Part of what makes my tree cosmic— and every tree — is its steady presence through all seasons, standing tall through the most severe changes and inclement weather. No complaints, no holding on, no longing for what was. It simply adapts.
In yoga we have an opposite notion or a contrary image about how wisdom takes form within the human mind. Instead of thinking that attaining knowledge is about filling up our minds with learning, facts, information, viewpoints, stances, opinions and such—the yogi aspires to empty out of all thoughts and become ‘void minded’.
There was a devoted man, a self-taught yogi on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. He had all of these devotional practices that were half based on Hindu rituals and half what he had made up.
I came across these words of one dancer: “The bravest thing a dancer can do is get old”. The same is true of a hatha yogi who dares to get old and keep practicing.
Its important to remember that yoga can be a primary source of health and a main component of preventative and curative medicine
Every exercise in practice provides you with a microcosmic opportunity to advance along your solitary path to the macrocosmic pinnacle of yoga.
I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to practicing in solitude. I imagine at times this can be hard on my practice partner but she also knows how thankful I am for her and our practice time.
What is the first waking moment you can remember in your life? I remember being 3 years old and locking myself in an unlit closet. I was trapped and crying for help.
One week you are springing out of bed to practice and the next you are dragging yourself to the mat. It is like being in an ocean where the current is deceptive, you think you are in control, in one place, and then in a snap you are downstream!
I used to hear my teacher Sri Pattabhi Jois during conferences go out of his way to remind us that beginning practice with Surya Namaskara was an act of devotion and not a warm up.
