The Difference between Gym and Yoga
(Text by © Gudrun Ranftl 2010)
You go to the gym, because you train for a better shape. Your focus is upon reaching a goal. The how often, how strong, how fast is important. The development of your muscles is that someone would want to achieve. You like to be in a competition: Winning against another person, becoming more flexible than the other, faster, higher or better is all that counts: That's the gym.
Yoga asanas let you focus on the process itself. Instead of reaching out for a goal, you have your attention upon your body, your breath and yourself while doing them. "The way is your goal", to cite Konfuzius. In regards to your body this means: Your arms are stretched and your fingers are spread and what would you observe? Do you sense the free flow of energy? Could you find alignment? Are you ready for more? Are you forcing yourself or are you ready for the next step? On the other side you also have a different way of dealing with suffering and you observe your body with all respect. There's no comparison with others. You go along in your own rhythm, your own speed: But you keep on doing it.
Doing asanas is much more holistic. It touches you outside and inside. You focus on a still mind with no inner thoughts of distraction. There might be an upcoming emotion, while doing a certain asana. You shall observe this, you shall let it come and let it go in a very conscious process. You even do a certain asana, like a backward bend, because you know opening up your chest, helps for an open attitude towards life, makes you want to embrace life and its challenges. So asanas can support a healing process and make someone aware of the self.
The breath, prana, has some great importance. In a gym someone will need the appropriate inhale - exhale, in order to push up some weight e.g.. Doing asanas happens with a very conscious action of inhale – exhale. You let yourself sink more into the posture, you relax, your self opens up and you progress outside and inside. Physically observed: It's been found out, that asanas let someone breath a slower rhythm than someone in a gym.
With the asanas you are connected with the nature that is around you and you are harmonizing with it. Many of the asanas, the postures, are originated by observing the nature – like the mountain (Tada -Tadasana), the frog (Bheka - Bhekaasana) or the turtle (Kurma - Kurmasana) and by the mankind's tools – like the plough (Hal – Halasana) or the bed (Paryanka – Paryankasana) etc. So you aim to become alike, you don't let outer objects distract you, you don't fight them. Guruji describes the process as a balancing movement. He calls it Evolution and Involution: From the inside out and the other way round. No boundaries between body, mind and nature.
Last but not least there differs the level of energy as a result. In the gym you power yourself out. You might find relieve in certain aspects, but you wear yourself out and you get tired. Asanas are in the whole for the benefit - the muscles, joints, nervous system, lymphatic system and energy (chakras) system. Having done them well, you'll gain energy and you'll find relaxation.
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