The wise ancient, Patanjali, identified certain human frailities and offered ways of correcting them in his “Yoga Sutra”.
One of them is particularly relevant to the above topic and in Sanskrit is called “aparigraha”, the practice of non-greed.
Greed is spectacularly obvious when we read about excessive Goldman Sachs’ executive bonuses or Bernie Madoff’s financial blood-sucking.
But greed presents with much more of a slippery edge when it plays out in yoga practice.
You might decide to go that little bit further in Uttanasana because you felt you didn’t do enough yesterday. Or, you lwant to show the gorgeous gumby on the next mat what you’re made of.
Penny the physio here in Hunters Hill Rehab took me through my exercise paces yesterday and finished the session by teaching me the technique of going up and down stairs. Apparently I didn’t do well because Penny wrote me up in her notes as “too fast” and “dangerous”. Eek!
My session today was with the gracious Helen who mightily resembles her namesake Helen Mirren. I felt encouraged and held in her guidance. Then her offsider took me back to the staircase drill and said just go as you feel steady and don’t hold back. Music to a Sagitterean horse able at last to have her head!
I did well and felt so relieved I wanted to cry!
Movement can ultimately be a meditation. The author Colum McCann describes the funambalist Phillipe Petit in these words: “Within seconds he was pure moving, and he could do anything he liked. He was inside his body and outside his body at the same time, indulging in what it meant to belong to the air…. The core reason for it all was beauty. Walking was a divine delight.”
Is this being completely in control, or has something else kicked in? Training that goes for thousands of hours, a body/mind managed, organised and then what?
Letting go into some magical state that goes way beyond just equilibrium.