YogaGorey.com

Just thinking today how important posture is in general. Posture shows attitude and conversly, it also reinforces and refines attitude. You can try it out yourself anytime. Ease into a sulky, tired slouch and just see how you feel. Do you feel alert, happy, outgoing, cheerful? Maybe. But chances are, the effect your posture has on you will be depressive, sulky, tiring – evoking in you those emotions suggested by the pose.

Years ago I asked one of my yoga teachers if he was interested in the spiritual aspects of yoga and he told me that for him the poses in themselves were spiritual. He could not distinguish the practice of yoga from spiritual activity. At the time I thought it a bit extreme and perhaps a bit of lazy and wishful thinking, that you can just do the poses and forget about the ethics of yoga.

However, with the passage of time I have slowly begun to agree with him. There is an inherent elegance and strength in many yoga poses, or a humility inducing lack of elegance, which I now believe have a subtle effect on the mind and character. Whether or not your teacher is interested in or understands the philosophy of yoga (and many will have only a passing interest) you can be sure to gain something of the essence of yoga just from doing the postures faithfully and consistently. Will it guarantee an ethical, spiritual character and frame of mind? I don’t think so, but if the intention is there then the postures will surely support it.

And now enough theory and web-searching – to the yoga mat and do your practice!

Om Shanti!

Liam.

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