Dear Yoga students and those interested in Yoga,

The first week of classes are over, except for Monday’s class, which is starting a week later due to my eye surgery last Monday. I want to thank everyone for their enthusiastic response to the classes. All seemed to leave with a smile on their face and peace in their bodies.

As I told everyone, Yoga is not to be learned, as one learns book knowledge; Yoga is to be experienced. Yoga is a transmitted experience or state of being that is passed on from teacher to student through the ages of man. And because this experience is universal to all humans, no matter what time they live in, Yoga is the same and, therefore, timeless.

We all touched upon the edge of the timeless dimension of Yoga when we went into deep relaxation. But the fascinating thing about the timeless state, is that one cannot know it. As soon as the mind thinks that it has arrived and knows, it hasn’t and doesn’t. One cannot think, “Oh, this is the timeless state. My, isn’t this interesting.” Thought cannot exist without time.

When we go to the state of Yoga, we must leave our thoughts behind. That is why doing asanas before relaxation or meditation (we’ll get into that later) is the best gateway to peace. First we stretch and get all the tension out of the body, then we get all the tension out of the mind. Then we can leave the thinking mind at the door and enter the space of stillness.

And what is it about stillness that is so beautiful and makes us feel so good? Stillness is where we are complete. In perfect stillness nothing is lacking, and there is no time because there is no future or past. In stillness there is only the Now, this present moment. In stillness there is perfection. Stillness is timeless because we are not thinking about time.

Through Yoga asanas and relaxation (meditation), we can let go of everything that disturbs our inner peace. This is our practice.

I look forward to seeing you all next week. Remember to remember your breath during the day and to be mindful of what your body is doing. Being conscious of your body and breath is like being conscious of your husband or wife. They will love you for it.

Om Peace

Ed Conley
10/7/06