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“Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be.” BKS Iyengar On August 20th, at the age of 95, one of my earliest yoga influences and greatest teachers, Dr. BKS Iyengar, died. Although I never had the great pleasure or honor of meeting him in person, like so many others, I have been profoundly impacted by his life’s work and the ripple effect of his teachings. Though I am saddened that the opportunity to study with him has passed me by, I am reminded that sometimes the best way we can reach and teach others is to simply live a life of example, just as Dr. Iyengar’s life has been for me. Yoga, like life itself, is an ever-fluctuating process of change, growth, and evolution. It begins with our inner work so that we can awaken to our innate compassion, kindness and joy. We work on liberating ourselves from mental slavery and confusion so that our thoughts, words and actions can be a means of liberation for all others. This is a process not of creating a new way of thinking or behaving, but of waking up to, that which already exists within each and every one of us. Yoga asana, meditation, conscious breathing, chanting, are all practices within a greater systematic process of awakening. It is remembering our (and all others’) basic, innate goodness and consciously choosing to live and act from that place within. Once we are back in touch with this place within, our outer world begins to mirror our inner world. It is there that we can honestly assess our impact on others and choose to stop harming anyone with our thoughts, our words, and our actions. But maybe you don’t do yoga. Maybe even if you do, you don’t identify as a yogi, you just like how practicing the poses makes you feel. No problem! Call it what you like, awakening or changing, the fact is, every one of us at some point in our lives – probably more often than not – has resisted the inevitable and constant promise of change. Ironically, it is not the change itself, but that very resistance that ends up causing so much of our pain and suffering. And all things being connected, our suffering, just like Dr. Iyengar’s teachings, creates a ripple effect. It wasn’t until I began what I like to call my spiritual activism work that I was able to recognize just how resistant we tend to be to change — most notably, changing the way we view and treat those who we see as different than ourselves. Advocating for and promoting nonviolence and harmlessness for all beings is usually met with enthusiasm, until I mention the word, veganism. But the fact is, choosing to reject the notion that other living beings, other animals, are commodities for us to do with what we please, is one of the most profound changes we can make in this life. And it will lead to even more peaceful decisions that benefit all of life on this beautiful planet; a declaration of our unwillingness to condone a broken system of violence, dominion, and exploitation. There is no greater teaching, no greater example of a life well-lived than that of one who chooses to do no harm to others, thus recognizing their highest potential.
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