Go Yaw.
George Gurdjieff the mystic and spiritual teacher spoke about universal forces and principles. One very simple yet powerful concept is that of pitch and yaw. Pitch is the thrusting outward force and yaw the receptive energy. Here it is easy for an overlay to be seen with the yin yang understandings. I like to think the word Yoga had a little hint or message right there in the short 4 letters of the word. It is asking us, maybe telling us to – go ya. In other words right there in the name is the essence of the discipline: go yaw. We are being asked to do the work of the poses and stretches in order to set us up to receive.
Photo by Katee Lue on Unsplash
So in class we do the movements and breathing to get to a point where you can receive, as in yaw, after the pitching nature of your movements.
As in any Martial Art the original purpose of yoga is to create oneself as a a node of connection between higher and foundational energies. Practice over time produces self knowledge. This in turn results in personal growth so one can better manage daily life to be able to participate in elevating self knowledge.
Yoga is amazing. After a class I feel my body on a subtle hum and my mind at peace (read I carry less internal friction based in the whims of the day).
The breathing, the stretching, the speeds all combine under the guidance of a teacher who lands us in shavasana (lying down ‘corpse pose’ that can be followed by seated meditation). This puts me in a place of readiness to offer high quality stillness to connect with higher realms of perception.
So go ya(w)!
Photo by Daniel Mingook Kim on Unsplash
The Wild Coach 