cleansing self-examination sutra 2.1

2.1 "The practice of yoga must reduce both physical and mental impurities. It must develop our capacity for self examination and help us to understand that in the final analysis, we are not the masters of everything we do."
For a couple of years, I have lived with a practice of self-examination, inventory of me in my day, every night before I go to sleep. It is easy for me to relate to the fact that the final analysis is up to a loving greater power or up to reality. I can only observe what I find as good and bad is ever-changing and human effort can only take me so far, in the examination. Today this is a relief for me; I don’t have to be frustrated for baffling myself :-) Another thing that receive in continuous self examination is that problems slips away, they let go- by them self – it’s true! And under these obstacles and “mud on the window” “problems”, is a transparent serene being, nothing is added and nothing good is taken away, I lack words, but I’m all for a daily practice of self-examination. I become weirdly enough, less egocentric by staring into the stories of self and watching them vaporise before my eyes.

My physical yoga routine does the same thing, for example the idea that “I can only do yoga, when I have the energy for it or feel like it” has been taken away from me, I find that under these stories there is a transparent truth, that if I just place my feats on the mat -yoga does me. I get to know me, as a physical being, and I get to see that what I think I know for sure, is to be destructed and constructed into new patterns, for example I thought that I needed a severely strong abdomen to lift my straight legs up into the headstand or that I needed very strong arms to do the plankpose, well daily meeting up into practice destroys everything I think I know for sure, but it shows me a greater ever more transparent truth about my possibilities and limitations. Right now I have some objections to the word “impurity” but I trust time to show me these words in a loving light.
My friend has given me the words “enlarge our outlines while softening them” that fits fine to my yoga experience.
This week self-examination inspires me to work with connecting to experience of here and now and experiencing the moment and the asana in my class. Maybe work with some of the cleansing parts of yoga, inspired by the words about purity.
Love peace and more bunny jumps
Jenni Saunte