cycle and that world governments and most of the science community are over-reacting. Then I remind myself that few things in life are free (or easy), and that I’ve inherited the world left my by my ancestors. Remaining true to my yoga practice is sometimes a challenge, but I know time on the mat leaves me feeling nurtured and still, just as I like my life to be. I enter a place of calm particularly with morning practice, which stays with me as I undergo my daily routine. I undertake yoga retreats to further my understanding and acceptance of the blessing offered by my yoga. When I’m compelled to engage with others in business or pleasure, I hope they acknowledge and appreciate the sense of stillness and harmony my practice brings to me. I want others to share in those gifts. If I can live more in harmony with the environment by minimizing my impact on it, then it seems I’m showing and sharing the benefits of my yoga in the world at large too.

A yoga practice helps develop that sense of harmony which science is urging us to honour. Does it matter if the extent of the challenge is uncertain? If much of the world’s most respected scientific opinion asks us to conserve, recycle, reuse and offset where we can, why not simply ‘do it’? Doesn’t such a path reflect what we as yogis aspire towards? If the truth is hard to bear, can we afford to close our eyes and leave it to others to act on our collective behalf?

To me, the aims of action on climate change sit comfortably with my desire to live a life of balance and harmony. That’s why I practice yoga. Denying this opportunity to restore balance is like giving up on the blessing of our yoga practice. We’re being shown the opportunity to take a new approach to interacting with our natural environment. As yogis, we already understand and respect the value in such an approach in our daily life. Isn’t this chance to change the way we interact with nature worth trying, regardless of the science and the skeptics who choose to question such a path?

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A yogic practice brings with it many blessings. For me, a welcome feeling of ‘sensory deprivation’ descends upon me as I ‘descend’ upon the mat. It brings my mind to stillness but also centres my heart in preparation for the nurturing sensation of yoga. My teacher brings to class a philosophical approach rooted in the training she has undergone steeped deeply in the eight limbed system of Yoga known as Astanga (Raja Yoga). Of those eight limbs, it is ahimsa, the first of the five ethical and moral observations we refer to as the Yamas which seem especially relevant at the moment.

Those of us who take at least a passing interest in the daily news cycle will have read, heard and seen stories of the most recent natural disaster to afflict the people of the central American nation of Haiti. A nation already poor by world standards has been left reeling in the ruins of a series of earthquakes and aftershocks, with a death toll now reaching an estimated quarter of a million. The disaster is now considered to be the worst ever to strike the Americas, and on a par with the 2004 Asia-Pacific tsunami. Hundreds of thousands of fellow human beings, wildlife and flora are left to recover and cope in the most challenging of circumstances.

Once again, as before, in such situations, we are united in sorrow and grief for those lucky to survive. Our compassion turns to them, strangers in name but united as sisters and brothers in humanity. Amidst the stories of rescue and recovery since the tragedy are inspiring efforts by others to lend a hand. There’s something yogic about these acts of compassion by individuals, groups and organizations, from heads of governments to people on a pension, that reminds us the well of humanity is truly deep and lasting.

Popular musicians give their time to record a special CD or perform in stadiums to raise money for those in need. Aid agencies such as Oxfam and Red Cross mobilize to send expert teams to help re-establish sanitation, shelter and clean, safe drinking water. Individuals come together to fundraise on a local level from street stalls to lavish banquets in support of those agencies to help them provide on-going assistance. All these acts in their own practical way reflect the code of ethics we know as ahimsa, and specifically, acting with compassion towards all. It’s a basic aspect of our yoga teacher training and is experienced by every participant who spends time on a yoga retreat.

To me this code encourages us to go beyond acts of compassion within our immediate circle of family and friends. Acting with compassion is not unique to yogis, but it’s our practice and awareness of this philosophical side of yoga training which reminds us to act with enhanced respect for all living beings in our daily lives beyond the mat. We want to help and give when we see clear images of calamity and strife afflicting those who are strangers but whom we consider like family and one of us, united in humanity. Compassionate living helps direct our thoughts (and where possible, action) to help any way we can. It’s a key measure of the strength of our practice that the well of humanity which forms part of the philosophical approach of the yoga we learn and teach has no limit.

How can we as yogis go further in our show of compassion at times like these? Is there a way we can adapt or extend the code of ahimsa in a practical way? Is there an opportunity for us to extend that philosophy into our next class? You might share your awareness with your students and friends who share your love of yoga. You can certainly remain aware of the fate of our fellow sisters and brothers who are faced with new challenges in the wake of such events such as the Haiti earthquake and the more recent earthquake in Chile. Our yoga practice raises an awareness to respond, feel and if possible act in this way. Is there a way we can extend that awareness and compassion for the betterment of our world?

