Going Beyond Asana | 12 Simple Ways To Live Yoga Off The Mat

PURPOSE

Jun 14

Written By

“The idea of a yoga practice is really not just to focus and be aware and mindful and calm for the time that we’re on the mat, but to carry this state of being with us when we leave class” - Bhagavad gita

Take your yoga off your mat. You hear this a lot in yoga class, but what does it really mean?

In the spirit of International Yoga Day, we thought it would be inspiring to look into the real purpose of yoga, going beyond asana, and embracing yoga as a way of life.

To put it simply - Yoga is not just something we ‘do’ - it’s something we live.

Yoga is how we eat, speak, and breathe. How we meet what shows up on our path. How we talk to the person serving us at the grocery store, a taxi driver, or a family member. It’s extending compassion to the seemingly rude other who appears to be having stress in their day. It’s expressing kindness to ourselves when a dark thought shows up, or things don’t go as we had planned.

The practice of Yoga is about more than enjoying the euphoric or zen feels we have after sixty minutes in our favorite class, the journey of becoming a teacher or celebrating the progress we’ve made with our headstands. It’s about extending our practice in our daily lives and increasing our awareness and sensitivity to life in all its shades.

If you’ve been practicing yoga for a while, you’ll know that Yoga calls us to look at ourselves very deeply, and focus our awareness inwards, transforming our world from the inside out.

Yoga reminds us to constantly check in with ourselves. To practice self awareness and self inquiry. It is an invitation to still the mind enough, to trust the body, and surrender to life, to our purpose - our dharma.

So how do you take your practice off the mat and into your daily living?

Here are twelve simple yogic principles to tuck in your back pocket, and apply to your life to truly live your yoga off the mat…

Begin the day brand new (savasana)

On the mat, Yoga teaches us Savasana is our time to restart. In everyday living we learn that each morning is a new beginning. Wake up remembering it is a new day and another chance for opportunity, no longer looking behind and dwelling on the past.
Practice gratitude (pranamasana)

The moment your eyes flutter open in the morning, bring your hands in Pranamasana (prayer hands in front of your heart) and give a prayer of gratitude for anything! Whatever comes to mind (your breath, your family, the fact that you woke up). Just sincerely give recognition and gratitude for your blessings and try to touch in with that heart space throughout your day.
Begin your day by setting a sacred intention (sankalpa)

Before your feet even hit the floor, set an intention. A good way to do this is to ask your body and mind what it needs. At the end of the day, what will your body and mind thank you for?

Set your intention right when you wake up when your mind has not yet been bombarded with the to-do lists for the day. Use it throughout the day if you feel any chaos or overwhelm arising.
Express compassion (ahimsa – non-violence)

Always start with yourself. Yoga is about honoring your body and learning to accept and love where you are right now. Why not take some of this compassion off the mat into your daily activities?

What does being kind to yourself look like? Stopping to check in with yourself before you say yes. Doing things that bring you joy. Practicing non-judgement: Turn off the inner critique! Whether it’s judging you or others. Learn to accept yourself and others as you are, and admire our apparent quirks and differences. If everyone were exactly like us, the world would be very one dimensional!
Go with the Flow (isvara pranidhana)

Yoga teaches us to simply allow. Remember times during your practice when painful sensations arise, physical or emotional. We welcome these feelings and let them be present without judging, then let them pass. We learn that in life we must allow. We do not have control over other people, or other situations- and the sooner we stop fighting for control and relax into the experience, it will pass.
Breathe! (pranayama)

As you learn the breathing techniques to help support and guide you through difficult poses, take this same concept out into the world with you. When you encounter a stressful situation, or uncomfortable sensations (fear, anger, sadness, and so on) arise, instead of trying to run away from them (you know how you feel sometimes in chair pose), take a deep breath, smile, and let the calming effects of your breathing carry you through the situation.

Breathing takes us from fight, flight, or freeze - the sympathetic nervous system, to the parasympathetic nervous system - that promotes relaxation. Just like on the yoga mat, as you breathe into the sensations, they relax and change. Don’t underestimate the power of your breath. Your life literally depends on it.
Fuel your body with high vibrational food (saucha – purity)

Just like breath is our life force, food is our energy. Food has the ability to nourish or deplete us. Strengthen the body, or weaken it. What we put into our bodies often influences other decisions we make, so it’s important to honor the earthly vessel. You only get one body!
Keep your space organized (aparigraha – non-possessiveness)
Clutter creates chaos. A messy outer world often means a cluttered and messy inner world. Plus, we function at a higher level when our space is clean and workable.

Empty your drawers, and re-organize them. Clean up your home room by room and let go of what no longer brings you joy or serves you. That sweater you haven’t worn in 3 years? Toss it. When making a new purchase, ask yourself if you really need it! Marie Kondo your space and see how peaceful you feel inside and out!
Be truthful (Satya)

Being truthful is something appreciated by everyone, and helps build trusting relationships. A tool to practice cultivating truthfulness is to observe our actions and see if they’re coming from a place of joy, love and service or if we are doing something because of a need to prove or gain something!
Study Yourself (svadhyaya)

As you go throughout your day, if you find yourself being reactive and emotional, take a step back, a pause, a breath, and look at what is arising. Ask yourself what are you reacting to? How can you respond to this as opposed to reacting to it? This is an incredibly powerful shift!
Be where you are (dharana)

With so many distractions pulling our attention this way and that, it can feel difficult to be ‘fully here’. A simple way to cut through distraction, is to become more aware in interactions: When you are talking with someone, try being completely focused on the person and the conversation. Forget about what you have to do next or the stressful meeting you just came from and give your full attention. See how good it feels to be fully in the moment and how those on the receiving end respond to this.
Be of service (karma yoga)

Weave kindness and compassion into your daily life, whether it’s being kind to yourself by resting when you need it, bringing a neighbor’s trash can in, or donating your time. The choices are endless and it feels so enlivening to be of service to others.

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There you have it! Twelve beautiful and simple ways to live yoga and continue feeling those good vibrations from your practice on the mat - off the mat!

You can see, practicing Yoga does not necessarily mean that your purpose is to become a yoga teacher, but if you feel a pull to go deeper into your own practice and open up to the possibility of sharing the power of yoga with others, then our next YTT is coming up in August!

And because we are celebrating International Yoga Day, we have a special promotion on our online YTTs, meaning you can become a Yoga Teacher from the comfort of your own home