In
several yoga postures (asanas) we are specifically
instructed to let go in the groins, or release,
rather than bend the leg into a square. It is certainly
not an act of force, self-critically demanding
that our bodies perform at will; "Bend damn it,
bend!" Rather, what you come to realize is that
you are holding back your leg unnecessarily.
An insightful teacher will recognize the limitations
that you place on yourself. The fear and habitual
clinging that prevent your full expression, whether
in a yoga pose, a work of art or an audacious statement
of your truth. Ideally you will then be encouraged
you to release fully into that expression—physically,
emotionally, creatively.
This “letting go” is surely not an act
of reckless abandon, a form of escape often seen
as an immature, apathetic, “What ever, dude” attitude.
More accurately, you are moving unreservedly and
intuitively within a set of specific parameters,
without which the quest is daunting. The boundaries
of some vehicle are necessary in any spiritual endeavor
and it is just that vehicle that inevitably provides
the means to ultimate freedom.
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Yoga,
for example, uses the vehicle of the postures.
We don’t practice all of them (there are
8,400,000 according to the scriptures) but rather
a small selection within which we can constantly
test the limits of our restricted perceptions of
ourselves—physically and mentally.
Envision a reckless, raging,
reactionary river (anxiety, hostility, struggle)
that flows through, and is converted by some
behavioral gateway (a yoga practice). This gateway
is an alignment mechanism—a “laboratory” that
offers an arena for contemplation and clarity.
As water passes through that gateway it transforms
into a tranquil, blissful pond (peace, truth,
knowing). The water is still water, just as you
are still you, but your essence and your energy
have transformed. You have evolved.
The gateway might also be understood as a discipline
that keeps us grounded. Not rigid, but grounded.
For example, honoring a yogic discipline allows
complete freedom within the asanas, where the
subtlest revelations are realized in the seemingly
narrow confines of one “simple” posture.
Or more accurately, in one infinite Self. |
