"When I practice, I am a philosopher. When I teach, I am a scientist. When I demonstrate, I am am artist." ~ BKS Iyengar
Art is defined as human creativity, skill. Any specific skill or its applications. The making of things that have form or beauty. Any craft or its principles. Also, as a branch of learning.
Science is defined as systemized knowledge derived from observation, study.
Yoga is defined as to yoke, harness, unify. The word Hatha has two parts, Ha and Tha, sun and moon. The equivalent of yin and yang. The opposing forces of which the entire universe is composed of. All living things constantly flow back and forth between these two states, but are never really achieved because the one can not stand on its own without the other. Hatha Yoga is the practice of intentionally working to bring these two things into balance. There is an asana (pose) in yoga called Samisthitih that very much embodies this place of balance, of even standing. In the beginning, achieving this state of balance can be a challenge. Especially if we have had a lifetime of imbalance, struggle, mindless activity or trauma. It takes effort to learn how to stand upright and still.
As human beings, artistic expression is available to all of us. Anything and everything we do can be viewed as an art. From the art of driving a city bus (ask Ralph Cramden :o) to the art of composing a piece of music so beautiful, anyone who hears it agrees that it is flawless!
It is not what we do, but rather how we do something that distinguishes between a task being completed, and an expression of our souls desire to be more present in the everyday.
I see this as more of our own personal evolution. As we become more conscious we want our life to have more meaning. Even if it is in a small way. We begin to make changes in the way we live and work. Everything becomes more intentional, less left up to the "powers that be" or "fate" whatever that means to us personally.
When I was young, I was in a living situation that was less than ideal. My naturally creative self was being stifled. It was a very difficult time, until I discovered that I could express myself through cooking. I taught myself to cook and cook well! A skill (and a source of joy to this day) that would prove to be extremely useful in the years to come. The daily task of preparing food became an artistic expression.
Then there is the way we use the word art to describe a scientific endeavor such as, "The art of Healing" How does medicine become an art? Because it really involves much more than the prescription of certain drugs, or surgical procedures. It has to do with the human condition, because love heals. The sound of water running in a stream or birds singing, lowers the blood pressure. And that's just scratching the surface!
Some of these things can be explained scientifically and some of them can not (yet). The more they can be shown to have scientific validation, the more powerful they become. Because we then begin to "believe". When you believe in something it maintains a more consistent level of power in your life experience.
Which brings me to perception. Perception appears to be automatic, but is in fact a learned phenomenon. When we first begin to discover the world, it is through our senses. Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and our skin. We first sense things in our environment. If we sense them over and over, we develop a perception of that thing. As we grow, our perception grows with what we are exposed to, and, is then limited by that exposure.
As we mature, we begin to see that our perception of things is not always the same as it is for others. This does not invalidate, it is simply because their life experience was different than ours. This is a terribly exciting time and causes many of us to investigate the world more consciously, more intentionally. We become explorers, we become scientists!
It is with this same excitement and curiosity that I prefer to explore yoga. With the intensity and the satisfaction of the scientist who is able to "prove" his or her theory, and the joy of the artist, completely engrossed in the creative process.
Tendons and ligaments. Muscles and bones. The relationship between the feet and the brain. The breath and the nervous system. discovering the intelligence in the fourth metatarsal (the toe next to the pinky toe).
Approaching your Yoga practice in this way ensures a lifetime of joyful discovery. The result of which is improved health and wellbeing; understanding that you can make changes that you may not have believed possible. This realization, through direct experience, that we can, we can craft something new, something more in line with our vision of what we wish our life to look like.
When we choose Yoga as the vehicle for this adventure, there is no limit to the avenues for exploration. It is a complete system of self study that gives you all the tools you need. We usually begin with the practice of the asanas or Poses. We move in and out of these different asanas and learn that some of them come easily and some of them are virtually impossible for us to perform. But the real challenge is in accepting our present physical condition and working safely within those parameters. Also remembering that the physical part of the yoga practice is just a small part. There is sometimes, a lot of discussion about the "spiritual" aspect of yoga. This does indeed exist. But should not be confused with religion. You can practice yoga within the structure of your own religious belief system. Yoga's spiritual aspect is in the definition of spiritual as: of, or consisting of spirit; not corporeal. Which can sometimes be confusing because of the almost exclusive attention to the physical practice in our society.
This, has the potential to make me sad. Because, I believe that our "innernet" is more important than the internet. Now, more that ever, we must (re)connect to our spirit, our higher self, our soul, god. The thing that creates us and that which directs us, that frees us, that is us. We are the creation and the creative process. We are love embodied, one in the same, as above so below. When you care for yourself, you care for all others, when you care for others, you also care for yourself.
Amazing that I have such a great love for this subject and get to share with whoever will listen. I never saw myself as a teacher, but my teachers did. I will be forever in their debt. The gratitude I have in my heart for my teachers guides and mentors can not be measured.
Jai Jinendra 🙏
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