Reflections

In the very first paragraph in Chapter 1 of Mr Iyengar’s seminal book Light on Life, he states, “Spiritual realization is the aim in each one of us to seek our divine core.  That core, though never absent from anyone, remains latent within us.  It is not an outward quest for a Holy Grail that lies beyond, but an Inward Journey to allow the inner core to reveal itself.”

That statement can take some unpacking but the part that jumped out at me was what he refers to as the “Inward Journey”.  Journey - an act of traveling from one place to another or a long and often difficult process of personal change and development.  Yogasana (asana practice) is but one limb of the eight limbs of Yoga.  However, those of us who partake in such rituals understand that to become fully embodied (that is to inhabit your own embodiment fully), asana is more than just a physical practice.  It journeys us, if you will, from the periphery to the core.  

Life takes us, in fact sweeps us up, sometimes randomly, on all sorts of journeys but those journeys, as important, as necessary, or even as tough or as welcome as they may be, are external.  They may take us from one place to another or make us feel one way or another, but the journey that allows the inner core to reveal itself is another matter.

Asana, as we know, means posture but the literal translation is “seat”.  Life moves - our own lives will propel us here and there; it is an inevitable facet of being in the world, of nature, of prakriti.  In contrast, purusa, or cosmic consciousness is un-changing. It has no beginning and no end to it.  That is true of our own divine core; there is no end nor beginning to it - it just is, there, waiting to be revealed.  

Ultimately what the practice of yoga, and asana specifically, brings me is this: in all of life’s journeys, the instabilities, the upheavals, the difficult times we collectively encounter and even some glorious moments too - asana IS that inward journey.  By its very nature, asana creates the stability to remain seated in mySelf, and that is a truly divine thing.