„…We are like ants; we all walk with the overwhelming burden of lives on our heads. “
Rosa Montero, Las Lágrimas en la Lluvia
The quote feels heavy, it comes from an excellent sci-fi book by excellent Rosa Montero.
Nevertheless, we are not ants, and there is a way out of the mind slavery. There are ways, uncountable unique ways, I am repeating myself as a reminder not to think mine is the only one. Yoga is not the only one, it is, though, an excellent one.
Get to know the body leads to getting to know its sensations, getting to know the energy of sensations leads to the caves guarded by the Soul. From the caves we lift to the realms of pure inspiration, we realize creative potential of each moment, and instead of getting overwhelmed, we acknowledge all that is and we are ready to descend to the caves again, and again. Planting each foot consciously in standing postures, we feel the roots, knowing the gravity, we learn to fly. Yoga brings along a glow, a deep joy of saying yes to the presence. Egos transcended, not erased, not ignored, not humiliated, not boosted. The effort melts into non-effort.
I like the metaphor of two minds: the jumpy, conflicting one, and the other one, that gets into the foreground with the yoga practice: the calm, cool and deep mind lake of wisdom, connected to all that is.
Standing by the balustrade, pelvis strapped in a belt to feel the lightness when some gravity is lifted, aware of psoas muscles, the humble muscles of the soul, enabling to bend back, but also to walk. Simply walk. Or stand.
Outside, a bustling Friday afternoon town in Het Muntpunt opera area; shoppers, commuters, partygoers, waiters, parents, children, lovers, drunkards, and others. A very urban setting; meadows, and hills of my previous summers far away. Feels all right and home, too. Embracing duality to experience wholeness. No light without a shadow. Gold shimmers most beautifully in the dark.
Behind any human need is a Soul´s need to be accepted, to be acknowledged, honored, heard. It dawned on my rather recently. Either this true need gets fulfilled, or it comes out in various compensation strategies, disguised as cravings, attachements, or avoidance, for the matter. Desire is fire. Light is light. There is a way to know without knowing – through paying attention, through tuning to the presence, through taming, letting go, welcoming, letting go again.
In the fire of the practice, pride metamorphoses into grace.
Grateful to all the teachers, now especially grateful to B.K.S for his legacy to humankind, as this blog is inspired by Simon´s class on Friday in Brussels. I remember one awkward holiday stay in Bulgaria six or seven years ago? On the verge of a major break-up, reading Light on Life on a crowded beach, I felt so close the author, Mr. Iyengar. Then, when we returned to Brussels, I learnt he died those very August days.
Nothing real ever dies, the wisdom traditions say.
Glimpses into B.K.S. yoga in the yoga journal article:
https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/light-on-iyengar
BYP yoga studio at the heart of Brussels:
