Skip to main content

You Don't Have A Soul-You Are A Soul; You Have A Body

Friday, November 6, 2020 (Part I), 

"Luminous beings are we; not this crude matter"- Yoda #starwars4lyfe

A yoga practice can bring the focus, and understanding, that your body, your mind, and your soul are all connected and all influence each other. 

However, which one these is the leader?.....which is the "senior"?.....which one is most important?

My opinion (that no one asked for), is that the only part of you that will continue on, is your soul.  Your body, and the Earth itself, will all be destroyed (the Sun will eventually expand into a Red Giant and engulf the Earth....think about that next time you're worried about your 401k).

Since your body can, and will, be destroyed, it is inferior and subordinate to its counterparts.  It, therefore, needs to be tended to very frequently as your physical body can still influence your heart, mind, and soul.  Eat too much, and you become docile and listless....eat too little and you become edgy and hangry....breath too fast, and your brain will start to skip and lose its ability to focus; physical changes effect your non-physical parts.       

It's impractical to sail through life saying, "I don't need to plan ahead,.....the world will all end one day, and what does it matter?", so that's an extreme that I don't identify with.  However, it's equally impractical to become wound up, anxious, 

While on this Earth, you're encased in your body.  As Yoda said to Luke in Empire Strikes Back, luminous beings are we; not this crude matter (as he gestured towards Luke's body).  

Time to begin...

Friday, November 6, 2020 (Part II), 

Today's practice, like yesterday's and every morning's, begins with addressing and connecting with the non-physical aspects of being.  This includes breathing exercises, prayers, and meditation.  Only after I've connected with that "luminous" side, do I feel fit to begin moving the "crude matter" (as Master Yoda put it). 

While I move the "crude matter" of my body, I try to make my Asanas/physical poses a moving meditation by holding an image (something meaningful, beautiful, etc.) in my head, and maintaining mental focus on that image alone while I move my physical body through the strain of certain poses, and sequences.  This focus helps make a yoga practice more than "exercise", and elevates a practice into something far more holistic and nurturing. 

Namaste

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, February 13 2017

Monday, February 13 2017 Groggily woke at 5:00am this morning.  I've had coffee and I'm on my mat but may not do a physical practice this morning. Monday, February 13 2017 (Part II) Did prayer/meditation on my mat and went through my standard warm-up routine.  That's all I have in me.  I'm going to move through my day slowly and with care and come home to crash in my bed. Namaste
Post a Comment
Read more

Re-Building + Persistence

Tuesday, January 23, 2018 Re-building a routine is hard. I woke at my usual 5:00AM this morning and did not want to get out of my bed. I'm on my mat as I write this, however, and will be beginning my practice shortly.  I've found that, like most habit changes, the 3rd day "hump" is usually the most difficult; get past that, and you're golden. Tuesday, January 23, 2018 (Part II) I'm writing this on my mat, having just come out of Savasana. As always when we push ourselves through something we don't want to do, it feels good when it's done and over with.  I'm feeling wonderful, connected, and ready to address the challenges the day might throw at me. Namaste
Post a Comment
Read more

Asana

Monday, March 30, 2020 After no physical practice/Asanas on Friday, and no yoga over the weekend, I notice that it's difficult to stay motivated and dedicated to my practice at times.  Additionally, I ran a solo-10K this weekend (the St. Louis GO! Marathon/Half-Marthon/10K was cancelled, like most public events), and the additional tenderness in my feet, legs, etc. definitely told me not to get on my mat. Monday blues/malaise, essentially.....a "negative mind"... When I'm on my mat, feeling like it's pointless, and that the day ahead is pointless, and that the efforts I'll expend to make things better are pointless, I can go back to the foundations of my life.  First, what do I live for?  I live for God.  That is my attempted mantra every day. It is not for me/you to understand the purpose of anything.  Pulling yourself out of an equation is very liberating in that you're no longer attached to the result. It's 5:27AM as I type this, and it...
Post a Comment
Read more