Dear Yoga Friends,

You can't throw a rock at a newspaper these days without hitting the word "polarized". Our society, our political system, and incredibly, our views on what is fact, are riddled with opposing beliefs with no middle ground. How can we resolve this conflict and tension in our world order? The ostrich head-in-the-sand approach has its appeal but has been shown to be ineffective. In fact, you'll be pleased to learn that ostriches burying their heads is a myth. They actually see and hear incredibly well, run extremely fast, and use these capabilities effectively to avoid predators. The ostrich hints at the solution: look and listen attentively and act on the confirmed truth.

But enough about ostriches. What do great scientists have to say about what is true? Niels Bohr (the physicist who figured out the structure of atoms) famously said:

There are trivial truths and there are great truths. The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true.

Niels was talking about more than science. The most meaningful pursuits in life have to do with great truths. For example, "my family gives me the greatest joy and most intense pain". Yoga is filled with great truths. We find them even in our asana practice. My most satisfying experience this week was: "finding the right props to fully experience Utthita Trikonasana"; or "finally being able to perform Utthita Trikonasana without props". There is context dependence and depth in deciding which of the opposites apply.

So many of the yoga sutras deal with reconciliation of opposites. Consider Sutra II.17 (translation from B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali):

The cause of pain is the association or identification of the seer (atma [true self, soul]) with the seen (prakrti [nature]) and the remedy lies in their dissociation.

As always, I claim no expertise in yoga philosophy, but that said, this sutra deals with the pain caused by not being aware of our true selves and tying our model of ourselves to more superficial things.

Now consider Sutra IV.25 (translation also from B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali):

For one who realizes the distinction between citta [consciousness]) and atma [true self, soul], the sense of separation between the two disappears.

This sounds like the opposite! It seems to be saying that once we are aware of the difference between our layer of consciousness and what lies beneath it, the two can somehow merge. Perhaps a merger based on clarity rather than confusion? Again, my philosophical maturity falls short, but what is clear, and embedded in the meaning of the word yoga, is that yoga is a means to unify. In our asana practice we break everything apart so we can put it back together into a healthier whole, at many levels. We're listening to Mahatma Ghandi's calling for us to "be the change you want to see in the world".

Very much welcome your comments and perspectives—polarized, balanced, or otherwise!

Namaste,

Chad

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* Weekly classes: 12:15-1:15pm Tuesdays (mixed level, online) & noon-1:30pm Thursdays (intermediate, in-person) at the Noe Valley Ministry