My relationship with sugar and alcohol has been fraught for a long time. When anxious or depressed, I turned to them to cope with my feelings. A few years ago I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that threw my confidence in my health into a tailspin. Suddenly, the slightest symptom was enough to trigger a powerful fear. I craved the temporary relief of sugar and alcohol more than ever, but they triggered even more fears about worsening my overall health. I needed to face difficult sensations and emotions on my own, from a place of acceptance, security and peace.
Yoga Builds Capacity for Self-Transformation, Freedom From Dependencies
As soon as I felt good enough, I booked a spot in the HIYC intensive and TTC. I knew months of dedicated practice would help me heal, but I didn’t know how much more it would give me. After just a few weeks, I felt better than I had in years. More importantly, I discovered I now had the ability to access a place of confidence and security in myself when I needed it.
Since then, all of the usual suspects have reappeared: back pain, digestive issues, anxiety attacks, depression. Talking myself through these problems only goes so far. Knowing that I have an asana practice that connects me to a place of inner confidence, security and peace gives me strength to navigate challenges without reaching for external support. Sometimes I feel the fear transforming to peace on the same day, sometimes it takes a few days of practice to fully restore my confidence. What matters is I know peace will come and I have everything I need to create it. For me, this is freedom.
The Highest Aim of Yoga Practice is Freedom
The Sharat Arora Method taught at HIYC is perhaps unique in its emphasis on independence and freedom. Even “healthy” activities like fitness and yoga classes can foster dependency if the student does not learn how to take the practice home and recreate the same feeling. Within the constraints of a standard 1 hour class, it’s impossible to give the student that form of independent knowledge. There isn’t even enough time for the student to connect the practice to the state of freedom it generates within, and also rest in and enjoy that freedom.
The Sharat Arora Method is the culmination of 40 years of teaching aimed at giving students the ability to enjoy freedom in their lives. This yoga practice is not about strength, flexibility, or any other bodily achievement. Every pose aims, again and again, to bring the student to that place of inner freedom, where they feel grounded in themselves and capable of creating peace in life. The daily sequences heal underlying traumas that trigger dependency cycles and replace them with a capacity for self-transformation in the moment: the power to change how you feel right now.
The Sharat Arora Method operates on many levels, but one key aspect is its focus on bringing the student into a state of pure presence. The instructions are clear and simple: act only in the foundation of the pose (e.g. the center of the heel), keep awareness there and be fully present to the movement of the breath and sensations in the body. Active poses are held for one to two minutes and supported poses much longer so that students can explore and enjoy the freedom that comes from full presence and acceptance of the state of the body. This naturally disconnects the mind, including all its fluctuating desires, judgments, recollections of past traumas and concerns about the future. The more present you become, the more freedom you enjoy in life.
Practical Impact of Yoga is Freedom in Daily Life
Each day at HIYC follows a set sequence of asanas. Standing poses and shoulder stand are repeated daily so that students experience the cumulative impact of grounding and balancing the entire nervous system. Each day also introduces certain forward bends, twists or back bends, each with specific benefits, which all together form a complete practice. The Sharat Arora Method is a complete practice because it heals imbalances and past traumas, while also revealing a place of inner freedom and self-transformation that you can access anytime, on your own.
What does it mean to experience true freedom?
For HIYC, it means to transform, by yourself, the fundamental conditions of your life that cause you to suffer. It means learning the minimum amount of action necessary to achieve this and doing no more. It means having faith in yourself that you can heal, transform and achieve peace, wholly on your own. When you can do this, you will naturally release yourself from old dependencies. They simply won’t appeal to you in the same way. Isn’t it time to free yourself from the old patterns of temporary relief and find a lasting place of peace within yourself? Isn’t it always time to become more free?
