Last week I dedicated my classes to focus on life and being alive – I found myself focusing on breath and the experience of movement. I kept coming back to this – life in my meditation became an meditation on movement (breath, heart beat, joints, and dynamic asanas), motion as a meditation is good to me. This weeks sutra says:
“When we are confronted with problems, the counsel of someone who has mastered similar problems can be great help.” (Desikachar translation of Patanjali sutra 1.37)
Yes, this is my experience, I believe that experience and serenity can “rub of” on me. Or as Bouanchaud says “The mind takes colour from it’s object…” a person who have the experience I seek, he calls a mediator.
Inside myself I have an inner mediator. If I’ve found a way to solve a problem in one area in my life – for example work – than I know that a similar problem, at another area in my life, can benefit from this experience of solution.
For me the words: “someone who has mastered similar problems”, means someone who can share the experience, not just an opinion or advice based on “thinking”. This reminds me of sutra 1.7 (Desikachars unfolding) which tells me, when direct comprehension is not an option, than relate to trusted authorities, to achieve indirect comprehension. It’s about living the truth. As my photographer friend says “as little as possible between the lens and the motif” or something like that :-) I get him…
Soo in class I will continue to support my students to talk to each other, about different teachers and different yoga – experiences, and tell them to try several different teachers, and not judge all yoga by what they meet in my class. I also want to work with direct experience and put in some partner work, to enjoy sharing experience. Again this sutra reveals how important serenity is, and how we approach this peaceful state…
Kate on this sutra
Namasté
Jenni Saunte
1 comment:
I like how you define it..."someone who has mastered similar problems". There's a tendency, at least here in North America I think, to get hung up on labels. Teacher versus students..etc. I think it's very important, mostly for me, to remember that we're all students of yoga. Some have just already encountered that obstacle and made peace with it.
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