‘It’s a Jungle in Here’

Of the countless styles of yoga in the modern world, each has points of strength and wisdom, and each has points of weakness, or areas that lack clarity. Not every method keeps the greater goals of yoga in mind: some can spend vital energy without ever taking us to the depths of yoga; some can even be damaging to body, energy or mind. Indeed, not everyone is trying to find points of connection between their outer world and the inner world of the spirit. However, if it is our intention to explore yoga in depth, then it is up to us to discover how to use yogic techniques for positive transformation. We must learn how to practice with Jnana (intelligence) and viveka (discrimination). (X ref to intro etc)

We can take many lessons from nature, for it has a wisdom that we humans often lack.  Many of the problems in modern society stem from our lack of connection with the natural world. Yoga was traditionally practiced outside, in isolated places such as forests and jungles, for the yogic connection comes more easily when we are immersed in nature. Nature reflects a more perfect harmony than is found in most cities; the individual is more easily harmonized with the whole when the natural world surrounds us.I It is wise to try and return to this ancient way of practicing in harmony with nature as often as possible. Since practicing yoga alone and outside is not necessarily easy in our modern lives, Jungleyoga tries to reflect something of nauture’s beautiful harmony  through the spirit of the practice.  I I If we can also practice outside, all the better!

The Jungleyoga style incorporates techniques and methods of practice, but it is largely a yoga done with a certain flavor of spirit. Jungleyoga developed in a setting of freedom and openness; this is what the practice attempts to express, regardless of the setting. Underlying all the philosophy, asanas, pranayamas and meditations is the spirit of exploration, one of openness to new experiences and feelings. It is hoped that Jungleyoga can help the seeker (that’s you) explore the yoga marg and find your way through the jungles of life.

We each have inborn talents and aptitudes, and we are drawn to the type of yoga we can relate to.   If we find the yoga which resonates with our talents and strengths, we can move forward on the path more quickly. There tends to be better results in yoga when we adopt a system which we feel a connection, a yoga, to. However, any blind and slavish following of a specific style, or system, of yoga is to be avoided, for it stifles the spirit of individual creativity and exploration which is the essence of Jungleyoga. It is critical to use our Jnana (intelligence) and viveka (discrimination) to find our way through the maze of methods out there and discover our own way. We must have the spirit of explorers who are reaching out into the unknown lands of the soul – right into our own inner jungles.

The world is a jungle, full of dangers and mysteries: there are unparalleled beauties and unimaginable horrors. The true jungle however lies inside of us; whatever horrors or heights one may find in life exist within us. All of us have dark corners of our personalities where we almost never go, and we have elevated, blissful parts of ourselves that we don’t visit often enough! By exploring the deeper regions of life, we can expand ourselves by coming to know life in all its forms, each of us in our own unique way.

Jungleyoga is designed to push us into our inner jungles, so that we can become familiar with what lives there, regardless of whether we feel it is ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Central to the Jungleyoga approach is the principle that we can gain clarity of understanding by developing an awareness of ourselves - of what makes up our beings - and we can do this by breaking down the philosophy of yoga and examining the true nature of its practices. If we can know ourselves and accept who (and what) we are, we have already faced the worst of ourselves and realized the best. The way can be rough and full of dangers and annoyances, but through deep yoga practice we can reach a place of familiarity, and then of acceptance. We can heal our old wounds, find our unique yoga marg, discover our ‘dharma’ (true calling) and, eventually, realize our true potential as loving, broad, self-assured people who are living their own truths.

Important to the Jungleyoga approach is the premise that there is no agenda for a person to be anything other than the way they are: how someone wants to pursue yoga and develop their spiritual life is entirely up to them. Yogis have traditionally been rebels, searching for their own unique relationship with life. Unwilling to accept the limiting conventions of society, they explored extreme and intense practices in order to uncover the deeper truths of the spirit. Some of us may follow this road, dedicating our lives to the goal of higher realization. Others may take the middle path, balancing life in the world with the life of a seeker.

Regardless of how one develops their spiritual work, or how one chooses to live life, the yoga can serve us. Jungleyoga incorporates some of the many options and possibilities that the yoga offers without dogma: its goal is personal transformation. It is up to the seeker alone to decide how they want to go about exploring the jungle within. Some people approach with caution and others with a playful recklessness each will follow their own yoga marg through the forest.
Whether you adopt the approach of Jungleyoga for yourself, or chose to incorporate it into your teaching, and regardless of intensity or focus, it is imperative find the joy in every moment. We can practice with concentration and purpose, but there is no better way to break our obsession and seriousness with ourselves than to have fun and find our inner joy. 

“When we are happy we are, by and large, happy about something.  Our happiness is dependent on an outside agency and therefore is rather limited and short-lived. Only when we have developed a measure of contentment do we become independent of outside emotional nourishment. Our search winds down, and we begin to discover the joy within ourselves, which is an intimation of the unsurpassable bliss of Being.” P.77 (Feuerstein, 1998)

In the end, we can practice any style of yoga, so long as we are constantly walking, step-by-step, towards the truth of human life: happiness. Through Jungleyoga, we can gain knowledge and wisdom to act from our true center, and step forward into what is truly our divine state of being.