When I volunteered for Obama during the summer, I had a curious encounter with an undecided voter. I walked up his driveway, and I noticed a sticker from a local yoga studio on his car. When I finally talked to him, he said he wasn't too sure who he was going to vote for. Having been immersed in yoga for a few years now and training to become a teacher, I just can't see how someone who practices yoga can have a conservative mind.
Let's see. First it is necessary to define "conservative." Though there is no facile, universal definition of "conservative," I believe it is safe to say that "conservatives" believe in looking for answers in the past. They believe in "good, old" values and tradition and are, therefore, resistant to change. They also tend to look outside themselves for guidance, most notably from religion. That seems to be true especially of conservatives of today.
Yoga, on the other hand, teaches enlightenment within yourself. You look inward to find peace and practice to live in the moment, for anything other than the present moment is not within our ability to fully enjoy. If you look too much into future, you may be fearful of the unknowables happening. If you look too much in the past, you may be fearful of the bad things repeating. Therefore, you may live in the grip of fear if you are not able to focus on the present.
I refuse to live in fear. I would much rather live for the moment, focusing on making each moment more beautiful than the last. Isn't that what progress is?
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