~Bernie Clark
In its essence, a tattva is a 'reality of a thing, or its category or principal nature.' The tattva's of Yin Yoga outlined by Powers are:
- Come into the pose to an appropriate depth.
- Resolve to remain still.
- Hold the pose for time.
As I was thinking about the three tattva's or principles of Yin Yoga, I couldn't help but see the similarities to life. As we delve deeper into the first tattva, we see that as we move into a pose, we navigate our way to a point of resistance. This resistance informs us of our edge. Perhaps we notice the mental resistance, the physical limitations, or the spiritual hesitations. In this moment how can I play the edges of resistance in my life?
As I think about our lives, we are constantly being called to come to the edges of our lives. We are being asked to soften, to lean in, to surrender to the subtle energy just below the surface. We become alchemists of surrender. As Bernie Clark shares, "Yoga is a dance, not a wrestling match."
When we lean into our resistance, our bodies begin to have an incredible conversation with us. We find stillness in our physical form. We discover a surrendering mind. We melt into an expansive oneness. Stillness creates an invitation for kindness, compassion, love, and infinite support. We dissolve into the breath and invite the energy of serenity. We continue to consult the guru of our heart throughout the pose. Stillness makes way for us to remain in the poses for upwards of 5-8 minutes.
In short, I ascertain that the practice of Yin Yoga is much like the practice of life. We are continually called to the edges of our lives. We notice our habits here, our habits of comfort and resistance. The stillness of the pose allows us to check into our internal chatter. When we create pockets of stillness in our lives, we gain clarity, we find rest, and we tap into a limitless wellspring of gratitude that resides in our hearts. And then we hold the pose. I think of this holding as our commitment to life. We commit to taking care of ourselves. We commit to moving past our comfort zones. We commit to the messy and beautiful act of truly living an authentically embodied life.
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude,
Sarah