Build on your Strength
The cyclical nature of life exposes us to many changes both obvious & subtle, The ‘Sadhana’ (Practice Path) offers the opportunity to deepen our awareness of those changes & the subsequent ability to implement action or rest depending on what’s appropriate, for example, if we are experiencing extreme stress & lack of sleep, Asanas (Yoga Poses) which restore balance & energy like Balasana (child’s pose) are the correct prescription, if we are feeling light and dynamic then it’s time for Adho Mukha Vrksasana! (handstand)
In playing with the concept of building on strength we first of all must consider how we define ‘strength’...
In the context of Yoga, strength or ‘Utsaha’ is very much a holistic term meaning strength of mind, fair decision making, power, muscular fortitude, emotional stability, health, perseverance & discernment, in other words the first part of building on strength is discerning wisely what it is we need & when we need it.
The next stage of building on our strength is to choose an aspect we want to work on. The most easily accessed part of us is the body, this amazing vehicle in & through which our consciousness can experience this strange & wonderful life. It is tremendously helpful to our journey if we keep this body strong. We learn to work more deeply, then to also strengthen our connection with a healthy mind, authentic emotional responses & ultimately an alignment with our innate & boundless depths so as to stand in the knowledge of who we truly are.
And so it is that we look at our strengths, we look at and admit to our weaknesses and we approach the physical, psychological & spiritual aspects of our Yoga with an intention, a will to fortify our health, starting from wherever we are and improving as we go. Locked within all forms of progress are little setbacks, we injure, we get sick, we doubt ourselves, or sometimes the energy just isn’t there, in times like this it is important to recognise that our Practice is a PROCESS and occasionally, despite all good intentions, we can be weak, this is where we cultivate a listening practice, drawing strength from our inner wisdom so we can see that in order to jump over the big puddle we need to step back, or perhaps another more illuminating analogy is that it’s pointless to fight with a storm on the horizon but rather much more logical to find a safe space in which to weather it! Yoga, if practiced regularly infuses us with the ability to build on our strength on every imaginable layer within us.
