liveonearth (liveonearth) wrote,
liveonearth
liveonearth

Yoga

I think one of the coolest things about yoga is that it shows you the strengths that you have. People think of it as a way to increase flexibility and strength, concentration and calmness. But my body continues to amaze me. It can do things I had no idea it could do. And at this age, starting this late, with these damages already done. It makes me think back to a time when humans were quadruped...how were we strong then? Could we run? Could we swing in trees from our arms? Part of the way we are built is still better for being quadruped than for sitting in computer chairs. Think of the way our discs compress in our backs. They wouldn't collapse on us and cause such trouble if we were better evolved to walk erect. But there are aspects of our construction that harken back to reptiles, the bones of the spine and the way the deep core muscles attach is just like that of a snake. And we can move like snakes, if we want to. If we're not frozen up yet. If we're willing to relax into what our bodies are naturally designed to do. The mind and spirit will follow. What kind of strength do you think it takes to sit erect (under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya) for seven days and seven nights? Or was that a flood? Matters not. Seven seconds will do.

Tags: aging, buddha, core, evolution, fitness, meditation, mind, spine, spirit, yoga
Subscribe

  • QotD: the cost of loving

    “If you’ve got a heart at all, someday it will kill you.” —Rita Dove, poet

  • I, too, sing America

    I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.…

  • QotD: What Atheists Teach the Religious

    The Master teaches the student that God created everything in the world to be appreciated, since everything is here to teach us a lesson. One…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Comments allowed for friends only

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    switch
    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    Help
  • 1 comment