Strengthen - Developing Self AwarenessConversations about developing self awareness are usually focused on non physical aspects of the self - the mind, the emotions, the personality, and so on. But many people, myself included, have accessed profound revelations of self awareness through the body. The body is the self, too. In tantric philosophy, the body is perceived like all things in the universe - as a manifestation of divine intelligence. Like a memory, a sound, a drop of water or a mountain, the body is understood to be pure consciousness vibrating at the exact right frequency to elicit its specific density, and to create its individual form and fabric. Seen in this way, it's clear that our muscles are no less our true selves than our deepest dreams and desires. Embodiment is a gift. Developing self awareness is one way we show appreciation for that gift.
Our Bodies are Our Interface
Our muscles give us our shape. They are the part of us that translate who we are to the world, even to ourselves, in the language of the senses. Other people are able to be aware of us in an immediate way because of our physical presence. And in the pulsing, reflective manner of the universe, this is true for awareness of ourselves as well.Did you ever hear of The Invisible Man? Not the Ralph Ellison one. It was also a book by HG Wells, and what I remember is the television adaptation from the seventies. The hero was a scientist experimenting with invisibility, who accidentally turned the formula on himself. The show opened with him painstakingly cloaking himself from the ground up: socks, long pants and sleeves, shoes, gloves. He had to have some kind of material covering, some kind of substantial outer layer in order to appear to the world, and to himself. The most powerful moment of the sequence was when he wrapped his face in bandages, effectively assuming the identity of someone terribly wounded, maybe burned, or marred in some way. This was a vivid image for me as a child because I could relate. I think we can all relate to the experience of feeling unable to show our self to the world, unable to see our self accurately reflected back in the faces of the people around us. It is the feeling of invisibility, and it hurts. Developing self awareness is the secret life of developing awareness of your body. Awareness of your body comes from using it, moving it, feeling it, and paying attention to it. In the yoga asanas, or postures, we wrap our muscles around our bones to heal the wounds of invisibility from the inside. In this way, getting stronger can be an act of self love. If you are unsure about your level of self awareness, test yourself.
Developing Self Awareness with YogaBefore each of the poses, please read the foot help page
In all yoga poses, awareness is key. in the method of yoga that I practice and teach about, the awareness exercises we do with our mind, moving ever outward from the inner experience to the very edges of our physical form, are met with the awareness faculties of the body, moving inward from the edges. How do we do it? We soften, and then we draw in. We engage the muscles. We get stronger, fortify our interface, stimulate the sense awareness of our embodied selves that is our gift. With conscious practice of yoga poses, you can use the developing strength of your muscles to enhance your self awareness on a deeper level. Click on the images for poses instructions. Before each of the poses, read the foot help page
This website is meant to inspire you, and to encourage you to begin your own life-affirming practice of yoga. It is not meant to replace a real live yoga teacher, or the transformative experience of an actual community to practice in. You can contact me for more information. Or:
take a class in Portland, Oregon
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