A vital part of yoga’s teachings is waking up from our futile drive for things to constantly be better / faster / stronger
To relax from the mind’s constant push & pull of clinging & aversion
To uncover & rest deeply into a natural contentment that is at the heart of our being
This is essentially why we practice…
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samvega
Many of you have discussed with me on retreats how the spiritual path is not entirely a journey of ‘love & light’ (as it can seem to be advertised)
It opens up from a deep inner longing for meaning. A search for a way out of suffering. To meet life. To feel more fully alive.
‘’In yogic texts, the word samvega is often translated as ‘vehemence’, because it brings with it an unshakeable resolve to develop into a fully alive human being’’
The subsequent breaking out of habitual mental structures & comfort zones can be uncomfortable.
That discomfort can mean we’re getting more real, we’re really starting to meet life, reality, our mind, ourselves...
‘’It involves a radical realization that objects of grasping are intrinsically empty of the capacity to feed us in the way we really want - or need - to be fed’’
There is so much more to yoga than āsana! Its teachings explore topics of meaning, purpose, desire, attachment, self-hood & so much more...
*Quotes by Stephen Cope
‘‘You're not responsible for your first thought… You are responsible for your second thought’’
In our discussions on retreat recently many of you said how powerful this meditation teaching is
Recognising that our first thoughts are 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 in nature helps us to relate to the mind in a more friendly way ~ and helps us see where we 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 power to navigate out of projection & into clarity
This can be liberating not only on the mat / cushion but in common daily life experiences of managing inner conflict
🧘 Try sitting with this & see what might shift…
AN ODE TO OBJECTIVITY
Something powerful we learn in meditation is how much suffering our thoughts can add 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺
There's a huge difference between reality & what we 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵
The good news is - this is exactly we can make change
While we can't change our circumstances (and our practice also helps us to drop resistance to the 'facts' of our lives), we 𝘤𝘢𝘯 influence our mental response
This self-awareness & clarity spreads out into our relationships, work, decisions, sleep quality.... all of life
why meditate?
Life can be overwhelming. Often we’re caught in the push / pull of thoughts, feelings & reactions, as though being thrown from one thing to the next…
Yoga & meditation are essentially awareness practices
At their heart is understanding that where we 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝑜𝓈𝑒 to place attention immediately affects how we feel & so how we respond to events
Our quality of our attention determines the quality of 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝑒𝓍𝓅𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 we have
With regular practice & the right tools we can become more present and open up space around the noise of thoughts
From there we can go even deeper, recognising our mind’s patterns & creating positive changes
We can discover how to directly influence our well-being, efficiency & joy on a daily basis
This is why awareness & meditation are at the heart of all my classes, both as a stand-alone practice and threaded through every āsana (posture)
Once we develop a practice (that can even be enjoyable!) it spreads into all aspects of daily life
Naṭarāja नटराज or ‘Dancing Śiva’
… is a key symbol & artistic form of yogic philosophy
✨ Its complex meaning beautifully reveals the yogic understanding of life & the universe
Śiva is shown dancing within a circle of flames, which represents the entire material world of energy, space & time. His dance is all-embracing 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 & 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 the activity of life. The divine is thus to be found everywhere; in all places, times, forms, happenings & beings in never-ending cyclical time
✨ His long, matted yogi hair of the Ganga streams out to the whole universe, representing the limitlessness of being
His upper arms represent the ongoing, natural rhythms of creation and destruction by holding a drum (creation) & fire (destruction)
His lower right hand is held in Abhaya mudrā, the gesture of fearlessness. It is as though he is telling us that in spite of everything - all the change, movement and also destruction of life - it is alright. To not to be afraid within the great dance of the universe
Another hand points to one of his feet that is held raised against gravity, representing spiritual contemplation. His other foot rests on a dwarf representing the ego - something to keep in its place while not wiping it out completely - it is also a 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 aspect of the dance of life
✨ I love this form for its inclusive & and alive attitude to life & spirituality; the divine is very much shown as within & throughout all life’s aspects & polarities, including within ourselves
Love from India,
Anya
Translation of the Meaning of Yoga
‘‘Yoga is the state in which the churning fluctuations of thought & emotion have come to rest & we abide in what we fundamentally are - awareness’’
(translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 2 & 3 by Christopher Wallis)
Poetry & Wisdom
This month’s theme in our Embodied Yoga Philosophy course is the nature of the Self
I love this poem ~ for me it is such an eloquent pointer towards what yoga teaches about our true nature beneath all our roles
It’s also a topic that our teacher training students are spending a lot of time discussing together! There’s so much wisdom & beauty to unravel on this path…
Poem by Clare Harner (1934)