The other evening while walking through the fields and forests behind my home, I came to rest on a fallen log and began to survey the scene with all the yoga-inspired attention to detail that such a setting deserves. As my eyes lifted upward to the still partially sunlit sky, my gaze rested on the moon; half full, luminous white, and suspended above as if emerging from some mysterious faintly blue haze. I couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like to live in a time before we humans thought we had all the answers. I imagined never having learned anything of moon's mass, physical make-up, or distance from the earth. It was a simple yet awe inspiring experience.
A beloved teacher of mine, Devarshi Steven Hartman, discusses the danger of thinking we have it "all figured out", that we know all the answers. He aptly points out that the human habit of judging others comes from a false sense of "knowing it all" about a person or situation when, in fact, we often know as little about the people around us as we do about the true nature of the moon above us. How easy it is to hold on to our beliefs about the world, about others, about ourselves. There is great comfort to be had in the stories we and our culture create to make sense of ourselves and the world around us. But how often do these stories speak to the true nature of the object of our observation? How often do they lead us to a true sense of who we really are?
For an answer I, as have generations of yogis before me, turn to the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita was written around the start of the Common Era and is one of the most widely read yogic texts (it was favored by both Emerson and Thoreau, and Gandhi discovered the Gita through the transcendentalists' works).
The Bhagavad Gita, through a beautiful, clear, compelling, and very human story of struggle, provides a road map for a deeper understanding of the true nature of our selves. It ultimately leads us to an understanding that each of us has, at our core, a unique and untouchable essence that exists separately from our experiences, our thoughts, our bodies, our struggles. It is this essence that a yoga practice seeks to strengthen.
Whether we believe as some do that this core essence represents spirit or soul, or whether it is more simply a convergence of breath, body, and mind that is greater than the sum of its parts, yoga leads us beyond the limiting ideas we so often hold about ourselves and toward the fullest possible expression of our own individual gifts, talents, and joys.
In the practice of yoga our tools are simple ones, body, mind, breath, and intention working in union toward a greater whole, but the results can be profound and varied. From greater lung capacity, increased strength and flexibility, and a better ability to calm and focus the mind to a growing awareness of our unique purpose in life, yoga can help us grow the skills we need to experience ourselves, others, and our surroundings with a sense of appreciation and clarity.
It is in this clarity that the moon, the world around us, our loved ones, and our selves begin to shine more brightly.
Peace,
Kate
