Wisdom

The Bhagavad Gita in Chapter 7 discusses  Hindus ideas of "jnana" meaning spiritual wisdom and "vijnana" meaning, an intimate of practical familiarity with God. These terms exists in every religion, albeit under  different monikers and, I believe, every religion seeks to support their own idea of jnana through specialized practice. Catholics believe they know the true nature of God and worship accordingly. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus are all the same. All people have a glimpse of spiritual wisdom, but depending on circumstances, people find different ways to praise honor their deity.

Krishna says "when a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I unify in that."

I believe that God sees faith, regardless of the wrapping individuals place it in. God honors faith, because those with faith honor God, in whatever way they choose. I believe that God is bigger than any denomination or religion, and that God cares not for the Earthly labels we place on our faith. This passage from The Bhagavad Gita really stood out to me, and I cherish it as Truth in textual form.

Goodbye Advil

Aches and pains are as much a part of life as laughter and smiles. From the day we are born to the day we die, our bodies get sore and hurt and trouble us in manifold ways. Thankfully, in my current life as a College Student my body doesn't hurt as much as it did years ago when I was a High School Wrestler, or as much as it will in coming years when I'm an Arthritic Old Man, but I still have my days of discomfort.

Lately, I've been staying up late at my desk studying. After hours of unchanging posture, I often notice that my back is sore, or I have other random aches. I also write a lot, and tend to do so with a feverish flick and firm grip that always leaves my hand in pain. In the past, I would have taken a few Advil and tried to forget about it, and this method worked great! My aches would usually subside, often not to return, and I could continue on my day. However, now that I have Yoga, I've replaced this effective chemical method. 

Now when I start to feel sore or my body starts to ache, I break out my yoga mat and get to work. 

When my back hurt from sitting too much, I found some yoga postures really helped to ease the pain, and much more quickly than an Advil regime would have. Although I don't have a moral aversion or any other type of issue with OTC and other medicines, I do think that there is an almost calming aspect of healing the body in more organic ways. Yoga has become my go-to remedy for various minor hurts. 

Yoga Friends

My Yoga Class is wonderful, not only because it has taught me so much about Yoga and Yoga Philosophy, but also because it has given me a chance to get to know some truly beautiful people. My first day in class I knew only two other students, and only on a first name basis. Now, although I haven't spent time with them outside class or even talked to them for longer than a standard "class conversation," I feel that I know my classmates fairly well and I'm thankful. 

Yoga is a small class, like most in the BIC. It's also a class where the students are truly engaged and interested, like all in the BIC. My class mates and I probably chose this course for various reasons, but now, we are united in our pursuit of yoga knowledge. The relationships I've made so far in Yoga are unlike those I've made in other classes for two main reasons.

First, Yoga is a physical exercise, and demands more intense interaction with "class material" than other classes. In my Comparative Government class, we take notes, take quizzes, and take tests at the same time and this builds a certain bond. However, in my Yoga class, we discuss morality and mortality together. Synchronously, we stretch our bodies into poses we never thought possible. As one, we focus and control our breath. Yoga is a intimate act between the body and the Soul, but also between the individual practitioners in a class. My class mates have seen me sweat and hurt from trying the splits, they've witnessed my bare, smelly feet, and pressed my thighs downward to aid my practice. I certainly can't say the same of my fellow political scientists.

Yoga also reminds us of the sanctity and beauty of the Soul. Yoga teaches us that the Soul is prefect, undying, magnificent, and that the Soul's of every living thing are connected in the Atman. In this class, I'm forced to see my classmates not as competitors, or as study aids, but as sacred and beautiful individuals. I've found that I truly cherish the personalities and individualizes of every class mate, and I look forward to the time we spend together each week. Although I can't necessarily tell you anything about their personal lives or actions outside of class, I can vouch for the positive energy and happiness that they bring to those around them. 

The Bhagavad Gita: Krishna As God

Restorative Yoga

As a newcomer to the world of Yoga, I feel that my perspective of yoga is very narrow. I certainly understand the philosophical texts associated with the practice, but know very little about how yoga is practiced and viewed be the millions who practice yoga in America.

