Start Here The Science of the Self

A path of yoga

Mt Whistler Jasper Canada 2010

Let me properly introduce myself. I’m Red. This is my blog part personal reflection, part ongoing exploration of a path that has shaped my life. I’m a lifelong student of the self, a bodyworker, a teacher, and currently, I’m studying to get my RMT license in Ontario.

Yoga is my life. My life is yoga. But not in the way most people think. Yoga is not just asana, nor is it something separate from daily life. It’s the thread that weaves through everything training, meditating, breathing, eating, moving, thinking. It is the very fabric of existence.

People like myself follow no rigid path of understanding. The idea is to dig into many traditions, take what is useful, discard what isn’t, and apply what works. My approach is unconventional, drawing from the great yoga lineages, my family’s Mi’Kmaq teachings, from modern science, from personal experience. My goal? To understand how these teachings apply to today to movement, to healing, to strength, to life itself.

The Body as the Foundation

“How can yogis achieve perfection if they do not know the six chakras, the sixteen supports of the body, the two objects of concentration, and the five elements located within themselves”

Goraksha Samhita 1.12

At its core, yoga is about knowing yourself. This passage highlights the importance of the body our vessel for this journey. If we don’t understand the mechanics of our own being, how can we hope to master anything else?

For me, this means:

• Training my body as much as my mind.

• Lifting weights, building strength, understanding anatomy not just theoretically but through experience.

• Using breathwork to regulate my nervous system.

• Fasting and nutrition as tools for optimization, not restriction.

• Studying ancient practices while testing them against modern science.

This isn’t about belief. It’s about direct experience.

Bridging Tradition & Science

“There is no real separation between the observer and the observed, the knower and the known. Everything is part of the same infinite awareness. The one who realizes this is always free.”

Avadhuta Gita 1.6

Modern physics is only now catching up with what yogis have known for centuries. The concept of the observer influencing reality in quantum mechanics? That’s straight out of the Shiva Sutras. The idea that everything is interconnected at a fundamental level? That’s the very essence of the Nath tradition.

What we focus on, we become. Our thoughts, our breath, our movements they shape our experience. If you shift your awareness, you shift your reality. This is why discipline in practice matters. This is why meditation is not just sitting still, but an active tuning of one’s frequency.

A Living Path

Throughout my life, I’ve used both the analogies of faith and modern understandings of biology, physics, and movement to walk this path. Active meditation means lifting weights with intention. Fasting is a tool for cleansing, just as it is in the yogic tradition. Using breathwork to regulate the nervous system and improve recovery isn’t just esoteric it’s proven science.

My studies and constant learning keep me in line with modern research while staying rooted in the traditions that came before. I’m always testing, always refining. Yoga is not static it evolves as we do.

A Simple Practice

Lets start simple.

Breathe in deeply. Hold for a moment. As you exhale, silently or out loud, chant:

Om.

Feel the vibration in your body. The sound of Om is not just symbolic it directly stimulates the vagus nerve, calming the nervous system. Try it a few times. Notice the shift.

Yoga is not something you do. It is how you exist. How you move. How you breathe. How you observe yourself.

This blog is a space where I will continue to explore these ideas where science, yoga, and lived experience come together. If any of this resonates, stay with me. Let’s walk this path together.

Support My Work & Keep This Space Free

Fueled by tea, scrolls, and a little bit of magic. Tip the mystic here: Http://www.ko-fi.com/redshanti

I share my journey, insights, and teachings freely because I believe this knowledge should be available to everyone. If you find value in my writing and practice, consider supporting in one of these ways:

• Paid Subscriptions My blog will always be free, but if you’d like to support my work on a recurring basis, you can subscribe as a way to contribute.

• Spread the Word If you know someone who’d resonate with these teachings, sharing my posts helps more than you know.

Your support, in any form, fuels this journey and keeps the wisdom flowing. Thank you for walking this path with me.

Be love.

Red