I love metaphors, I play with them, the image, the narrative and how the meaning of what you are trying to share is brought into sharper focus through the metaphor. They have break points though, the reflection of the idea that the metaphor is trying to enhance and amplify can be infinitely extended is not correct. You can have some freedom but there are constraints. Really good metaphors can sit with you for a few years before you find a small chink in the description. That does not really matter, what matters is they have helped you make sense of a complex idea.
After that fairly long reason why I like metaphors here is a description of yoga I use with some metaphorical language to help us sense what Yoga is. I find it helpful. Too much formality clouds the issue.
Stare out of window and what do you see? Notice the smallest thing, focus on it, for one minute. It could be a leaf, part of a leaf, describe it, study it, focus on it, fully concentrate and commit to it. After a minute or so (did you time yourself?) ask yourself 'where was my mind'. Probably no-where else. Those distracting, darting thoughts ceased. For a minute, the mind calmed, the senses diminished. You were you, the I of your function faded and Self made an appearance. Yoga is nothing special, in his book 'Zen mind, beginners mind, '(1970) Shinryu Suzuki states 'nothing special'. Don't look for the yoga mind and stress about doing something special, 'here I am doing yoga', look AT me. The yoga mind exists inside you. The access key, is you, you are the key holder and door opener. In a recent series of classes held by the Mohans', of www.svastha.net Indira Mohan stressed that cultivating peace and holding on to that peace in our everyday lives is a fundamental part of being human. We sense this, I think, but perhaps do not know how to cultivate and work with our bodies, breath and mind on a regular basis to encourage this feeling of Sattva (lightness and ease).
You have to cultivate this practice, the fluctuations of the mind can cause disturbances and we lose control of our senses, we are quick to judge, make assumptions and choose language that does not precisely convey our understanding. The converse of this statement is the clear; the unobstructed mind, the mind at peace, where actions, thoughts and feelings combine with an intention fundamentally based on letting go of attachments, such as desires, fear and anger(Kleshas') is the mind that has transcended 'I' and moved to the Self.
This feels heavy duty, Yoga thinking and descriptions can be complicated. Listening to my teachers discuss Yogic philosophy you can sense they understand the nuances of the landscape but yoga is not an academic exercise, not an intellectual pursuit.
Runners have experienced a yogic state of mind, sensed this clear mind, the stilling of thoughts, the easing and softening of our body. It is not all about times and performance. When I am faced with yoga practitioners or yoga teachers who have attended a 1-2-1, I stress that the yoga mind is the running mind, the yoga breath is the running breath. Some feel challenged, some others state 'of course' and smile. There should be no difference to the practice on the mat compared to the practice on the trails. If you find yourself fighting yourself, struggling with your breath when running or practising yoga this is not a practice that will sustain you in the long term (I almost said 'run' which is also physiologically true, short breathing is not a good aerobic habit). The practice of moving well and cultivating a sense of 'moving into stillness' is one that is worth holding onto. That mind can be moved into the world away from the mat,class or trails.
And finally, in this intro section, here is the sanskrit written in English for you, from the Yoga Sutra's chapter 1, verse (Sloka)1.2
'Yogas-citta-vrtti-nirodhah'
My translation, which some yoga students would find appalling is:- The practice of yoga calms the fluctuations of the mind, allowing the mind to be clear and still. I write this because this is what I feel, not what I think or have read.
Interestingly, the whole point of Yoga is met at the beginning of the Sutra's. not at the end. The rest of the chapters and verses are really a series of connecting statements that instruct the practitioner on how this state of mind can be reached, the practice and the dangers.
We are now at the end of the beginning. A sense of what Yoga is about. Approaching your running with a yoga mind, may, just may give you new insights into your training, or answer that gnawing sense of something missing from your practice. Who knows! My only advice is to give yourself some space to try out some of these ideas in this 'wee text'. It ain't a big read:)
No comments:
Post a Comment