Let’s return to
the old Kung Fu re-runs. When Caine, fondly called Grasshopper by his master,
is a small boy in the monastery, his master finds him watching fish in a small
pond.
The master asks
Grasshopper, “How many fish are there?” Grasshopper replies, “Twelve, Master.”
“Good,” replies the master, “and how many ponds are there?” Somewhat confused
by such a seemingly obvious question, Grasshopper responds, “One, Master.”
“No,” replies Master, “there are twelve ponds; twelve fish, twelve ponds.”
In the previous
exercise, we could have asked a room full of five hundred people to do the
experiment and all the answers describing the world would be different because
each person would have described pieces of their unique self. Five hundred
people, five hundred worlds.
The world and
others simply reflect back to us what we are seeing, not what is there. It is
as if wherever we look, there are only mirrors that show us pictures of
ourselves. We cannot love or hate something about another person or the world
unless it is already inside of us first. The world gives you what you see. You
can experiment with this truth by changing your story about what you see. You
will notice, the world changes to fit the story you are telling.
The Buddhists say that the universe dies when you do because you have created your own little world of reality. As you begin to steadfastly pay attention to what you are saying to yourself about the moment, the other person, yourself, and life, you will get clues about the “boxes” you have wrapped yourself in that create your own little universe. All of these utterances are projections of the parts of yourself you love, don’t love, can’t see, or can’t yet accept.
From - The
Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele
Chapter
Eleven - The Fourth Niyama SVADUYAYA (Self Study)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We can all use
this lesson in our daily yoga practice.
Why do we even
do yoga? We all have a reason for the first time we finally come through the
door and take a class.
I want to get
in shape...I want to get flexible…I want to get skinny…
But what keeps
us coming back? Any fitness class, any spin class or Zumba class or Pilates
class will do the trick, why do we keep coming back to yoga?
It’s not about
flexibility, it’s not about the poses. It’s the chance to reconnect to mindful
awareness, reconnect to your heartbeat and breath and strengthen these
connections. Practice the connections and make them so strong that they follow
you off your mat and out the door of the studio and stay with you through your
daily life.
Every yoga class
is a chance to reconnect and strengthen these connections. Well if flexibility
and stretching is not the reason, why do we bother with the poses at all?
The yoga poses
are simply a way to challenge your mindful connections. The linking of movement
to our breath and mindfulness is a way to try and distract you, to make you
hold your breath, to let that monkey mind back in. In the end, the practice of
yoga is accepting the challenge of the pose and keeping your mind clear, your
breath and heartbeat steady throughout the class.
Yes, your yoga poses
will eventually make you stronger, more agile, more stable and flexible, but
the pose is not the goal. If the pose is not the goal, then a perfect pose is even
less so.
If there are twelve
yoga students in my class, then there are twelve different yoga classes going
on. Each student has made their connections, each student has begun to move and
challenge those connections and each student is on their own mat, on their own journey,
maybe they are practicing with intense focus and their eyes are closed. No one
is on your yoga journey but you, no one has the same body or experiences as you
and no one’s pose ever looks the same.
But the
challenge is the same for everyone, stay on your own mat, find the connections
between your mindful awareness, your heartbeat and your breath, then begin
linking and strengthening those connections as you start to move.
You are on your
own mat and your own journey, therefore there is no one to compare yourself to,
there is no judgement on your mat and no jealousy; just your yoga path laid out
before you.
930am Tuesday Hatha for
Warriors at Lotus and Lettuce, there’s room in my pond for another fish. Who’s going to join me?
Namaste 😊
Shawn
