Across many traditions, many cultures, many communities, many tribes, gods and goddesses and figureheads and idols are created. It’s a way for humanity to understand what could be beyond our grasp, to turn something impersonal into something intimate.
There’s an African goddess named Yemaya. She is the source of all the waters, the mother whose children are the fish, the goddess of the ocean. She is often depicted as a mermaid. Half human so that we can relate to her, half fish so we can look upon her as an ethereal, mythical creature. When we get into yoga asanas (physical poses), it is the same. We attempt to turn something that is separate from us into something we know, even if it’s just for a few breaths. By coming into poses like lord of the fish, dolphin, tip toe fish, and mermaid, we experience these other beings, and connect to the water element these beings are home to. The Jivamukti focus of the month is water. And it is time, now more than ever, to have an intimate relationship with her, to fall in love with her, to take care of her and protect her and nurture her. It is the only way humanity can survive.
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The ancient yogis were natural environmentalists, even before the term “environmentalist” was coined. They lived close to nature, the forest is their garden, and the sea is their backyard. They were connected to nature and saw it not only as their home, but as something part of them.
Modern yogis are not as connected from nature because modern living has become very different from what life used to be. I, for one, live in a building on a high floor, and when I look out the window, I see another building. It isn’t as easy for us to be connected to nature. It may take extra effort for us to make that connection. It may take us watching Cowspiracy and Plastic Ocean and Racing Extinction and other documentaries to make the connection that the Earth—our only home— is in dire need of our help. The focus of the month in Jivamukti is water. We take this resource for granted because we are quite disconnected from its source. When we show up at yoga+, we take our bottle into the dispenser and we get free alkaline water, just like that. The reality though, is that even though the Earth is made up of 70% water, only 1% is accessible. Water is actually quite scarce, and yet we waste so much of it. The biggest water waste incurred is in animal agriculture. Pound by pound, here is the comparison. One pound of beef requires 1,800 gallons of water to produce, compared to one pound of potatoes which requires only 30 gallons of water. Jivamukti advocates a completely plant-based diet because of both environmental reasons and animal rights reasons, on top of spiritual reasons (being aware of the karma we incur). Perhaps the idea of switching to a plant-based diet may seem intimidating at first. But think of it this way. When you started yoga, didn’t some poses seem impossible too? Then through practice, what appeared to be impossible became possible, and what felt difficult eventually came with ease. We yogis know that practice comes a long way, and we can always take the first step and try. Yogis don’t encounter a difficult pose and just give up. We commit and persevere and try our best. As with our attitude to poses, so it can be with veganism as a means to save water and the Earth. Ancient yogis are natural environmentalists. It is now time for us modern yogis to rise up to the challenge. The yoga sutra sthira sukham asanam— steady and joyful connection the Earth— is relevant today, perhaps more so than the day it was conceived as our situation is now more urgent than ever. It is time to understand what my teacher Sharon Gannon often says: The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth. Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah
When you stop identifying with your thoughts, fluctuations of mind, then there is Yoga, identity with Self, which is samadhi, happiness, bliss, ecstasy. When students leave before or during savasana and meditation, I feel bad for them. They’re missing out on the most important and most significant part of the practice. Sure, asana is great as it helps us move and stretch the body, but it is in savasana and meditation where we get to let go of the body and the mind, and therein is yoga available— the state of oneness with all being. Traditionally, asana is practiced as preparation for spiritual endeavors, and not just as a stretching exercise. The physical body has to be in the right condition for enlightenment to happen. After all, how can one sit still in meditation if there is persistent lower back pain? How can one release the body in savasana if there’s a chronic shoulder issue? The body in a state of discomfort does nothing to dissociate from citta vrtti or fluctuations of mind. Especially in the beginning of one’s practice, it even adds to it. As practice progresses, what the body or even the mind goes through becomes a tool in which to observe. So it doesn’t mean the body has to be perfect or the mind blank or still for enlightenment to happen. It is simply that we no longer identify with it. Let the magic of both savasana and meditation take you to a state of Yoga. Refrain from leaving class when the “exercise” ends. You are not just the body. You are more than this body and mind, and you deserve to be in a state of Yoga. |
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