Archive for April 25th, 2010|Daily archive page
Reflections on the science of yoga
I feel confident in teaching a form of yoga which is scientific/agnostic in the approach. I have chosen to leave out god/goddesses/mantra/chakra in the lectures and there is a reason for this. We live in dualism and we label things good/evil, warm/cold and meditation is to go beyond that dualism for a short while. Yoga has the simple purpose of releasing muscle tension and prepare the body for meditation/flow/samadhi/nirvana/contemplation/heaven. Your cultural background will dictate the labels you put on the state.
Something which I hear a lot is this statement ” I am working really hard in this project “. then a saying comes to my mind “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Not that meditation is a contradiction to working hard but you could be cutting the branch you are sitting on. Where do you spend your energy ? Do you choose the right battles ? Here is where I think meditation have a function. To help you with the overall directions in life.
I am happy to point you to people who teach about chakras, kundalini yoga etc. if that is what you are after.
Comments (1)
At an early age I got interested in Buddhism and the prince who left his kingdom in the search for truth. How can I apply this story to my own life ? to be able to sit I took up the study of yoga. Is there a contradiction between yoga and science ? Sure we can get a theoretical understanding through books, but without the experience we are stuck. Why is it so hard to practice non-violence when the mosquito is landing on my neck ?