Topic 6.01.08 Every asana is a divine expression

Topic 6.01.08 Every asana is a divine expression. VERSION CONTROL: 1 August 2017

In the practice of Shanti Yoga, earth dissolves into water, water into fire, fire into air, air into

Space, space into consciousness. The body assumes numerous forms of life found in creation, from the lowliest insect to the most perfect sage – and learns that in all these breathe the same Universal Spirit, the Spirit of Unity. The names of the postures are significant and illustrate the principle of evolution. Some are named after;

‘ vegetation such as the tree, vrksa, and the lotus, padma

‘ some after insects such as the locust, salabha, and the scorpion, vrschika

‘ some after aquatic animals, such as the fish, matsya

‘ amphibians like the tortoise, kurma, the frog, bheka or manduka and the crocodile, nakra.

‘ There are asanas called after birds such as:

the cock, kukkuta, the heron, baka, the peacock, mayura, the swan, hamsa, the crow, kaki, pigeon, kapotha, the eagle, garuda.

‘ They are also named after quadrupeds such as the dog, svana, the horse, vatayana, the camel, ustra, the cat, majaria, the hare, shasha, the lion, simha.

‘ Creatures that crawl like the serpent, sarpa and the cobra, bhujanga are not forgotten,

‘ nor is the human embryonic state, garbha-pinda overlooked.

The physical aspect of Yoga cannot be understood without taking into account the vision and total commitment to the principle of unity and multiplicity. Extraordinary grace and light, beauty and spiritual dignity present themselves from both the physical and metaphysical perspective.

The one spirit entwined in trees, mountains or pillars, holding birds, visible through animals, dwarfs, reconstructions from the historic past, deities, gods and goddesses, peeps out of inner recesses, and from the moonlight or under the stars, or stands out in the sunlight. Singly and collectively each one of these makes for an overwhelming orchestration that represents the unceasing rhythm of the cosmos in its endless movement of involution, evolution and devolution and fuse themselves into posture, asana or gesture, mudra. Every asana is an expression of the Divine.

The visible depiction of invisible forces of the cosmos as well as different aspects of the human psyche is the essence of asana. Depicting vibrational forms, geometric figures project a visual possibility of participating in all the games of life, the patterns and gestures of the universe and understanding invisible forces of nature, which are forces of concentration, laden with symbolic meanings. The Divine origin and transcendent presence becomes manifest. A transfiguration is available.

There is a (self) conscious attempt to arrest certain structural balances and phrases of movement that capture the initial, intermediary or final aspects representing the multitude of life, inner and outer worlds, and many aspects of the terrestrial world. This, together with the principle of the still centre and the continuous flux in the periphery lead to direct Spiritual revelations, pure and sacred, radiant, joyful and serene.

Postures emerge from the returns of the same point, or moment of balance along the vertical median, Brahma-sutra, in direct relation to the pull of gravity. Achieving geometric shapes is a moment of arrested time in limited space. The preoccupation is not with space but with time…to achieve a sense of timelessness.