            In class on Tuesday, our instructor shared a type of yoga meant to relax and rejuvenate the body and mind and in doing so, helped to expand my understanding of American yoga. This particular practice took us through a sequence of poses mostly done on the back. With the help of a bolster, straps, and blankets, we performed various supine poses that expanded the chest and groin, aligned the spine and neck, and relaxed the entire body. These poses allowed me to focus on my breathing and shut out distractions more fully than I ever had before. When my torso was lifted by the bolster, my lungs and airways felt clear and capable. My mind was calm and focused.

            This sequence of restorative poses was an exciting new practice for me. I feel that Tuesday’s lesson showed me a glimpse of what yoga practice in studios throughout America might look like. In our modern culture, especially in modern fitness culture, people tend to isolate and specialize to a high degree. In the weight room, this is shown to be the norm, and probably for good reason. Lifters typically isolate a region of muscles to focus on in a single workout e.g. “today I’m working back and biceps” and “don’t skip leg day.” I’m assuming that this habit of separation extends into the yoga world, where instructors might lead their class in restorative poses one day, and core strengthening poses the next. This segmentation makes a lot of sense, especially in a world we’ve organized into rigid categories. Yoga sequences that isolate one type of pose or aim for a few, select benefits in particular show that yoga is a practice that can benefit everyone in many ways and can be adapted to an individual’s own needs.

            The acceptance of tools like bolsters, straps, blankets, and blocks also shows that yoga can be molded to fit any individual. Uses of these tools are often personalized so as to meet the individual’s specific situation. Yoga is truly a practice everyone can benefit from. 

The Dog's Most Recent Teaching

Remember my roommate’s Black Lab puppy? The dog who ate my favorite eye pillow? This semester living with Shiner and all the messes and all the puppy kisses she comes with has certainly been a mixed bag of blessings and curses. I’ve begun to think of Shiner as my own personal Karma dispenser, a powerful and terrible entity charged with dealing out my cosmic fortune one chewed belonging at a time. She’s certainly claimed many of my things, the eye pillow being only one of many.

            When she vanquished my eye pillow, Shiner led me away from detachment. She helped me along my yoga path in her own canine way. I was certainly thankful for her aid, and I soon adopted a mindset of acceptance whenever I noticed she had torn through another of my socks. Recently however, Shiner waged her quiet puppy war on an object so important, so valuable, that even my considerable skills of carelessness couldn’t assuage its loss: my new pair of glasses.

            My glasses are integral to my survival. Without them, not only am I blind, but I also feel that I lack the confidence and “me-ness” my spectacles seem to provide. Due to my optical difficulties and penchant for bold eyewear, I had chosen a pair of thick black-rimmed Ray Bans and wore them with pride. That is until Shiner decided to snack on them.

            I still feel sick when holding the mauled plastic carcass of my most valuable accessory. My parents just recently bought them as a replacement for a pair I had lost, and this will be no cheap fix. I will certainly be without clear vision (and impeccable style) for a while before they can be fixed or replaced, and even then, who knows how long they’ll last before Shiner gets them again?! I have been crippled by the loss of my glasses. I’d like to imagine that even Patanjali couldn’t expect me to practice detachment at a time like this, but I know I’d be in error. My glasses are not a part of my true Self. My eternal soul is not blemished by my lack of vision or by my negative thoughts and emotions associated with their loss.

            My glasses have been taken from me just as easily as they were given to me. Shiner has fulfilled her dharma of destruction, my psyche has been shaken, yet my Self remains perfect and undying and, of course, free from chew marks. 

Downward Facing Depressed.

When I first started doing yoga, the poses were difficult, but I soon felt that I had reached a point when I could do at least a few poses fairly well. I was wrong. Yoga is much harder, and takes MUCH more practice than I had previously thought and this realization brought with it a flood of negative gunas. 

From about week 3 to week 6, I had started seeing real improvement in my practice. I could finally get my heels down in Downward facing Dog, my Tree Pose was more steady, and I even felt more calm in Shivasana. This illusion of my apparent ability to perform poses I had just began to practice was ridiculous looking back, and I feel stupid for taking pride in my poses that were so close from perfect. looking at Iyengar's pictures and then analyzing my own posture, along with more closely watching my teacher in class, and YouTube yoga instructors, showed me that I still have a ton of work to do. 

At first, I was a bit upset. The progress I had seen was false and I became dejected and unmotivated to practice.  I think that leading discussion on Thursday, and having to engross myself in Patanjali in preparation for our discussion, helped to remind me what really matters, And it isn't prideful feelings about poses.