Most of us come into yoga practice seeking "bliss", a sense of well-being, connection and wholeness in mind, body and soul.
So we work our bodies, we breath more deeply, we "let go" of the drama that's going on in our lives... What happens then when we step off the mat and into "real life"? What are we still carrying? Do we continue to feel disconnected? Have we left the bliss behind? Ananda is not about chasing the "high" of the practice, it is learning how to come "down"... it isn't about holding on to a "feeling of completeness", once we cling onto something we suffer... And it certainly isn't about becoming "an enlightened being", because any identification with being "somebody" immediately separates one from others... A spiritual practice of any form helps us cultivate the witness that sees all as phenomena - the unfolding of story lines, the identification of an "I". We learn to appreciate our own uniqueness without being better or worse than someone else. The witness sees the judge - the seat of our ego, and offers it compassion but not power. The practice is on creating spacious awareness by being in the presence of clarity, the perfection of it all within this very moment, the essence of Ananda... No one says it's easy ;) *Rock & meme design by Dejalulu |
Daphne Chua
Registered Yoga Therapist, Somatic Movement Educator, Bodyworker, Yoga Teacher Trainer
December 2021
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