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We’ve just witnessed the greatest assembly of world leaders gathered in the name of the environment in the one city and at the one time. Some 15,000 delegates and 100 world leaders representing 192 countries attended a two week climate change summit in Denmark. That got me thinking. Is there an opportunity for a yogic response to the way we might respond to arguably the biggest environmental challenge the world has ever seen? Yes there is!

It’s in the yamas, the first of the eight limbs of yoga. The yamas contain five precepts, of which the third is called ‘asteya’, often translated as ‘non-stealing – not taking that which is not given.’ Asteya calls for a life lived with less while not craving for what others already have. The yamas and niyamas are a foundation of yoga teacher training and form part of the philosophical approach in yoga retreats. It asks we live simply, a message one might argue seemed a little lost as the world debated the road ahead in Copenhagen.

An evolving yoga practice brings many blessings. Among them, there emerges a stillness and calming of the mind. Writers Rham and Gill, in ‘The Spirit of Yoga’ say, when there’s stillness, the “moral restraint of yama begins to emerge naturally from within”. What would it have been like if those men and women in power could have adopted the philosophy of asteya? Instead of individual nations striving to deliver a political outcome to appease their constituents, could we have seen a heightened awareness of the need to live with less and to more equitably share the spoils of what over two centuries of industrialisation have already delivered.

Simply put, while developing countries continue to strive towards a greater level of ‘development’, and rich nations resist calls to curb their considered luxurious lifestyle, we’re probably not going to get too far! The developing world wants what the developed already has. Why can’t we agree to live with what we have, while moving towards a more long term sustainable lifestyle? As the 13th century Persian poet Rumi puts it, it’s time we “gave up wanting what other people have”.

Asteya offers an answer to a world in which many blame our current environmental woes on people wanting too much. Taking the ‘longing out of living’ is a first key step in moving towards a world more at harmony with the limitations of nature. A yoga retreat especially one which takes place within a natural environment, echoes this principle and key to living.Why can’t the so-called ‘rich west’ offer a promise to give, share and rejoice with the developing world in the spirit of asteya so that the world’s majority might live longer and healthier lives?

For too long, it can be argued western society has lived well beyond its environmental means. That’s never more evident than at Christmas, when the toils of a year of work are spent in a flash in the tills of shopping centres across every nation. People are urged to spend for the economic good of the nation, with the season of goodwill evaluated by a financial figure expressed as a dollar and cent (insert your own currency here) turnover. Ah, how much simpler the season would be if we were urged instead to question our material needs before landing in ever deeper consumer debt.

By removing the need for more, we learn to live with less. If we stop striving for more, and make do with what we have, we’re acting in not just in line with the practice of asteya, but also in a highly responsible and environmental way which lets the earth breathe. Why not live simply, so that others may simply live? Put another way, remove the urge for more if we want to increase our blessings.

Our yoga practice can guide us along this path. Could it have been the answer the earth and it’s leaders were looking for as they gathered in the cold of Copenhagen over the first two weeks of December 2009?

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It’s December and there’s high tension in the air. It’s not just the ever bubbling and changing political landscape which has dominated recent time here in Australia. Rather, it’s that feeling of extra demands on our time and yet not enough time to spend on our own as we otherwise might like to. It’s a time when it becomes a little more challenging to maintain our regular personal practice of yoga, meditation and healthy diet. No wonder we need a holiday to get over the holiday! It’s also timely we review our commitment to our yoga practice with a view to a fresh start to the New Year on retreat. It’s our yoga practice which is increasingly important at this time, helping us cope with the added pressure and expectation the season can bring to bear.

Christmas is a truly wonderful time of year. For many, it’s an occasion to reunite with family and other loved ones often from afar for a few hours or days of catch up and sharing. It’s a time of feasting too, with often more get togethers and official functions than one can possibly attend, squeezed into a few short days or weeks. It’s an opportunity to express our love for one another with the giving of gifts, and it’s a time to relax and bend the routine which so dominates much of our waking hours for most of the year.

We know also that Christmas is a time of sadness, loneliness and despair for some within our community. It’s an emotional time, as anyone who’s been alone at Christmas can testify. It seems the heightened sense of expectation exacerbated by a Western culture of excessive consumerism has a lot to answer for!

Our yoga practice helps guide us at this time of year. With much feasting going on, it’s good to know yoga can offer choice when it comes to a diet that’s balanced and nurturing. It’s summer in Australia so it’s the season of pitta. As ayurvedic teacher Jacinta McEwen writes in the it’s the time to enjoy cooling foods with plenty of fresh green leafy vegetables and seasonal fruit taken raw or as a cold liquid refreshment. In a warm climate, it’s the time to avoid hot spicy additives such as chilli and garlic in our Christmas cooking. Ensure you get sufficient detox time as well which means ‘look after your liver’! It’s likely even the most ardent teetotaller will be tempted towards a celebratory glass of champagne so have a look at how to avoid unpleasant and unfamiliar headaches, or worse.

