Resistance

Lately I've been studying the Yoga Sutras.....again.....some more. This has been an unexpected turn of events in my Yogic studies.

The Yoga Sutras are Classical / Sankhya philosophy but for the last decade or so, I've been immersed in the Yogic philosophy of tantra that, while it grew out of classical roots, is not Classical / Sankhya. I guess I had unconsciously concluded that I was more or less done studying the Yoga Sutras. Wrong. Paul Muller Ortega is really pushing us to study this text again - deeper - with a keener application of our minds. He says this academic and intellectual application is necessary preparation for deeper sadhana (practice) as well as deeper study into our "home" philosophy of tantra.

OK......I'm a pretty good student. So - today I went for a bike ride with a recorded teaching from Paul on the Yoga Sutras playing in my ear. But I was having quite a bit of resistance. I did not want to study the Yoga Sutras again. I guess I wanted something new! (Yep - embarrassing to admit). So I was biking on this glorious spring day, full of resistance. Peddling my bike was SO HARD. I kept thinking "Wow, I am either older than I thought or weaker than I thought or really out of shape or all 3".

I struggled through the study call and the bike ride. When I was almost back home I realized that my tires were a fairly flat.......low on air. I had not even thought to check. (Yep - embarrassing to admit). And how perfect is that? I mean what a perfect reflection of my mind - which had gone so flat around this amazing text that I hadn't even really noticed the amazing gift that had been plopped into my lap: having a brilliant teacher re-illuminate the Yoga Sutras, making them really new and far more alive than ever before.

My legs are sore. But/And I'm excited for my next bike ride as well as my next dive into studying the Yoga Sutras. Both will be so much easier and more fun, now that I understand the source and the mechanics of the resistance that was at work.....flat tires, flat mind.

Who was it that said, "Never underestimate the power of resistance". Maybe I said it. Anyway, I agree.