Yoga and its Benefits

When we think of Yoga in the West we conjure up images of super flexible people contorting and twisting themselves in to all sorts of weird and wonderful positions but these images are a long way from what it really is all about.

When I was first introduced to this discipline in 1992 I also thought that it was only for hippies and weird looking Indian men but begrudgingly investigated what the benefits may be if I did do it.

I researched and discovered that the benefits, according to the text books, seemed to include a healthier more flexible body, more energy, staying looking younger longer, peace of mind and an increase in intellectual abilities.

With these benefits in mind I jumped in head first and began doing two and a half hours of Asanas everyday and an hour and a half of meditation everyday and I felt great!

Seventeen years later I am still practising and I am teaching Vinyasa Power Yoga at:

Bardon Hall
Bowman Park
247 Simpsons Road
Bardon,(Brisbane)
Queensland
Australia

Monday 6.00pm

For my full schedule of classes at Bardon Hall, Brisbane City, Norman Park and New Farm please click Here

For more information please contact me (click here)

What is Yoga?

There are four types of Yoga:

Karma or Action – this is the path that a devotee takes on serving humanity without any ulterior motive for reward. It is said that by following the path of unconditional love and action toward humanity that a person’s heart will be purified and through this purification process they gain wholeness.

Two good examples of this path are Mother Teresa and Ghandi who worked for the good of millions of people without any thought of “what’s in it for me?”

In our society we have people who work as volunteer carers and even those who assist the local junior football club voluntarily are following this path.

Jnana or Knowledge – on this path the aspirant studies sacred and ancient knowledge and through his or her assimilation and practical application of the laws of the universe in to their life they are eventually able to renounce any emotional attachment to the world and its ‘things’.

When they achieve this state on an intrinsic level they are spontaneously overcome with a feeling of bliss and wholeness. The monks of Tibet are good examples of this type of aspirant as they study the sacred knowledge relentlessly in their monasteries.

In order to follow this path it is not necessary to study complex ancient texts written in Sanskrit. Reading more contemporary books such as The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield or Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman can help to put us on to this path of knowledge.

Bhakti or Devotion – is the path of the emotional person who outpours their love to a deity. A lot of Christians take this path of worshipping God or Jesus and their love for their deity becomes so enormous that it overtakes their whole being and they themselves become the embodiment of love or wholeness.

Raja or Royal – is the path of physical, emotional and mental discipline being used in order to transmute these energies into spiritual energy.

The Raja path was set out by the Sage Patanjali in circa 300 B.C. and is sometimes known as "Ashtanga" or "Eight Limbs" because there are eight limbs that must be incorporated into one’s being in order for the aspirant to acquire the state of wholeness.

The Yoga that we mostly in the Western World stems from this path and the reason that this path is the most popular is that it is easier than the other paths in the beginning and it has many benefits along the way such as greater strength and flexibility through the use of Physical Asanas or Postures and a calm centred mind as a product of combining the physical asanas with Pranayama (breathing exercises).

This combination of physical postures and breathing is known as Hatha Yoga.

The Benefits of Hatha Yoga

I look and feel younger than my age

Most people when they meet me for the first time believe that I am somewhere between five to ten years younger than I actually am.

I am more flexible than most males and many females who are ten to fifteen years younger than I am which allows me to take part in sports such as windsurfing and snow skiing with limited risk of injury as I have full mobility of all my joints.

I have bundles of energy and to give you an idea of how much energy I have; in a seven week period I was able to write a 90,000 word book as well as post eighteen articles on this website.

My Pain Threshold has Increased Considerably

This is both a benefit and can also sometimes be a curse. When doing Hatha Yoga we are trained to go beyond the edge of our pain and in doing so we liberate our mind from emotional entanglements of the world which means we can deal with the stresses of life with less resistance and therefore roll with the punches of life much easier.

On the flip side, because we are able to work through our pain to liberation there is also the danger of not listening to our bodies when we are tired and this can lead to exhaustion. I learnt this the hard way in 1999 whilst living and working (and partying) in Germany.

Being in a foreign country was new and exciting for me and having been doing Yoga for seven years up to that point I consistently would go through my pain by working all day and staying up late most nights by accepting the endless invitations to parties and functions that were on offer.

After about six months of this lifestyle I found myself flat on my back in a German hospital bed thinking that each breath I was taking would be my last!

Whilst it is great that through doing Yoga we are able to deal with our day to day stresses much easier than we would otherwise we also need to keep in mind that the body still requires regular periods of rest and revitalisation.

I have Increased my Intellectual Capabilities

I am not quite sure how to explain this one without sounding a little “airy fairy” so I’ll just tell it as I see it. I am fully aware that my intellectual capabilities have increased substantially from doing Yoga.

My understanding of how this has occurred is that by practising Asanas and meditation consistently I have opened up the channel within me that resonates with the higher realms by bringing my personal vibration into harmony with that of the higher frequencies.

When aligned to the higher realms in this way I am able to ‘channel’ ideas, concepts and solutions that I never knew that I knew! This used to happen often when I was teaching golf and occurs now even more frequently when I am teaching Yoga.

It seems to work more effectively when I am using this ability to assist others than using it for personal gain. I have spoken to many people who are professional “channels” and they have confirmed with me that these abilities should always be used for helping other people.

I have learnt to never plan a class or a healing session in advance and I only ever follow my ‘guidance’ in the present moment knowing that the information coming through is what is required in that moment for that person / those people.

Napoleon Hill wrote about tapping in to the higher realms in his famous book “Think and Grow Rich” written in the 1930’s by explaining how inventors are able to tap into this higher consciousness. This is not a new concept.

Anyone can tap in to the higher realms and bring forth new knowledge and solutions and the practise of Yoga will open up this ability very quickly.

I Feel Content, Happy and Whole

When I first started practising Asanas seventeen years ago I immediately felt great and I couldn’t get enough of it. But as I continued to practise I found that layers and layers of old “stuff” was being stripped back like peeling back layer upon layer of and onion and after about twelve months of practise I was introduce to my ‘real’ self.

This was quite a shock because when I removed my ego identity of being a Professional Golfer, a son, a brother, an uncle, a boyfriend, a friend to many others and every other identity I had built up around me there was nothing left and I felt horribly empty!

It was this horrible empty feeling that persuaded me to stop playing professional golf and begin my search for true happiness.

Since that experience sixteen years ago I have continued my study and practise. Each day I have become more and more whole. My knowledge (Jnana) continues to increase and my physical practise of Asanas and Breathing (Hatha Yoga) keep my body and mind aligned to a much greater force than my ego.

The result of practising Yoga consistently?

My ‘cuppeth overfloweth’ as the saying goes; in short, I couldn’t be happier.

I sincerely hope that this section of my site will inspire you to become involved in Yoga if you are not already and if you already practise, help you to deepen your practise in which you can find a happiness unsurpassed by anything you can obtain from outside of yourself.

Namaste – “I honour and respect the divine within you which is also within me.”

Rohan :-)

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