We’re approaching a new year (and decade) and an opportunity to re-affirm steps to take towards a more yogic lifestyle. While our yoga practice can sometimes diminish during December, we have a wonderful opportunity to regain and realign soon after. One of my most memorable times has been spent chanting and meditating the hours towards midnight new year. It not only sat well with my desire to ‘get away from it all’, I enjoyed the comfort and company of like minded individuals in a supported environment enhanced by a beautiful natural setting and the most delicious ayurvedic food. We have a wonderful opportunity to do the same this season with Byron Yoga Centre’s January retreat program or similar, wherever we may be. Spending the early days of the New Year in such a place presents a chance to re-focus and re-align through meditation, contemplation, and a renewed dedication to regular yoga practice. It’s an opportunity to engage in added spiritual inquiry, wholesome balanced food and steady rest as well. If we’re able, such retreats will take us to a place of natural beauty as well, where the physical environment further enhances our steady steps towards a peaceful New Year.

It’s fun to celebrate at this time of year. But try to do so in such a way that you don’t compromise balance in mind, body and spirit. Such an approach helps curb the added stress and expectation Christmas can sometimes bring to bear.

Let’s also try to reach out to those less fortunate or alone. You might consider helping in a local soup kitchen or a homeless shelter or choosing cards and gifts from charities or aid organisations which assist the disadvantaged. Then spoil yourself with the spiritual nourishment of a new year retreat. Indulge in the grace of our teachers and others and begin the new year with a sense of renewed strength and focus. What a wonderful gift to ourselves!

Wishing you the happiness and joy of the season.

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Barack Obama, America’s first African American president is now a year in office. Such a significant milestone, usually greeted with not only much fanfare both domestically in the US but often by world leaders generally, has been somewhat overshadowed by another achievement of merit, the new president being honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize. Some world figures, including at least one past recipient, had already questioned the nomination coming as it did after just several weeks in office. Imagine their shock when the committee made it’s award! So that got me thinking, is there something yogic in how arguably the world’s most powerful man has taken to his role?

The peace prize announcement caught everyone by surprise. As the news put it at the time, perhaps not in recent memory had there been “such a global outpouring of incredulity and praise in unequal measure” in response. Mr Obama, it was said at the time, was being honoured for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”. The committee praised the “change in the international climate” that the President had brought. It also said part of this change in climate was due to the US president’s stated goal of ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

Perhaps what the committee recognized, and was trying to promote through it’s actions, was a feeling of hope. As it said at the time, it saw hope for a better future. It’s fair to say that feeling of hope stemmed from a thawing in global tension between previously hostile nations, improved global dialogue, a greater tolerance of those who hold differing or even opposing views, and a greater respect for our planet and what to do about it’s parlous state of health. Such worthy aspirations are hardly new to one who is familiar with what we call a yogic path.

It’s been understandable to see critics point out that the Peace Prize honour comes before so called ‘real achievement’ has been delivered by the new president in office. What they fail to recognize is that this award recognizes not so much achievement, but a shift. The language of confrontation has been replaced with the language of co-operation.

The president wants not a new world order, but new world respect. He’s offering diplomacy not at arms length but with a handshake. He’s promising to try to bringing peoples of different hue and faith together in a spirit of peace and decency. These ideals are not beyond him, and nor are they beyond us.

Our yoga practice consists of much the same ideals and it’s ideals such as these which are the foundation of every yoga class. Our experience of yoga reminds us of the value of respect, not just for one another, but for our own bodies. Our experience of yoga teaches us how to live in harmony with our mind and body, and encourages us to take that state into our everyday lives. Our experience of yoga does much to create a sense of inner harmony, just as the new president has been quick to take steps towards restoring a sense of global harmony in marked contrast to his predecessor.

Whether the Nobel committee in it’s actions was showing insight or courage, is best left for others to determine. But can we say their “surprising but imaginative choice” might be based on similar aspirations we hold as yogis towards our practice and the way we live our lives.

Much like yoga, this award seems to me to be less about achievement and all about hope and aspiration. To paraphrase Lao-tzu, such a long journey of high affirmation begins with one step. It needn’t be solely about an outcome or a result, not even when it comes to the world’s most powerful figure.

Do practical goals matter? Yes they do, in the long run. As the famous English economist John Maynard Keynes once implied, no one lives long enough to enjoy the so called ‘long run’. All that matters is now, and what we see right now is a shift in direction which embodies much of what we hold dear in yoga practice. For this reason, the Norwegians with their decision in 2009 in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize might have got it right.

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