The Multilayered Being and Yoga Practice
Our body is the vehicle that starts to take us inside but at some point we move into connection with the Mind that is really driving the show. This can be a fickle place – often clouded by fear, wrong understanding and a myriad of other klesas (causes of suffering) that draw us away from that path of personal liberation and self awareness.
By Jill
The Multilayered Being and Yoga Practice
Yoga serves as a path to re-integration at a deep level, not only a process to keep us fit andactive. Our multi-layered system is defined by the Panca Maya model (Five Layers) – physical body, energetic body (breath), mind, personality, emotions. These layers are not separate or removed from each other. For example, if the Mind is distracted then the physical body may feel awkward, less refined. If emotionally upset, the Mind may not concentrate, and breath maybe ragged.
We can easily observe the inter-relationship of these layers in yoga practice – if we don’t become caught up in them!
When we understand what makes us who we are, we build skills to navigate the world.
Observation in yoga practice may firstly occur because something feels wrong or different, discomfort, a lack of space, fatigue, or even illness. If we can observe this and practise in a way that honours that moment, we may begin to uncover something more. But what happens if we don’t observe and accept the moment? Then we might stay focused on what feels wrong and that quickly starts to dominate everything. We may become fixated, angry, upset and begin a whole internal dialogue of self-judgement.
“The external Mind seeks validation through attachment to objects outside rather than choosing the internal path where we already have a deep knowing. The tools we all use in yoga practice – asana, pranayama, mantra, focus - all help us to choose the internal path. And recognising that we are at the crossroads when we arrive on the mat is the first step.”
This takes us away from the true path of integration that yoga can offer.
One of the ways to take a step forward is to accept what is and view practice as a process not a destination. When I can remind myself of the ‘yogic dance’ I am stepping into, the practice becomes creative – because I never know where it may lead. This helps open the mind to possibilities that may previously have been closed. If I think I have the right answer or right wayof doing something, then the process becomes fixed, rigid and without the richness that the practice can offer.
No space for the integration.
The path to clarity – rtam – is a vital goal of yoga practice. Our body is the vehicle that starts to take us inside but at some point we move into connection with the Mind that is really driving the show. This can be a fickle place – often clouded by fear, wrong understanding and a myriad of other klesas (causes of suffering) that draw us away from that path of personal liberation and self awareness.
It draws us to what is outside rather than within. This is discussed widely in yogic texts. The external Mind seeks validation through attachment to objects outside rather than choosing the internal path where we already have a deep knowing. The tools we all use in yoga practice – asana, pranayama, mantra, focus - all help us to choose the internal path. And recognising that we are at the crossroads when we arrive on the mat is the first step.
Over time the road within becomes more familiar and we get there a little quicker! The nuance of this is that all the five layers begin the process from disconnection – to clarity and equilibrium. We feel this because we experience space – sukham.
This is the integration that the practice can offer.
Jill Harris
Jill Harris is a Senior Yoga Teacher -Yoga Australia Yoga Therapist –AAYT /AusActive
Offering group classes in the tradition of T Krishnamacharya both in studio and online at Kyo Yoga & Healing, Ocean Grove, VIC
jill@kyoyoga.com.au