… É o yoga sobre a liberdade ou não é? Muitas pessoas colocaram a carroça na frente dos bois. Eles confundem o objetivo do yoga, que é a libertação da alma da escravidão do renascimento e do sofrimento, por meio da união com o Divino… o que implica uma vida (ou muitas vidas) da disciplina. Patanjali expressa isso no Sutra 1.14: “sa tu dirgha-kala-nairantarya-satkarasevito drdha-bhumih”, que significa “A prática se torna firmemente estabelecida, quando for cultivada ininterruptamente e com devoção durante um período prolongado de tempo.”
Nada fácil, especialmente quando se considera a possibilidade de que o período de tempo prolongado pode transbordar a partir desta vida para outra, e talvez ainda mais vidas depois disso.
Para o sucesso no yoga deve-se submeter à disciplina da prática, a um professor e, finalmente, a si mesmo. Isso não precisa ser tão sombrio como pode parecer à primeira vista… você estará livremente optando atravessar por lesões, dúvidas, tédio e todos os outros obstáculos que todo praticante de yoga, sem exceção, tem de enfrentar.
E na outra extremidade deste trabalho, esta disciplina e esta submissão é a liberdade. Lembre-se que Guruji disse “nesta vida temos a chance de ver Deus. Mesmo que nem todos consigam ver a Deus, podemos ter a paz de espírito de ter vivido uma vida tão livre quanto possível da violência, doença, stress e, em suma, o sofrimento.” Esta é a liberdade que eu procuro.
por Patrick Nolan
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Yoga: Freedom through Submission
by Patrick Nolan
Yoga has long been associated with artists and celebrities and this has been a mixed blessing. As far back as the 1950’s poets and intellectuals such as Allen Ginsberg made the expansion of consciousness a priority and ignited an interest in Eastern spirituality. In 1968 the Beatles catapulted yoga and meditation into mainstream awareness when they went to Rishikesh to study TM, or transcendental meditation, with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Subsequent generations of artists and celebrities, from Martin Sheen and Jeff Bridges in the 70’s to Sting and filmmaker David Lynch in the 80’s, to Madonna, the Beastie Boys, and Russel Simmons in the 90’s, have very publicly embraced yoga and Indian spirtiuality. So, how has this been a mixed blessing? On one hand I think it quite likely that had the Beatles not gone to India, neither would Norman Allen, David Williams, or Nancy Gilgoff (who were the first Americans to study with the main teacher of the Ashtanga Yoga method, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois) have gone. Known as Guruji to his students, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’s message would have come to us by some other means or through other people, or maybe not at all. I, for one, am exceedingly grateful they did go as Ashtanga yoga has been extraordinarily beneficial to my life. On the other hand I also see that yoga has unfortunately been perceived as a sort of individualistic counter-cultural pursuit. The image of the Beatles, the quintessential trail-blazing iconoclastic rock band of the 60’s bedecked with marigold malas and sitting at the Maharishi’s feet is burned into our collective mental retinas. Furthermore, to this day depictions of psychadelic drug experiences in films are typically scored with sitar music
Why would an individualistic attitude or approach toward yoga practice not necessarily sit well with practitioners and teachers who strive to be more traditional and authentic? I mean, is yoga about freedom or isn’t it? Put succinctly, many people put the cart before the horse. They confuse the goal of yoga, i.e., the liberation of the soul from the bondage of re-birth and suffering by means of union with the Divine, with the process of yoga, which entails a lifetime (or many lifetimes) of discipline. Patanjali expresses this explicitly in Sutra 1.14: “sa tu dirgha-kala-nairantarya-satkarasevito drdha-bhumih,” which means “Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a prolonged period of time.” Heavy stuff, especially when one considers the possibility that the prolonged period of time may spill over from this life to the next, and perhaps even more lives after that.
So when it comes down to it, the only way out is straight through. For success in yoga one must submit to the discipline of the practice, to a teacher and ultimately to one’s Self. This doesn’t have to be as gloomy as it may seem at first. As any fetishist will tell you, the person who submits is the one with the power. Choosing to submit is a free choice. So is choosing to stick with it through injuries, self-doubt, boredom and all the other obstacles that every single yoga practitioner without exception will face. It doesn’t have to be mirthless, but it is serious business. Ashtangis are sometimes accused of “taking themselves too seriously.” Before I committed to this lineage I used to level that accusation myself . But no, we are merely serious about spiritual practice, which is not a bad thing. And at the other end of this work, this discipline and this submission is freedom. Remember Guruji said that in this life we have a chance to see God. Even if not all of us get to see God, we can have the peace of mind from having lived a life as free as possible from violence, disease, stress and in short, suffering. This is the freedom I seek.