05.11.2012

Avidya and a tip of an iceberg


In Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2:5 you can read about Avidya which means spiritual ignorance.
Or ignorance of the truth of what we are.
Avidya is all our belief structures, a deep habit of consciousness.

I read an article by Sally Kempton -
Who do you think you are? (click and read)
where she discusses the yogic concept of avidya. "vidya" means "seeing" or "wisdom" or "knowledge" in Sanskrit;
The prefix "a" indicates a lack or absence.
Avidya then, means lack of wisdom/knowledge, or the inability to see.

Asana (the yoga postures) is a tiny piece of our yoga.
A tip of The Yoga Iceberg
It is easy to crave and indulge in all the brilliant asanas.
Or to reach for that last flexibility. Or believe that I am this or I am that = avidya.
You can´t be good at yoga.
But maybe you can live as a good yogi or yogini. Your way.
When the fact is that´s so much more to explore. To study. To be part of. To feel.
It doesn`t mean we stop practice asana.
But maybe reach a deeper level of our practice.
Our consciousness.
How can we stop clinging?
The body today is not the same as yesterday. Or a year ago.
It is only now.
Maybe we learn from an injury. Or something else.
It´s an ocean down there and it is so darn beautiful.

Asana is one of the pieces in the Yoga Puzzle.
You can build more,

Love and Peace and  S t r a w b e r r i e s



iceberg from google