Learning from Bija Bennett:

Anne McCall Wilson talks with the founder of YogaAway, LLC, and the author of Emotional Yoga.

It’s always a pleasure to spend time with my friend Bija Bennett, wellness expert, author and teacher.
Her 1993 book, Breathing into Life: Recovering Wholeness through Body, Mind, and Breath (HarperCollins) is still available online and I’ve just finished her latest book, Emotional Yoga: How the Body Can Heal the Mind (Simon & Schuster, 2002) with a foreword by Deepak Chopra.  It’s a terrific read.

I’ve even started doing her artful DVDs – for stress, fitness, focus and enhanced sleep.  And when I tried the “good night” video, I went out like a light.

Bija has created a unique wellness program based on the Vedic concept of “optimal health” which is the earliest model for self-care in the world.  It looks at a person from all levels – the body, physiology, mind, behavior, as well as the spiritual dimension – and explores the advantages of the body-mind connection.

In Emotional Yoga, Bija teaches that emotions are physical, not psychological, and that they act as a bridge between our bodies and our minds.  So, even simple exercises, such as breathing, can positively affect our emotional well being.
Bija and I talked for a long time. We always do. Here’s an edited version of our chat.

Bija:   [RUSHING IN] Hello, Anne. Sorry I’m late.

Anne: Take a deep breath.

Bija:   I have to get in the present moment now, don’t I?

Anne:  Me, too. There, we’re in the present. Are you having a good day?

Bija:   Not yet, but I know that paying attention helps.  Then I can accept what I’m feeling as I’m experiencing it, right now.   It’s all good, especially when we realize we can change how we feel.

Anne: Somebody asked me, “What’s your purpose?”

Bija:   That’s a big question, and sometimes stumps me.  I think to myself, maybe it’s to find out what I love to do.  I have just gone through the process of looking at my values — discerning what’s important to me in my life.  And one of my values — which I have often avoided, is wealth.  This is getting onto another subject, but I love this, I was looking at wealth — the word, “wealth”.

Anne: Oh, yeah.

Bija:   Because my highest value, and now I’m talking about me, is spirituality and love. So, where does “wealth” fit in?  I looked in an old Webster’s dictionary, it’s a huge dictionary, but I love this definition of wealth:  Enjoying a condition of well being!

Anne: I think of wealth as abundance.

Bija: Abundance?

Anne:  Don’t get me wrong, I love stuff.  But abundance in life, attracting new friends, great relationships, you know, just filled up.

Bija:   Filled up! That was another one of the definitions of wealth. Earlier, we were kidding a bit about staying in the present.  You know, there’s an art to it.  This is why I like the yogic model, because it gives you the tools.  You can apply it in a way I call Profound Attunement — paying full attention to yourself physically, mentally, emotionally. Noticing how you feel. Going outside, appreciating the day.  Filling yourself up.  Becoming aware of your breath.  Noticing your breath is shallow almost automatically makes you take a deeper breath.

Anne:  What are the benefits of full attention, physically?

Bija:   When we turn attention to ourselves, let’s say, when we follow our breathing, that’s a powerful form of self-love and self care.  It’s healing.  And it’s a gift you can give yourself, the gift of attention.  In a way, yoga means to “master your attention”.

Anne:  If someone, me for instance, were to ask for a yoga based tip what would you say?

Bija:   Link your breath to your movement.  Stand or sit and breathe and pay attention to your awareness.  When you withdraw your senses and focus them on your body, or your breath, something changes.  Just try it.  Sit and be with yourself for a moment.  Find yourself and your awareness. Notice this takes no effort at all.  When you feel ready, deepen your breathing, and breathe easily through your nose.  Notice as your attention shifts to your breath, your posture naturally begins to change.  Feel this natural relationship between your movement and the flow of you breath for a minute or two.  It’s that easy.

Anne:  What is your favorite thing to do?

Bija:   Love to move the body. But the dance of the mind is also consciousness in motion.  Even if you have an emotional issue, the inquiry process is fun.  It’s as though you’re having a conversation. You can think of meditation as high-level entertainment.

Anne:  I like the sound of that.  I wish I was better at it.  Bija, thanks for taking the time to talk to us.  It’s been great.

Bija:   Ah, so now we leave this moment, and head for the next one?

Anne:          [LAUGHS] Exactly.

(Find Bija at www.yogaaway.com)