5 Simple Ways to Becoming a Yogi
by Ashley Beasley
Yogi Disciplinary Steps To Peace and Contentment Every Day
Living the life of a real yogi can be one of the most spiritually rewarding and soul-fulfilling journeys someone can choose to lead but also one of the most arduous paths to take. This is because the yogi or yogini life is one of deep solitude, surrender and discipline and our modern culture simply does not support such practices.
These lifestyle routines of a yogi also help us lay the ground for more meaningful, internal work to evolve as human beings and raise our consciousness levels. Without a peaceful environment and peaceful mind, the deeper layers of consciousness remain elusive to us and what is beneath the surface of our waking mind will play out unbeknownst to us in our behaviors and actions. This can easily yield inharmonious results in our lives that hold us back on the evolutionary path.
However, those of us wishing to start a yogic lifestyle routine can begin by gently assimilating practices that yield effective results – results like a more peaceful, focused mind, a healthier attitude towards life, ability to handle problems with ease, a pleasant disposition and more balanced physical energy throughout the day.
Some simple guidelines to a yogic lifestyle include:
Wake Up and Wind Down with the Sun
The yogi sages of old used the natural rhythm and various degrees of sunlight to tune their bodies to attune their bodies. Absorbing the healthy rays of the sun during sunrise are the most beneficial for a sharp mind and healthy body, filling it with an abundance of prana (vital energy). This is in opposition to the midday sun rays, which are more harmful to the human cellular structure.
Sit in Meditation/Reflection Every Day
Take a certain amount of time to sit in meditation or reflection daily. Try to sit in silence at similar times and do the same practice every day. This will establish a natural rhythm for your body and mind to acclimate to, helping you go deeper faster.
If you don’t already have a practice, seek guidance from a local yoga or meditation instructor or try this:
Sit up straight in an easy cross-legged position, close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Simply watch the breath as it rises and falls from the center of the chest. As thoughts arise, simply notice them and allow them to pass and again return your attention to the breath at the heart’s center. Do this for 10 minutes.
Sacred Yogic texts called the Vedas tell us that besides Brahmi Muhurta, or 3:30 to 4:30 a.m., the best times to meditate are sunrise, sunset, midnight and high noon. This is due to the position of the sun and moon in relation to the Earth.
Eat Healthy Sattvic Foods
Sometimes we overlook how food affects our minds. Even in the Chandogya Upanishad of the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts on the planet, it is said “Pure food creates pure intellect. Pure intellect creates strong memory. Strong memory cuts all the knots of the heart.”
As such, sattvic foods are chosen assimilated and prepared Ayurvedically and with the intention of both nourishing the body and calming the mind. A pure sattvic diet will be freshly cooked, vegetarian and exclude garlic, onions, eggs, processed and spicy foods, as these foods make the mind rajasic (fiery or active) and out of balance.
Practicing Ahimsa (Non-Violence)
Ahimsa is one of the 8-Limbs of Yoga, outlined by Patanjali, as well as the primary message of Gandhi’s life on Earth. This rule applies not only to actions, but also to violent words and thoughts. Most of us would easily agree that violence is unproductive and naturally oppose it. However, we rarely realize that our thoughts, however subtle they may be, are oftentimes the most harmful and violent influence in our lives.
We can start practicing this by having respect for all life, sentient and insentient on the planet, as well as through a vegetarian diet, and by being mindful of the waste we produce.
Spend time in Nature Every Day
Sit in a park and watch the tree branches sway in the wind for ten minutes. Watch how your mind is pulled away from the monotony of daily plunder and turned into a natural yogic state of just being, simply by sitting in nature. We unknowingly absorb fresh prana from forms of nature like trees, grass, flowers and bodies of water, as well as by breathing in the fresh oxygen from the leaves. Allow simply being in nature to bring you back to a yogic state of wholeness without doing anything.
The more we bring the knowledge of yoga into practice, the more we can experience the benefits of an expanded mind and peaceful life. However, it’s always best to bring big changes into our routine gradually. At each step in the yogi process, we reflect on how the changes are affecting us. Let the process be one of natural discovery and allow the balance to assimilate into our inner world as well as our outer.
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About the Author
Ashley Beasley is an inspired and dedicated yogini, committed to the spiritual path for more than ten years. With a background in somatic movement, martial arts, and Asian philosophy, Ashley’s studies and search for truth have brought her across the globe. Through devotion, service and annual trips to her guru Sri Amma Karunamayi’s ashram in India, she shares how to embody yoga and find the light within. You can find Ashley in Bali, Indonesia, teaching Yoga Retreats and 200-hour Yoga Teacher Trainings at Blooming Lotus Yoga.
