Sensitise
We are sensitive beings, our modus operandi is such that we both consciously & unconsciously process information via the senses. Our sensory faculties allow us to directly experience the outer & inner world via the media of taste, touch, smell, sound & sight. In Yoga we call these 5 senses the ‘Jnan-Indriyas’ These gifts vary from human to human in strength, accuracy & number and irrespective of the amount and/or combination of these senses the presence of any or all of these faculties allows us to perceive the physical universe in all its wonder in the most beautiful ways. As a subsequent response to having sensory organs we can learn, create, communicate, dance, discern and indeed survive.
The Jnan-Indriyas are truly amazing, however as life gets more complicated, we are exposed to a wider diversity of information and while this current state of being is incredibly educational there is a very definite sensation of saturation. We are experiencing an overload of stimuli these days and the sensitivity to all this information can often act much like a thermostat automatically switching to cooldown mode when the temperature gets too high! What I mean here is that in order to protect ourselves it’s as if our system defaults to numbness when we experience too much input….and it seems to me that the more sensitive we are the more likely it is that we become desensitised because of the complexity of our world now. Our amazing bodies are punch drunk from a constant onslaught of STUFF ….where our minds were once like a clear starry sky now we have a psychological cityscape where all we can perceive are the orange glares from the streetlights & the din of the traffic jams through the fog.
This. is. a. big. problem!
The Yoga teachings encourage us to engage in a practice of non-attachment, this is very much needed because what has happened in our society is that we have, depending on our levels of sensitivity, become either overly attached (addicted) or completely detached (numb) as an autonomic response to unhealthy doses of hyperstimulation. Through the regular Practice of Yoga & Meditation we can return to the centre, we can once again sensitise so that we feel the beauty & the pain in equal & balanced measure without being indulgent in or overwhelmed by either. More than ever we need this Yogic Practice, life is just not sustainable without a daily healing regime anymore. People of all ages are realising this fact. We can only go so far if we’re clinging to the pendulum, controlled by the gravitas of our bi-polar potentials, but if we let go & rise to sit above the daily pollution, we can truly see & deeply feel again.
