Your felt experiences may not be empirical data, but they are valid, and they matter…

As I rolled up my mat in the dome after class I unsuccessfully combed my brain for the perfect words to describe the state of noiseless bliss that had settled inside of me. Encapsulating the feelings that a class in the geodome evokes with words is like attempting to photograph the striking beauty of a turquoise glacial lake nestled amidst towering mountains. The outcome always falls flat because no matter how detailed we are in our description, our words are not a direct experience, they are merely a tool we utilize to describe our experiences, and they can only provide knowledge about them.

Witnessing the majesty of a glacial lake firsthand and harmonizing the mind and body in a nature-based yoga class are both profound experiences, and the magic of experiences is that they cannot be explained; they must be felt. Yoga asana (the postural practice), is a process of experiential learning through the felt senses.

Stick with me here as I go a little deeper…

Verse 1.6 of the Yoga Sutras states “pratyaksa anumana agamah pramani” which can be translated to “correct knowledge is direct, inferred or proven as factual.” In Hinduism it is correct knowledge that leads to our Moksha (liberation), and there are three means in which can obtain valid or correct knowledge known as pramana:

Pratyaksha (direct experience/perception): Direct experience through the organs of perception, namely, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin respectively conveying colour and form, smell, sound, taste, and touch.

Anumana (inference): Logical reasoning, based on data and information, is yet another way to correct knowledge. For example, observing smoke and inferring fire.

Agama (testimony): Authentic texts and verbal communications from learned persons based on evidence. For example, some principles of science can be learnt by lectures or textbooks based on studies that have been empirically proven.

It is through the convergence of these types of knowledge that we arrive at confirmed “correct knowledge,” and are able to access a state of “yoga” or unity with totality. Traditionally students need to go through all three of these in order to be confident in their knowledge:

Note* The accepted number of pramana varies according to the philosophical school; for example the Mimamsa accepts five, whereas Vedanta as a whole proposes three. *See adjacent image.

Where am I going with all of this? Western society’s disembodied culture views the mind and body as separate, and deems logical reasoning and evidence as superior to knowledge gained from our own direct experience. Some claim “Thoughts may simply be the result of electrical signals produced by neurotransmitters. Feelings such as hope, love, and sadness may simply be due to neurological activity. Sure, we can question our feelings and scientists can explain them away as neurological activity, or a cognitive illusion (in fact I don’t disagree with scientists here), but that doesn’t negate the fact that our felt sense is perceived as very real to us, and we cannot escape our senses, which means our feelings are true to us, and they matter.

Unsurprisingly late to the party, western science is finally accepting what ancient yogis have believed for centuries, that the mind and body are inseparably bound in an eternal matrimony. The attempt to divorce our body and mind, pitting one against the other, has resulted in the ultimate gaslighting of our own personal perceptions and experiences of reality. Deeming our felt-sense as inferior and not to be trusted has caused significant damage to our mental health, and consequently, our physical health.

Mysteriously, scientists’ inability to physically pinpoint and explain consciousness grants me the permission to acknowledge what ancient yogis have philosophized - that there is a possibility (not impossible) for a soul. Ancient yogis understood that the world contains non-physical elements, and described it as an energetic vibration, a universal consciousness or universal soul that exists everywhere and within everything. They also humbly acknowledged that not everything could be understood through the mind, and that in order to obtain liberation, we must have correct knowledge, which includes our knowledge gained from direct, lived experience.

Reflect on your day today:

When you hugged your child goodbye before school, did you relish in the innocence of their tiny embrace?

When you ate lunch, did you actually taste your food?

When your boss gave you constructive feedback, did you allow yourself to feel the uncomfortable feelings before dismissing it or analyzing it away?

When your partner told a joke, did you actually experience the laughter and joy rumbling through your body before the intrusive to-do list stole you away?

If you ask me, the reason nature yoga feels so inexplicably refreshing, is because the lush colours, the gentle breeze on your skin, the song of the birds, the smell of fresh foliage are a feast for the senses drawing you in, forcing you to pause from your analytical mind, and tap into your felt-sense. The felt-sense invites us to be vulnerable, and actually feel life - which isn’t always blissful, I should add!

I’ve often heard student’s describe KIND as Squamish’s best kept secret. Is it our off-the-beaten path location that evokes a feeling of discovery in students? Is it the kindness and warmth they feel from our community and our team of talented instructors? Is it the combination of nature therapy with mindfulness based yoga that leaves a lasting imprint on their lives?

I believe it’s simple. KIND is an experience, and in a world that spends an unhealthy amount of time stressing and worrying, existing predominantly within the top compartment of our bodies, we are craving experiences that call us home, to our whole bodies that leave us feeling integrated, congruent, and aligned. We’re craving experiences that remind us of our "bigger picture selves", that our existence is small, yet still significant in a vastly interconnected, and mysterious universe. This is Jnana Yoga - knowledge that is inseparable from our total experience of reality.