EcoYoga in practice

All material below from EcoYoga By Henryk Skolimowski and copyrighted to Henryk Skolimowski/Gaia Books. I reprint it here with gratitude.

My yoga is fully inspired By Henryk Skolimowski’s Ecoyoga - to explain what better than words from the man himself. To try some of his practices, join a class, especially the new outdoor class, coming soon for spring and summer!

EcoYoga By Henryk Skolimowski

To walk in Beauty is not an easy task. It is like establishing a perpetually collapsing bridge. You must be forever watchful, forever aware. The bridge of serenity does not stand firm forever. It is like a crossing made of loose planks: you always reassemble the planks. It is a continually creative act. And a frustrating one, too. You would like this bridge to be firm, but it is not. It is a ceaselessly dynamic and balancing activity. So enjoy the balancing act. For there is much joy in the process of maintaining the bridge, as there is in enjoying its fruit: peace, serenity, radiance. 

Preface

Yoga for our time must be uniquely relevant to our current situation. Traditional precepts of yoga were devised for a much simpler, more bucolic world, and we know need to add other yogas to assist the health of our minds and bodies in current societies. As the world develops, we need different exercises and practices to keep centred….The ideas and practices of EcoYoga, or the yoga of being, have gradually evolved out of years of reflection about the spiritual nature of the human.

There is an extremely long and valuable tradition of yoga. The great systems of yoga are a wonderful achievement of the great civilisation of India. The Indian mind learned early to see the wholeness of the universe and to weave the individual into the overall harmony of the Cosmos. Many other cultures have lagged far behind. 

It may be said that the Indian culture has excelled in  developing the technologies of the soul while Western culture has excelled in developing the technologies for manipulation of the outside world. At their best, systems of yoga are both physical and spiritual exercises. 

In the West however, yoga often seems confined to physical exercises - the body seems to be more important for Western people than their spirit. this kind of yoga alone is not enough for our times, we must recognise that personal and spiritual well-being and the well-being of the planet are interconnected. 

The main focus of EcoYoga is Grace, Health and Hope. We need to regain grace in our lives in order to make them more meaningful. We need healing on a large scale, healing of ourselves and the planet Earth. We need hope as a shining beacon to lead us forwards, to guide and sustain us.