Post date: Sep 27, 2015 10:6:9 PM
“The effect of asana [yoga poses] is to put an end to the dualities or differentiation between the body and mind, mind and soul. None of the pairs of opposites can exist for the sadhaka [yoga practitioner] who is one with body, mind and soul.” - B.K.S. Iyengar (Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, p.160)
I have been thinking about the duality of body and mind: how I think one way, but actually I behave differently. Here are four examples from my life:
1. I know I need/want to eat healthy whole foods, but I just eat whatever and don’t think much about whether it is good or not.
2. I know I shouldn’t overreact and get mad at a certain situation, but somehow I can’t control the surge of my emotions and they overpower me.
3. I know I should let go of negative thoughts and move on, but I just hold onto them.
4. I know I shouldn’t have any prejudices about people, but sometimes there are very subtle differences in the way I react with different types of people.
At my first Iyengar yoga class, I remember my teacher asking me if there were any physical issues that I needed to address. I said no. As I started the class, I discovered that I had a few chronic aches in my body. Those aches have been a part of me for so long, and my body was so insensitive that I didn’t even think about them as abnormal.
Slowly, I have learned that I have certain habits that cause misalignment in my body and mind which cause all those pains. Asana practice (yoga poses) is a tool to discipline the body and mind. With devoted practice, I believe I can develop sensitivity to my body and mind. With asana practice, I become mindful of whatever I do: what kind of food I eat, what kind of work I do, what kind of friends I hang out with, and what kind of entertainment I do, etc. With that sensitivity or mindfulness, I can distinguish the misaligned from the aligned, the negative from the positive, and the temporary from the long lasting. When I am insensitive, the duality of body and mind is present.
So with mindfulness, when I eat healthy food, my body wholly agrees with my mind that it is good for me; when I have a surge of negative emotions, at least I can be aware of them and let them out with control rather than exploding; when I meet new people, my gestures and manners agree with my mind and I treat people equally; and when I have limited time I choose to practice yoga instead of watching TV because my body and mind agree on what brings me happiness. Body and mind become one.