Change occurs when each of us removes the obstacles to growth. Physical and mental health are not a fixed point, rather; a dynamic consideration of the individual within the context of time, circumstances, environment and culture.
Avidya is a Sanskrit term with a rather clumsy translation of ignorance. I’m not sure any of us want to believe we suffer from ignorance, so we’ll stick to the Sanskrit of avidya and think of it as meaning misunderstanding. Hinduism and Buddhism share this term, they recognise that misunderstanding the nature of reality, is a primary cause of suffering, and ultimately leaves us floundering around seeking short-term goals. The ones concerned with my immediate sensations and experiences. We can pivot this conversation into modern psychology and reflect on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; when a person’s foundational desires of safety and nourishment are met, they can progress towards a path of self-actualisation, the realisation of their potential, in Buddhism it’s called dharma or purpose.
The nature of reality is your body is designed for movement, for original movement and yoga predates all other movement modalities.
Your body is incredibly strong and capable. The success of failures you might feel in your body, are largely determined by your mind and your perceptions. If the mind weren’t so powerful, the gold standard of scientific experiments wouldn’t need to be triple blind.
It is somewhat delusional to have anything but love and compassion for yourself and the choices you’ve made to this point. It’s also a bit ignorant to believe you’re not capable of big change, little tweaks and minor alterations.
Physical and mental agility is the theme in class this month. Agility helps identify the obstacles that hold us back. The first obstacle/s you need to remove without my assistance is the reason/s you give yourself for why you can’t get to class this week. Once you do… I’ve got the rest covered.
See you in class 7.30-8.45pm @ Hove Methodist Church or live via zoom tonight. Click here for details.