Yoga of the Day

Yoga is the systematic methodology for unfolding this inner potential through Self-realisation, offering solutions for both individual fulfillment and social harmony. However, much of modern practice reveals significant gaps in how yoga is presently perceived and justified. Yoga has failed to develop an adequate public conception of its true significance. It is more than a simple leisure pursuit, peripheral ornamentation, therapeutic exercise, or an act of self-expression; it is a form of intelligibility—a way of knowing and being-in-the-world—that is essential to the existential quest for meaning.

Yoga's holistic, non-pathologising approach is thought-provoking and soul-searching. It invites healthy introspection, and covers deep-seated convictions across cultures. Its forms are legion, many rooted in the cultural development of nations.

The practice of yoga is a deeply, personal challenge. Taken as a stimulating invitation to an inner life, it is best described as a voyage of discovery and a pilgrimage of faith, far removed from the technical and commercial demands often imposed by contemporary methodologies.

Every form of knowing has an ethical dimension and represents a way of en-acting, of relating to, and being-in-the-world. Yoga encompasses ethical, aesthetic and spiritual dimensions that embody trust, reaching beyond the superficial world of appearance. This engaging and significant study embraces silence and sound, stillness in movement, a rising curtain on health and healing, and the relation of an embodied ‘story’ to the practitioner’s inner feelings.

The exploration is intended to be both profound and transformative. By drawing on a vast history, and engaging in stimulating, critical dialogue you are invited to challenge conventional thinking, transcend the boundaries of academic study, and explore the deeper, insightful meanings of your own journey.

We must each seek to re-ground and re-vision how we think about yoga, ensuring its science, arts, and traditions are recognised for their intrinsic and ethical nature and their impact on our lives. 

I look forward to the opportunity to engage with you in this work and to see the impact it will undoubtedly have on you and others in the field.

May you trust the light of your heart and mind and may happiness and success overflow for you.

Shanti Gowans