A think piece by Michaela Aspell (Senior Climate Change Consultant; Yoga teacher in Pōneke), from KD23
I am a pākehā yoga teacher and a climate change consultant in Aotearoa. I often think about the connection between yoga and te ao Māori – and the need to think holistically for climate change action. I see te ao Māori and te reo Māori starting to be incorporated into the Aotearoa ‘yoga scene’ – from a weekly theme of Whanaungatanga at my local studio SPACE in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, to the ‘Te Reo Yoga Cards’ and movements to teach rangatahi yoga based on local purakau (see M3 Movement). Although from completely different origins, these two worlds appear to complement each other, acknowledging that we are all connected, and our actions have consequences. And no other consequential action is more evident now than climate change due to human greenhouse gas emissions.
Yoga Citta Vritti Narodha – yoga is the cessations of the fluctuations of the mind
Yoga is at least 2500 years old and is an ancient spiritual practice of self-realization originating in India. The true meaning of Yoga is the union of body, mind, soul, and spirit, which is obtained through the yogic pathway, as described in the ancient text the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Modern yoga focuses on just one of the steps in this pathway, asana, the physical postures. Many classes also acknowledge the spiritual origins of yoga and incorporate pranayama and meditation as ways to connect body, mind and spirit and cease the ‘chatter’ of the mind. To me, yoga means finding peace and acceptance of situations and surroundings. It has in many ways replaced my Catholic upbringing as a way of connecting with the ‘something bigger’ out there – the universal energy, universal love (metta), that yogis often talk about or dedicate their practice too. Through this connection we realize that we are not alone, and every action connects us to the world - past, present or future.
Kia tau te rangimarie - may peace prevail
Similarly, the te ao Māori worldview, despite differences in tikanga between iwi, hāpu and sometimes even whanau, is generally in agreement of the view of humans not as separate but part of the world around us. Whakapapa refers to being one with the world, and the interconnectedness of all living and non-living species across past, present and future timeframes. Similarly, Wairuatanga is the interconnectedness of physical and spiritual. In traditional Māori knowledge everything in the world – human, animal or land - is believed to be related. Inherent in this belief is a respect for the natural world, and a guardianship, kaitiakitanga, to take care of the land.
Mauri and Prana
Both te ao Māori and Yoga have beliefs of life-force energy. Mauri is the essence of all living things, the binding force that connects the physical and the spiritual. Similarly, Prana is the life force of the body which provides spiritual connection. Doing yoga and breathwork heals the prana of the body, just as taking care of the land and restoring it increases its Mauri.
A holistic approach to climate change action
Climate change is the result of many factors, but particularly a loss of connection and respect for the land and natural world around us, a byproduct of the individualistic, consumeristic, and growth-focused modern world. Restoring the Mauri of the land, and restoring the prana of people, relies on shifting away from this consumeristic world to connect with the “bigger picture” and to realise that – as known by tangata whenua of Aotearoa for many years – we are connected to the natural world around us, and our actions have consequences. It is my belief that climate change, biodiversity, poverty, and other systematic issues are not separate issues but are linked and to address one requires addressing them all.
Climate change action requires a system shift to ensure we can live with the world around us – yoga and te ao Māori, although coming from different places and believed by different people, offer an insight into the thinking required for this to be achieved.