The Reality of Yoga Poses Part 2. Demonstrate the Pose!
If we asked you all to demonstrate a pose most of us would be able to give a version of what was asked for.
What if in this reality we are in spiritual darkness, we are trapped by material demands, high bills and low wages, war, diseases, viruses, terrorism, pain and suffering making life very hard but for a few. How could we change ourselves so that these things did not have the power to control us emotionally, financially, materially, how to see truth in a sea of lies.
Let us ask the above question from a different reality or perspective.
What if we saw differently, what if our physical eyes misguided us, how then would we demonstrate the pose? What if the understandings we were given did not translate or were from a different perception which led to a different realisation from what was trying to be taught?
We would have to be a taught a different way!
What If our yoga poses were teaching something that cannot be copied by a physical pose, what if what is being taught is outside of the 5 main senses? (tomorrows-garden-the-elementals/)
What many will not consider during our practice is the importance of the “Abstract Noun”, very simply to identify a quality, state, idea or substance that we cannot touch.
Somethings cannot be touched but can be observed, demonstrated and felt.
Kindness, tolerance, compassion, forgiveness, humility, love.
Time to demonstrate our poses.
Let’s add a couple of components to our thoughts and questions. If we were devoid of certain senses, this would change our Yoga practice. In this reality our eyes are constantly closed. Would it matter then what weight I was, what my clothes cost, how we look, would how many followers we have be important.
Question: Is yoga bothered with our physical world?
These challenges would reform how we demonstrated a pose, how it was understood, how it was taught, how it was translated and how it was duplicated. Let us look from a different reality again, what if we were asked to express the knowledge in a pose or demonstrate how a pose can enhance our physical life? More importantly, it would change our understanding and perception of what the pose is teaching and how we animate the teaching or in simple terms.
Put life into the pose, in other words
Put the pose into our lives.
This may now not be making much sense at the moment but stick with it all will become apparent. As you well know when we write we never give all the answers as it is for our readers to think, consider and put the pieces together because,
When we look at something it changes (observer effect)
Just like our “Abstract Noun” our yoga practice should be free of material limitations, it needs nothing material to make it work, in fact as we have said before many great Yogis never participate in physical poses, their stance, their position is animated.
They simply live the pose,
They demonstrate the qualities that free us from material suffering.
This being said what then, what are the abstract nouns of the Eagle Pose or the Swan pose? We have used these as an example but ask this question of all poses. When we do this, we will begin to see that not all poses carry the same qualities. Some poses and yoga’s are manmade and by that we mean not given by spirit.
The Reality of Yoga Poses Part 2. Demonstrate the Pose!
If we use the understanding from the East, try and apply to the western culture, our dependency on material wealth, what then? I think many of us will see that the poses carry no monetary value, but misuse can lead to egotism. So, we need to ask the question to ourselves.
Does our own Yoga practice enhance the invisible qualities (abstract nouns) or is it purely material? Is it for fitness and health or do we wish to use it for personal progression (ascension)? What are our goals and more importantly are intentions? Are we aware of how invisible energies can hamper or progress?
Just like our abstract noun our spiritual knowledge frees us from the bonds of material wants.
What if we needed to convey qualities that we could not touch or hold or sell, we could incorporate them in values, qualities, character, essence and spirit…….
We could put them into a picture ( a Christmas card is a great example). We could put them into a pose!
The hour on the Mat becomes a way of life.
We create our serenity by how we deal with things!
We will finish now asking our readers to think about demonstrating the warrior pose. Would you start by planting your feet and making sure they face the top of the mat
or
Is it about protecting others and ourselves, projecting, safety, security and peace?
Do you ground through the back heal bring your hands to your chest, do you have to think your movements?
or
Do you project stability, emanate compassion, the movement is natural to your being and held pain free and not fake?
There is so much more to our Yoga practice if we care to look, what we have in the West is only a hazy image of what yoga was intended for. What if we already knew our yoga poses by other names?
Seek and ye shall find, ask and it shall be given.
We wish you all unity with your spirits.
For more teachings on this please look through our archive posts or in the yoga section. If you wish to know more you can speak with Lisa on one of her classes yoga-and-pilates-sessions-with-lisa/ or join us on our next “Day of Healing” where you can ask all your yoga questions. https://lifebalancestudio.co.uk/healing-days/
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