There are three practices happening simultaneously throughout your life, whether we're aware of it or not- practice with the body (asana), practice with the breath (pranayama), practice with the mind (dhyana). In most yoga classes, physical poses are the focus, with occasional mention of breath here and there. You're lucky if you find a class in NYC that adds in meditation at all. What's backwards about this? Meditation is the whole point.
My practice began as a child. While learning Hap Ki Do, before we focused on kicks, self-defense moves, and sparring, we sat and meditated. I had no idea what I was doing. The only coaching given was to let go of everything that had come before practice, and prepare for the present. When it was time to move, breath was primary, movement was secondary. We first learned to yell (ki-yai) at the execution of a technique to drive more energy through the body by engaging the core muscles. Only after we could yell properly did we learn the physical movement. The practice ended every evening with a brief meditation.
In yoga class, the purpose of asana is to learn how to keep your spine straight so you can sit in meditation for longer. The purpose of pranayama is to learn how to control your breath so you can sit in meditation for longer. The purpose of meditation? Manifold. At this point in my life, it's to turn the six senses back into one sense- pure awareness. When you spend time with no filters on your mind, you gain the ability to create your own filters and choose who you are being all the time.
Now that you know what us yoga teachers are really preparing you for, we can let you in on the real secret. Whether class is specifically devoted to meditation or not, you can choose to be meditating all the time. Difficult transition from crow pose to headstand? Meditate, recording all sensation as information. Person next to you is totally cute / smells funny / making up their own class? Meditate, and choose how you are being in this moment. After all, life is just a collection of moments. Wouldn't you rather choose to be happy in all of them?
(Curious about other benefits of meditation? Come to my class! Contact me through my website for a first-time private class deal, just for reading.)
If you needed even more evidence, just read what these guys have to say:
Wikipedia: Research on Meditation
Huffington Post - Meditation Benefits
NY Times - How Meditation Changes the Brain
