newest entry 2001-11-21 11:32 a.m.


yama-niyama-asana-pranayama-pratyahara-dharana-

dhyana-samadhyo stav-angani

--Sutra II.29, Patanjali

Testify! Lately in my classes I've been reminding people that yoga is a science of the mind, and that asanas (postures) are just one aspect of the whole system of yoga. The postures are done for the purpose of relaxing and strengthening the body in order to be comfortable for pranayama and meditation.

It's a message that needs to be made clearer, I think, in a world where postures and bodies and external realities are emphasized at the expense of the real work of yoga: to still the mind so we can truly experience God as a reality rather than as an abstraction.

And of course, we teach what we need to learn: I struggle so much with my body and my mind, and I measure the world with my emotional reactions and my thoughts, and it almost always leads to frustration or sadness. But when I get beyond that, my body & mind fall into their proper place and I feel peace again. So it's a lesson that needs to be learned over and over, at every stage of the game.


In other news, today I am home cleaning and thinking about cranberry chutney. I'm wondering if I should wait til tomorrow to make the chutney for maximum freshness, or if I should let it stew in its juices. Anyone know? Write me.

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