Have you ever wondered why Yoga works? It's an interesting question, and one which I have never heard answered. In fact, some youngster puts the question to some oriental sage type, and I see a lot of justifying and circumventing and philosophizing...and no real answer.
In answer to this question, I was trying to make yoga work the other day, and I was listening to some gal on a Yoga CD and trying to put it all together with what I knew from the martial arts, and the gal on the CD suddenly said something that made me blink. With a satisfied smile she said, 'It took me three years to get this posture.' I sat back, put the CD on hold, and thought about what she had said.
It took her three years of work and discipline to make her body work. She was proud, which is probably the sinful version of satisfied. And I don't think she was really doing Yoga.
She was being a contortionist. She wasn't talking about becoming aware as a spiritual being, but rather being 'over satisfied' about being able to do weird things with her body. What she was saying had to do with holding her body in a yoga asana, and nothing to do with the spiritual side of the subject.
One of my more odd martial arts tricks is to practice my karate kata in a dark room with no lights and my eyes closed. I do this because Karate means 'empty hands,' and I recognized that you couldn't have empty hands without developing an empty mind. I am merely trying to reduce extraneous sensations, and develop awareness aimed at the single and concentrated practice of the martial arts form.
To understand this in Yoga, shut your eyes and become aware of your right, big toe. You must be aware of your right, big toe without the use of body perceptions. You must become aware, not be aware through body perception devices (eyes, taste, hearing, and so on).
If you can hold the body motionless, reduce sensation, and just become aware, then you are on the track of real yoga. If you can understand the different between being aware through body perception tools (sight, smell, etcetera), and just being aware, then you are on the track of real yoga. If you can become aware of yourself as a spiritual being apart from the body, then you are doing real Yoga.
You don't have to contort your body through painful postures. You need merely put your body in a position...doesn't even have to be an official yoga asana...and stop looking through your senses, and let awareness grow. The difference between perception and awareness, this is the why yoga works, why the martial arts are what they are, and even your right, big toe.
In answer to this question, I was trying to make yoga work the other day, and I was listening to some gal on a Yoga CD and trying to put it all together with what I knew from the martial arts, and the gal on the CD suddenly said something that made me blink. With a satisfied smile she said, 'It took me three years to get this posture.' I sat back, put the CD on hold, and thought about what she had said.
It took her three years of work and discipline to make her body work. She was proud, which is probably the sinful version of satisfied. And I don't think she was really doing Yoga.
She was being a contortionist. She wasn't talking about becoming aware as a spiritual being, but rather being 'over satisfied' about being able to do weird things with her body. What she was saying had to do with holding her body in a yoga asana, and nothing to do with the spiritual side of the subject.
One of my more odd martial arts tricks is to practice my karate kata in a dark room with no lights and my eyes closed. I do this because Karate means 'empty hands,' and I recognized that you couldn't have empty hands without developing an empty mind. I am merely trying to reduce extraneous sensations, and develop awareness aimed at the single and concentrated practice of the martial arts form.
To understand this in Yoga, shut your eyes and become aware of your right, big toe. You must be aware of your right, big toe without the use of body perceptions. You must become aware, not be aware through body perception devices (eyes, taste, hearing, and so on).
If you can hold the body motionless, reduce sensation, and just become aware, then you are on the track of real yoga. If you can understand the different between being aware through body perception tools (sight, smell, etcetera), and just being aware, then you are on the track of real yoga. If you can become aware of yourself as a spiritual being apart from the body, then you are doing real Yoga.
You don't have to contort your body through painful postures. You need merely put your body in a position...doesn't even have to be an official yoga asana...and stop looking through your senses, and let awareness grow. The difference between perception and awareness, this is the why yoga works, why the martial arts are what they are, and even your right, big toe.
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