A close relative recently sent me a link to an interview she heard on NPR with a modern yogi and social activist by the name of Seane Corn http://www.seanecorn.com/ I had never heard the name but listened to the podcast of the interview, which lasted about an hour. She is very inspiring and what I like about her is that she does not fit the stereotype of what most people think a "yogi" looks or sounds like. I would describe her as edgy, raw and my personal favorite: A JERSEY GIRL!
Here is an excerpt from her interview, which can be found at http://www.facebook.com/l/8774ebSrIMapmvB8gcwVca11OFg/being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/yoga/
"I'm a really unlikely person to be doing yoga. Like I said, I was brought up in a fairly blue-collar environment. I'm not an educated woman. Very independent. And buying into all the spiritual fluffiness has never, ever been anything that I would've predicted would've happened to my life. And why I'm so attracted to it is because it's anything but fluffy."
I love this statement of yoga being anything but fluffy because I know many people conjure up the image of yoga being all about relaxing, gentle stretching, and chanting in foreign language. This is yoga at its most basic, outer level and these are all really beneficial pieces to those who practice for these reasons. However, to me, yoga, meditation and the path of spiritual growth and development takes balls (for lack of better phrasing :-) It requires courage to decide to take a hard look at ourselves and see our less than desirable behaviors and thoughts, the ways we have of judging ourselves and others, the self-limiting beliefs that are deeply ingrained in us, the illusion of separateness, and all of the ways we create suffering in our world. Looking at ourselves honestly is much more painful than doing what we have become accustomed and conditioned to do when uncomfortable thoughts, emotions or sensations arise for us...habits such as stuffing everything back down inside in order to avoid feeling or other ways of "numbing out" (such as food, alcohol, drugs, work, TV, exercise, etc.)
However, in order to see the light, it is necessary to first step into the dark. As Seane Corn says "What it (yoga) taught me — not right away, it took me awhile — once the emotions came up was that I realized that to really understand what love is and to understand this thing that they call the light, you also have to understand the opposite. You have to understand and embrace the power of the shadow, what love is not ....and the beautiful part is that if it's in me it's also in you. And if I can understand it in me, then I can also witness it and recognize it within you without judging it. I will only judge your shadow if I'm judging my own."
For me, this has definitely been one of the most amazing shifts in perspective I have experienced since practicing yoga and meditation. I see so clearly how predictable we, as humans, are. I see, without judging it, how we all create so much needless suffering for ourselves because I have witnessed myself doing it. This has instilled feelings of true compassion and connectedness rather than separation from other people. Finally, I understand how important "my shadow" is to me and am no longer afraid of it. It is, in fact, my greatest teacher.
The practice of yoga, when done with the proper intention, helps us to face these darker parts of ourselves, which in turn leads us to heal and recognize the truth about who we are. Yoga means union (of mind, body and spirit.) Seane Corn discusses in her interview how the regular practice of yoga asanas (postures) will bring up intense emotions since all of our experiences, thoughts and beliefs are stored in our cellular tissue. "And yoga is asking us to take the Band-Aid off the wound and be willing to heal it through a spiritual practice." She also discusses how holding onto these emotions (since they are are all masked and stored within the physical body) can be as detrimental to our health as a poor diet, lack of exercise or inadequate rest.
True awakening means becoming aware of and examining everything inside of us through yoga, meditation or just a constant awareness and sense of curiosity surrounding everything we do and feel. If we want authentic health and sustainable happiness in our lives, we must first be willing to confront the scary, ugly and harsh realities of what we have been harboring inside of us throughout our lives. It is only through the decision to look within and become acquainted with all parts of our self in a non-judgmental manner that we will be able to unearth what is beneath it all....our authentic, whole and peaceful selves.
