Yoga and Ecology by Dennis Eagan

This excellent article comes by way of Balanced Rock instructor and WildYoga founder Dennis Eagan. For more information on Dennis, visit his website at www.wildyoga.com or see Dennis' Balanced Rock trip, "Energies of Nature."

Yoga and ecology both stem from the same seed: the awareness that all things are entwined in a single sacred web. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word, yug, meaning to join together. It refers to the integration of the body-mind and its union with the divine, but yoga also speaks to our connection to the energy field that sustains us. Every being inhabiting this planet represents a sutra or thread in the vast, complex tapestry we call the biosphere.

Both yoga and ecology are by their very nature sustainable practices. Sustainability is the conscious management of an ecosystem to insure that system’s productivity and resilience to disturbance are both maintained. In other words, how much can be harvested (think energy here) from that environment without upsetting its ability to bounce back from the physical challenges imposed upon it.

Many schools of yoga expound on the merits of blood, sweat, and tears as a means to ascend the mountain of enlightenment, but the emphasis on one’s dedication to practice or tapasya should not be confused with burning calories or profuse sweating. Too much effort leads to an unbalanced practice. An excess of heat and perspiration can leave us dehydrated and low on electrolytes, compromising our energy reserves or productivity, and leaving us more susceptible to colds and flu, less resilient.

Balance has always been the keystone of yoga. In a balanced practice, surrender equals effort, or as we say in yoga, Isvara pranidana merges with tapas. Then the physical body feels restored and rejuvenated after a yoga practice, and the mind is cool and calm; both productivity and resilience are maintained.

Life throws many stressors at us that can weaken the body-mind connection and disrupt the flow of the life force. A well-balanced yoga practice helps us face the challenges of aging, fighting off a virus, maintaining a family and career, and living in a world often dominated by fear.

The most productive and resilient ecosystems are also the ones with the most diversity. Though much of the focus on yoga in America is on asana practice, yoga provides a diverse curriculum with seven other limbs to ground and stabilize our practice. Living the precepts of the yamas and niyamas, pranayama, and the meditative aspects of yoga are all necessary for a well-integrated practice.

Ecology is the study of the energy flow between organisms and their environment. Yoga is an energy practice that promotes conservation of energy (the true yoga master is aware of each and every breath) and pratyahara or self- study. Look deep enough inside and we see that all things are indeed connected. In the words of Laura Cornell, founder of the Green Yoga Association, “Yoga is Ecology.”

Dennis Eagan
Wild Yoga
PO Box 304
Coloma, CA 95613
(530) 626-6353
www.wildyoga.com