Janet Stone explains why ancient stories in yoga still matter

You’ve probably found yourself on your mat in yoga class when, seemingly out of nowhere, the teacher began explaining an ancient Hindu story of creation or a cautionary tale of destruction. Whether your response is curiosity or confusion, there are untold insights to be learned from these myths and the life lessons they impart. Long time yoga teacher Janet Stone Explains how important these collected stories, known as… PuranasOur understanding of life in her recently published book, SConservatives in our lives: Awaken life through sacred mythsWho shares many of these stories. The following excerpt delves into the necessary question of why these effects matter.

Stories: Threads of Human Existence

Stories are the threads of the fabric of human existence, the universal language that transcends time and culture. We need stories to understand ourselves. We need stories to understand the world. Stories call us to remember a deeper nature that tends to get lost in our daily dramas. It is a way of seeing ourselves and the human condition through a limitless lens, a view from the stars. They invite our connection with the eternal flow of life. It is as if we can peek behind the current of our personal narrative and unveil the richness that connects all living beings.

Stories have the power to evoke tears, emotion, and wonder, to push us into new adventures, to bring us closer together, and to tear us apart. Stories are keepers of great wisdom, makers of joy, tracers of sorrow, and inspiration to many. Whether said orally, as is customary, or in writing, they can stir up the missing parts within us. Immersing yourself in an old story is like remembering parts of ourselves that we may have long forgotten. The great myths link our earthly existence with cosmic phenomena, making the heartbeat of humanity match the rhythm of the universe.

Puranas They are old tales from India. These myths are woven from the collective understanding of nature Mind, body and spirit, Providing a roadmap back to our inherent oneness and the many facets of our life experience.

The power of curiosity

Puranas are stories that are not just for entertainment; They provide new ways of understanding ourselves and the universal themes that play a role in our lives, bringing us knowledge and experience Collective unconscious To life. They can also build a stronger personal practice and awareness of inner guiding forces.

Seeing ourselves as heroes or shadow characters in a story allows us to gain perspective on ourselves and all of the many characters we play in this life or even on a given day. The Puranas reveal the masks we wear in order to cope, manage or deceive ourselves and those around us. However, living a false persona only leads to suffering. The Puranas invite us to walk the heroic path of digging within to reveal our many faces and give ourselves the abundant gift of wholeness and expression. All aspects of ourselves.

When we begin to look at ourselves through the lens of the Purana and the models it depicts, it is like a play in which we act out love and loss, likes and dislikes, fears and trust. In this grand cosmic play, you are a vital character too. You are the hero, the villain, the sage, and the fool – a multi-faceted being, capable of infinite growth and transformation.

When we set foot in the vast world of Burana, let us remember to bring with us our most important tool: curiosity. Because it is through curiosity that we begin to see beyond the surface and into the heart of these eternal stories.

The power of the sacred lies among us. Are we ready to adjust? Are we willing to listen, look, and feel our way into these narratives to allow them to change us? These stories stop the constant flow of worldly things and immerse us in sacred wisdom, deeper knowledge and understanding, opening the door to the possibility of awakening.

Holy listening

Sravana It is the ancient art and pleasure of listening to divine stories and bathing in their symbols. Here we will do just that, immersing ourselves in ancient stories that reflect our modern experiences. The richness of wisdom, spiritual teachings and epic stories was traditionally transmitted through oral recitation. Although I share the stories with you in written form, I believe we can open the inner aperture of our ears to hear the deep understanding sparked by the tale. The art of truly listening to stories brings us face to face more intimately with our subconscious. They allow us to suspend certainty and drift into a world Remembering that our stories are a powerful thread – born of a specific time and place but capturing universal themes of the human experience. While we are alive, we simply have to hold on to this thread, and if we are curious enough to step back from our daily dramas, we will see how this thread has been woven through time, connecting us to all those who came before us and all those who will come after us.

We live in a modern world where information comes to us faster than we can understand, discern or feel. Our ears have listened to false narratives that lead us down paths that make us believe in the illusion of social media, the messages of division, fear and anger, and that somehow we are not enough.

When we share stories of the great universal struggle between light and shadow, we can see that even the most revered beings struggle with their inner strengths. This is the reinforcement we need to pull ourselves out of collectivism Maya (Illusion) in which we can get lost. In the chaos of information that floods our world, listening to these stories offers us a beacon of clarity, guiding us through the Maya and reminding us of our common origins and common destiny.

Holy vision

Darshan It is the ancient practice of seeing a god, teacher, or thing that brings enlightenment (in form or in the mind’s eye). While hearing tales of gods and goddesses, we can use our sense of sight to look inward and see these gods within us as well as in the world around us. We can also look at an image or file Morty (sacred statue), nature, or anything else that might inspire a deeper connection to the essence of the myth.

Our perspective shapes our understanding, and if we expand our perspective, like a camera panning back, we can take in the infinite tapestry of life—not just human life, but all life and its divine interconnectedness. How can we look at another person, object, or group of people and decide whether we are better or worse, when we all make up this same fabric? These old patterns of seeing leave us stuck on a roller coaster, unable to look curiously at the world around us. They keep us wandering through our days in a yo-yo of self-loathing and self-aggrandizement. Our job is to open our eyes and begin to see the divine within us and around us.

Holy feeling

BhavaFeelings, emotions, or the atmosphere of an experience are an essential aspect of stories. The world of Bhava is where we truly connect with the heart of stories. When we embrace the emotional state of the purana, we interact with navarasas, The nine feelings: Shringar (love or beauty) Hasia (He laughed), Karuna (sadness), Rudra (anger), Vera (heroism or courage) Bhayanaka (horror or fear) Bibhatsa (disgust), Adpotha (surprise or wonder), and Shantha (Peace or calm). Embracing navarasas allows us to engage deeply with these tales while also exploring our own emotional landscape.

All of these feelings give us permission to feel for beings in the world. The power of story to invoke the many emotional states of human experience can give us a better understanding of our unconscious attraction and pull. When we allow emotions to flow, we allow ourselves to fall behind the frontal lobe – the part of the brain responsible for our thought processes – and reach the occipital cortex or temporal lobes – the parts of the brain that process senses and feelings. Through story, we enter the world of intuition and emotion instead of being stuck in the world of cognitive thinking.

Our journey through the oral tradition is not just about sravana, darshan or bhava – hearing, seeing or feeling; It is a dynamic interaction between the three. We become active participants in these timeless tales, breathing life into them, and in the process, discovering a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. The great fabric of life.

This list of feelings, experiences, and expressions embodies elements of ourselves and aspects of our shared humanity. Each one has a story to tell, a lesson in the human longing for meaning, purpose, and connection—a truly intense longing to remember.

Excerpt reprinted with permission from Our life stories Written by Janet Stone © 2026. Published by Mandala, an Insight Editions publication.