Does a Real Yogi Need a Yoga Mat
February 01, 2008 11:02 AM EST
views: 109
|
comments: 23
I begin meditation thinking I'm going to unpeel the layers down to the radiant spark within, the spark that's but a speck that shines far brighter than any solar array. Who am I kidding? I sit lotus posed in my overstuffed red leather chair to enhance lower back comfort, looking out over a crowded room, narrow pathways meandering through all the accumulated stuff. How can I unpeel layers to the pearly onion beneath when stinging tears of emotion well up with each unwrap of the veil? The vision has been clouded for so long that seeing out is hurtful to the eyes.
I dimly peruse the room through the thick gauze of my shroud seeing no further than the outer reaches of the magnificent cocoon I have spun for myself. There is the exercise equipment for the improvement of my bodily shell that I hardly touch. The same can be said for the paints and brushes, and piles of fiber for finding my artistic expression and creativity. Then there are the rows upon rows of overflowing books all promising the answers to life's mysteries. They all have their own stories and seem to only evoke more questions. Do I need more to find less, to find what is simple and pure?
I remember this room when it was first built. It lay barren. Stark wooden floors connected with familial oaks through unadorned windows. All that was necessary was a yoga mat. But, does a real yogi need a yoga mat?
Please provide details below to help Gather review this content. If it is found to be inappropriate and in violation of the Gather Terms of Service, action will be taken.
You have successfully submitted a report for this post.
|
|
|
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 23
And I totally feel where you're coming from here. I don't meditate or anything, but we seem to have accumulated so much "stuff" in our lives. I often just want to start over with absolutely nothing.
I want to thank you for commenting on my Quick Tips - Focus on the Heart Article. Please pass the info on to those who might not know that heart disease is the #1 killer in the US. Thanks Quick Tips
It does not matter if a "real" yogi needs a yoga mat. What matters is something Pema Chodron told me years ago through her books.
Start where you are.
No past, no future, just now.
Please, be kind to your self.
Cultivate love and compassion for you.
"Start where you are.
No past, no future, just now.
Please, be kind to your self.
Cultivate love and compassion for you."
Hugs to you.
Do "close off" with your hands by touching forefinger to thumb and resting them palm down on your knees or legs; my actual preference is to interlace my hands, with fingers and thumbs closed, in my lap. You don't want to be open to outside "stuff."
I wrote about something that happened to me once in the above article. That is what I'm always trying to get to in meditation. Most of the time I just get some insight as above, which I wrote about.