The refinement of yoga practice isn’t necessarily the perfection of an advanced pose like Dwi Pada Viparita. For my money, mature yoga practice derives from the expression of yama and niyama – the “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots”..
Nowhere is the practice of concepts like “ahimsa” (non-violence) and “aparigraha” (generosity) more challenging than when we are relating to our families.
The original meaning of family goes back to servants/household/domestic. Isn’t it in the home where we show our true colours?
So far, on this journey to the U S A, my birthplace, I’ve felt alternately challenged, comforted, and rewarded by spending time with various members of my family. Returning here as an older person, I’ve been surprised to discover that I’m the repository of family memories. Are my impressions true? Gosh, how would I know?
It’s probably like The Talmud tells it: “We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are.”
In yoga – and this is where the practice of moral precepts and meditation help – we try to clean the windows of perception so that we can “see” with a pure heart.
When the rellies push our buttons, we know it’s time to get back to the drawing board, or more appropriately, the mat or meditation cushion.