YOG
IS MINDFUL MOVEMENT, A JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY
FROM
THE BOOKS OF SPEAKING TREE
Two cardinal principles in the dynamic spiritual science of yog are movement and awareness Both are not separate entities, they coexist and complement each other. The first principle in yog is movement in balance with awareness. Life is a movement, not a stagnant pool. It is like riding a bicycle. To maintain balance, one must keep pedalling without tilting and falling on either side.
The body acquires sickness if it remains in one place Movement, both vertical and horizontal is, therefore, necessary to prevent the build-up of harmful substances that will cause disease within the body.The only way we could live a lifetime of fluid and painless mobility would be to acknowledge that we are more than just a skeleton with moving components. Humans are made of layers upon layers of connective tissues that move and eventually develop patterns of movement based on our ingrained behavior and programming.
In Hath Yog, the asan and pranayam facilitate greater movement, triggering enhanced awareness. Asanas stimulate internal organs such as the muscles ,bones and cells, whereas other forms of physical exercise activate the external parts of The body.Through asans,the toxic elements accumulated the in the cells are burnt. The blood is purified, new energy is infused, and fresh oxygen is Injected.
We must love how our bones and muscles move through space and time: flexing, stretching, bending, twisting, pivoting, turning, reaching folding the List of amazing and enjoyable actions that are effective and effortless is endless.To assist us in moving freely, a functional movement approach to asan practice that help us logivally, imaginatively and methodically can strengthen and stretch, stabilite and mobilise, unwind and unbind.
The purpose of pranayam is to cleanse the subtle nerve centres and manipulate the pranic currents to bring about change in consciousness. Its triple benefits include eliminating the growssness of subtler bodies, preparing the mind for dharana and dhyan,and destroying the accumulated subliminal impressions.
Through pranayam, the mind becomes the clarified butter It acquires the capacity to percive mental images without confusion.The second principle is awareness in movement.
One's awareness is subsequently strengthened when the movement of is not momentary but moment to moment. It is awareness of body , the thought process,and the environment.
Both
asan and pranayama activate the inner and outer movement of the body with more
awareness,which in turn facilitates more movement.This transformative
process of movement and awareness ,perfectly synchronized not only brings
balance within ourselves but also with the outer environment.
All movement in awareness and awareness in movement happen to achieve a state of calmness.This is the essence of YOG.