Monday, May 2, 2011

"Delay is not Denial"

If you've been waiting for progress in a specific area, you may have heard the simplistic advice, "Don't give up."  But what if your hamstrings are strung so tightly that all forward bending positions are extremely uncomfortable and no matter how many "Salutations to the Son" you practice with those two "Forward Folds" (Uttanasana) you still feel great resistance. Hoping to reach the floor, or even your toes may continue to feel a bit like trying to touch the moon. I often experience creaky hips like the tin man from The Wizard of Oz, and for me, spending significant time praying or meditating in the classic "Lotus Pose" can be a bit like trying to concentrate on reading while sitting in a torture vice.  Simply because I haven't yet experienced really open hips doesn't imply that I will never be able to let go of the resistance. These are purely physical challenges where progress can be experienced if we persist with regular practice of appropriate yoga postures, such as this week's "Auspicious Pose" (Svastikasana).  This intermediate pose is wonderful preparation for the advanced "Lotus" posture that's used to pray and meditate.  However, based on my personal experience, if you're not comfortable in the physical dimension, you'll have more difficulty shifting your focus to the spiritual realm for prayer and meditation.  So practice, practice, practice!  Seek, seek, seek.

  • Physically---Exhale from a modified "Child's Pose" (described in my very first blog on January 10, 2009) slowly back onto a pillow or folded blanket or towel placed under the tail bone. This helps to position the hips slightly higher than the knees so that you'll be able to sit more comfortably without causing the spinal curves to move into flexion and lose their natural shape.  Using both hands on the shin of the left leg, seat the heel of the left foot at the base of the spine.  Inhale deeply to extend the spine upright directly over the tail bone and engage the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles up and inward for spinal support. Then exhale while drawing the flexed right foot onto the inner left calf to seal the outer edge of the right foot in the crease between the left calf and thigh.  Allow the hands to rest softly on the inner knees with the shoulders relaxed down away from the ears.  With each inhalation feel the chest lifting and expanding three-dimensionally and the support of engaging the "locks" or bandhas as the spine extends, and with each exhalation roll the shoulders downward,  tucking the bottom of the shoulder blades into the back.
  • Mentally---Stay present with each full and relaxed breath by counting seconds to equalize the duration of each inhalation and exhalation.  You may choose to gaze at the tip of your nose ("Third-eye" or naitrayoh ma dyai  drishti) OR close your eyelids lightly about 2/3 of the way to take away the visual distractions around you (dusty floors or furniture) as you begin to experience the fifth limb of yoga called pratyahara, or withdrawal of the senses.  This discipline enables you to enter into a spiritual dimension in which you can connect more fully to your Creator and begin to experience the peace found in faith.
  • Spiritually---What if your mind just won't allow you to take the huge leap of faith required to accept the ultimate reality that a spiritual God actually exists?  If you've never had a spiritual experience,  trying to understand a three-dimensional Creator is much like the mathematical analogy described by an Oxford mathematician in an imaginative book called Flatland, in which a two-dimensional square tries to comprehend a three-dimensional sphere.  Admittedly, it's both humbling and mysterious to contemplate a God who loves each of us so perfectly that He became a man who lived a perfect, sin-free life as Jesus of Nazareth, and then suffered and died on a cross, and was resurrected with a new spiritual body to illustrate the third, spiritual dimension. It does require great faith to believe and trust all of God's promises written in His Word.  Faith may be just another unreachable dream for you, but I believe you can experience progress if you persist by exploring two sources of compelling evidence---the beauty in God's creations (nature) and the wisdom in His Word (The Holy Bible.)  Seek and persist in seeking with an open heart and you will not be denied the gift of faith.  
  • By regularly practicing solely in the physical realm of yoga postures (asanas)  you may achieve some measurable progress with more open hips by persisting in various hip-opening postures, but you will be delaying any true yoga experience in which you yoke and really connect with God.  Try adding that third dimension that was discussed in the February 9, 2010 blog for a real spiritual experience with God, the earlier in the day the better.  Delaying the spiritual can only last until death.
"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."           (Psalm 63:1, KJV) 

"Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Where can I flee from Your presence?"         (Psalm 139:7)