How to integrate integrity into your yoga practice

In yoga, integrity refers to the alignment of one’s actions, thoughts, and values. It involves living with honesty, authenticity, and a sense of moral responsibility in all aspects of life. Integrity is one of the foundational principles of yoga, guiding us in our journey toward self-awareness, personal growth, and spiritual development. So how exactly can we apply integrity in our yoga practice? There are a few elements to consider. When you step on your mat, allow the intention of integrity to guide your physical movement, breath, and focus.

1.       Asana (Physical Integrity)

When it comes to the physical poses of yoga, integrity refers to the positioning of your body in each posture to promote safety, stability, and optimal energy flow. It involves moving with awareness, mindfulness, and proper alignment. The goal of physical integrity is to prevent injury while promoting muscle engagement & strength, joint health and stability, and enhancing the mind-body connection.

2.       Pranayama (Breath Integrity)

In Sanskrit, “prana” means life energy and “yama” means control. This gives us pranayama: regulation of your breath (or life force). Breath integrity means maintaining conscious, steady, and controlled breath throughout your practice. It involves aligning your breath with specific movements, patterns, and intentions. One example is inhaling when you’re opening your body (like in extended mountain pose) and exhaling when you are closing your body (like when you bow into a forward fold.) Another example is using breath focus to keep your awareness in your body and out of your head. By cultivating breath integrity, you can access the profound benefits of pranayama, supporting physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual awakening.

3.       Drishti (Focal Integrity)

Drishti is a Sanskrit word that translates to “gaze” or “sight.” Finding a focused gaze or point of concentration plays a significant role in enhancing focus, balance, and inner awareness. Drishti can be used during the practice of asana, as well as meditation. Finding your Drishti in a balancing pose can help your stability in the posture as you fix your gaze on a specific spot in front of you. In meditation, finding your Drishti means focusing on a specific inner focal point to anchor your mind and deepen concentration. By integrating Drishti in your practice, you can experience deeper levels of presence, focus, and transformation on and off the mat.

Expanding Our Sense of Self & Yoga Practice: The Eight-Limb Path of Yoga

The eight-limb path of yoga give us a foundation for a well-rounded approach to yoga and health. We are holistic beings, meaning our body, mind, and spirit are interconnected and all play an important part in how we feel. Time on the yoga mat is intended to be time for personalized medicine; a practice of tuning in to the experience of our own body and mind, and listening or responding compassionately and honestly. And if we’re truly paying attention we need different intentions or practices on different days. 

Each time you arrive on your yoga mat, take an intentional pause to check-in with yourself. Discern what your departure point is for that day and what limb or limbs can offer the best recovery or discovery!

Here’s a high-level look at the eight-limb path of yoga:

Yamas, the first limb, are ethical restraints for getting over ourselves and positively impacting the world around us. The five yamas are:
Ahimsa: nonviolence
Satya: truthfulness
Asteya: nonstealing
Brahmacharya: moderation
Aparigraha: non-attachment

Niyamas, the second limb, are ethical observances for letting a spiritual life take place within our lives. The five niyamas are:
Saucha: cleanliness or purity
Santosa: contentment
Tapas: self-discipline
Svadhyaya: study of spiritual texts and of one’s self
Isvara pranidhana: surrender to the God of your own understanding

Asana, the third limb, is physical postures. In the yogic view, the body is a temple for the spirit. We practice asana to bring greater physical stability and ease to the other moments of our day-to-day life.

 Pranayama, the fourth limb, is translated as extension of vitality or breath control. It consists of techniques designed to awaken the power of our breath to enhance our physical, mental, and energetic state.

Pratyahara, the fifth limb, is withdrawal of our senses or outwardly distractions and stimulations, and turning our awareness inwards.

Dharana, the sixth, limb is concentration and focusing on a single point.

Dhyana, the seventh limb, is meditation or techniques for a contemplative, conscious state of being.

Samadhi, the eight limb, is union; feeling peacefully at home within ourselves and connected equally to the spirit within all beings.

Each time we come to the mat, we have an opportunity to work the entire path, moment by moment. As we move through the postures we are constantly enacting each aspect of the path. Our bodies, our breath, our minds, and our choices are being refined in the laboratory that is our yoga mat. As this symphony becomes established on our mats, it becomes established in our lives as well. Driving to work, mailing a letter, meeting a friend for lunch all become part of the uninterrupted flow of our yoga practice. We are doing our yoga all the time.”  - Meditations from the Mat

Resources:
“Meditations from the Mat” by Rolf Gates
“Heart of Yoga” by TKV Desikachar