Excellent piece, thank you. It makes me want to draw out the following question about yoga: mysticism and/or ethics? From my limited experience, I have sometimes seen those two in tension, or one valued more than the other (with mysticism/enlightenment lauded, while ethics became an afterthought). An approach that allows space for personal lived experience AND stresses ethical conduct sounds like what we need.
Thank you! I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion - philosophies of oneness can often lead to focusing on ultimate states, and downplaying the importance of the relative and the relational. But it’s also partly due to not placing more importance on the here and now in “mundane” terms!
Which is such a paradox when the most popular yogic texts today, at least in the Western TTC-imbued yoga world, are about the mind (PYS) and the behavior (BG). They do of course include spiritual teachings but still, they provide many rich considerations for daily living. On all of us to make these teachings accessible, relatable and applicable then!
Yes, yogis down play the yams and niyamas (ethical practices) to focus in asanas. But, what better mind training hour by hour than to consciously bend the buddhi and ahamkara to do the right thing, pick up that one dirty sock off the floor.
Excellent piece, thank you. It makes me want to draw out the following question about yoga: mysticism and/or ethics? From my limited experience, I have sometimes seen those two in tension, or one valued more than the other (with mysticism/enlightenment lauded, while ethics became an afterthought). An approach that allows space for personal lived experience AND stresses ethical conduct sounds like what we need.
Thank you! I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion - philosophies of oneness can often lead to focusing on ultimate states, and downplaying the importance of the relative and the relational. But it’s also partly due to not placing more importance on the here and now in “mundane” terms!
Which is such a paradox when the most popular yogic texts today, at least in the Western TTC-imbued yoga world, are about the mind (PYS) and the behavior (BG). They do of course include spiritual teachings but still, they provide many rich considerations for daily living. On all of us to make these teachings accessible, relatable and applicable then!
💯 Well said! 🙌🏻
Yes, yogis down play the yams and niyamas (ethical practices) to focus in asanas. But, what better mind training hour by hour than to consciously bend the buddhi and ahamkara to do the right thing, pick up that one dirty sock off the floor.