Bottom on the floor

Yoga is about where we find ourself. Its about this moment. Being aware of the bottom touching the floor, the feet on the floor. It is the sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, emotions, ideas, visuals all that we are aware of right now. How can we then limit the understanding of yoga as a posture, a movement , a value , an attitude?? Is it not all of our life? The totality of what is going on, what we are present to, right now?

in own practise and life, I have come to question everything. I have reached a place where labeling things is just not interesting anymore. It seems futile and quite meaningless. Everything is such a constant state of change, of flux that pinning things down is pointless.

When I have so much beauty around me, how come I overlook it? Beauty in so many expressions of life. This doesnt mean that there is absence of unpleasantness or pain. It means that there is the pain and also here is something beautiful. Here is joy and something else which could be repulsive or worth rejecting. Something that can overtake the senses and engage the mind fully so as to ignore other present aspects of reality.


The challenge is how to remain grounded in reality. All of it, even if at times we narrow our focus. Zooming in and zooming out! This image I found on the net, nails it

Intelligence in every cell

Recently at a family constellation workshop, the facilitator was explaining the psycho somatic understanding of our selves. A participant was complaining of body aches and headaches, to which he expressed that these can happen due to processing from deep work worked on the previous day. At that moment it struck me that most of us see pain and aches as something to correct  and change, something we do not like and to get rid off.

This way of looking at pains and aches just add another layer to what is going on. This is resistance to the current moment expressions of our self. There is this intelligence in every cell, in every part of our being that is completely true. It is the best of us expressing itself. In body pains we find a communication, a message for our understanding. Here is some part of us telling us , showing us something which needs to be acknowledged and known by another part of our own self. This very ache is part of our process of being aware of our larger self.  The ache is something coming up just now for us to pay attention to it and listen to the message. At times, we can get assistance from therapies like massage and treatments. This may help us to quieten down, open our perceptions to see what is going on within.

Yoga is about being in a steady way - quietly aware of what is going on at any moment and being able to attend to what is needed - in every moment. Listening to the flow of our own life , to do what is needed. The listening is as much needed as is the doing. Some call it the "being" -  the presence to all of our life. This attitude can give us a new respect for all the calls we receive from our bodies, to listen and respond in an appropriate way.

Asanas help to be inward, open and in a listening and very much being with the body aches. Relaxation poses like shavasana or legs up resting on a wall will calm down the nervous system. Allow the breath to slow down and widen. Listening to the ache, you might feel an invitation to move in a certain posture or asana. A simpler , slower version is much helpful. Always listening and moving only to what comes up from that particular ache. Wait and patiently respond.

Again, like the the facilitator said - pulling the golden thread from behind. Following and going to new information that shows up. Its really a very humbling and grounding experience to see the message, the intelligence that our body shows through the aches and pains. Enjoy this too!

Finding love - ways shared by Rumi and Pema

Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek  and

find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.”

~ Rumi

“The only reason we don’t open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don’t feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes. ”

And…

“When you open yourself to the continually changing, impermanent, dynamic nature of your own being and of reality, you increase your capacity to love and care about other people and your capacity to not be afraid. You’re able to keep your eyes open, your heart open, and your mind open. And you notice when you get caught up in prejudice, bias, and aggression. You develop an enthusiasm for no longer watering those negative seeds, from now until the day you die. And, you begin to think of your life as offering endless opportunities to start to do things differently.”

Pema Chodron

 

 

I am more than my thoughts and emotions

I recently paid a visit to one of my favorite places in mumbai - The Yoga Institute, Santacruz E. This where i started my journey of understanding yoga and the process to a saner me.
Well, this was a long overdue visit, went after my 3 years stint in Pondy. So naturally things change, growth and offer a fresh perspective on our perspective. I joined in a group who was discussing Kleshas -  The basic 5 problem roots. The group was comfortable enough to discuss and address our most common but revealing behavior patterns. The talk was about how we want things to be done in a particular way - say our maid had prepared lunch and its not quite good, so we have a negative word for her and a certain negative thought towards her. This is just our ego acting up, refusing to be in the moment but identifying us with the role of employee, desire of particular taste. what really got me was the statement by the mediator - all actions or thoughts that create pain have a klesha active.

There is too much of I in our thoughts. It feeds the ego, creating just so much of pain, irritation and rift in relations. I want people to behave in one way, they behave in whats seems fine with them. even within our loved ones, major conflicts rise from strong opinion on how things are to be done. If we just let it be, relax and realise that trusting the person to do the best will make all our lives so much easier.

However, its so difficult to be this calm when we start getting angry and irritated. One way is to reduce all we are doing. As Jackie Chan says " Daily reduce rather than increase what we do", we can actually be present in whats going on in my mind and see how anger rises. Just this awareness will create distance and we can choose how to respond. Let anger reign, then feel guilty or see how anger begins but just breathe, acknowledge it and know that I am more than this emotion. Lets not even judge it as postitve , negative emotion, just another emotion. And then see what needs to be done.

Long standing habits and perceptions are strongly embedded in our mind. Only being detached w,hen emotions rise can we begin to see whats really happening, cause, and then letting the entire drama play out in our head so we can figure out why so in the first place. Our learning emerges and that is the real story. This the main act of our lives rather than all the other bussiness we indulge in.

Acceptance

Acceptance is the first step on yoga.

Acceptance of your self & your world.

Lets take the case of your body. Acceptance of its strenghts & abilities as well as its limitations & lack. Very often with my students i have seen that they keep comparing with others or complaining of their shortcomings. Just pause & ask your self "How is that going to help?". ok, now think about this - if i get to know & understand my body & my mind, i can then begin to fashion it to the way i want to be. So, i need to spend time to gauge, understand & know myself. I can do this by observing, listening & feeling my body & mind. I can only do this if I am quiet enough to see, hear & feel. Now, if your gonna be thinking of a lack or about others, how will you do your own assessment?? while practising engage your entire being, body & mind, on what you are doing, feeling & listen carefully. This will not only give you valuable knowledge abt yourself but you will also enjoy the session.

Taking this concept further, try acceptance of your life- exactly as it is right now. Acceptance of everyone around you - your family, friends, neighbours, collegues, boss.

try this during your next session & see it you feel any differently. Happy practise!!