Svadhyaya takes the power of tapas and directs and integrates it. We begin to dive deeper, moving past the stilled surface created by our work with the yamas. According to Iyengar, it is reading one’s own book of life, at the same time as writing and revising it.
Svadhyaya is not narcissistic. As we know, this eight limbed path moves towards Samadhi – a realization of our oneness with all that is. Therefore, svadhyaya, although the study of the self, is not limited to the study of the individual personality. It begins there and moves deeper and deeper as we release, through tapas, the masks of separateness.
In asana, we practice svadhyaya as we cultivate an internal gaze – seeing our body from the inside and letting go of external ideas of how our body should look or feel.
As you move through your asana practice, pause after each pose. Actively cultivate the internal gaze of self-reflection. What do you notice? In what way has the pose shifted your energy, your muscles, your bones, your breath? Move thoughtfully through your practice this way, and notice how this perspective begins to follow you off of the mat as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment