To Know Yourself
This week a friend gave me a couple of plants: an orchid which I knew more or less how to take care of; and a Jade plant which I had to do a little bit of reading on. I found out that the Jade plant does not usually like a regular watering schedule. Just like a Jasmin that I have, one needs to check the soil regularly and water it only when the top soil is dry to the touch. I actually like this fact about these plants because it calls for a very regular and conscious interaction with them. Even if one waters them as directed the foliage needs to be observed too for signs of under or over watering.
When it comes to knowing ourselves a regular and conscious interaction with our being is of utmost importance. The body is usually the part of us that we check in with on a regular basis in terms of the amount and quality of food that we eat (and I just realized that I had way too many startburts this afternoon), and the exercise that we get.
It would be also great if we checked in with our heart, mind and breath. In Yoga philosophy the heart and the mind are different expressions of the same thing. As one of my teachers said the difference is one of degree but not essence. Heart matters have a much heavier affective component them. Mind matters have a much heavier linguistic and logic component to them. When we check into the Heart/Mind regularly and consciously we can get a much deeper understanding of ourselves. Looking into heart matters we learn to express in words our feelings and emotions. Looking into mind matters we get to know the feelings behind our thoughts. We get to know ourselves in a much deeper way. We get to know what makes us tick.
When we check in with our breath we come to recognize its power to link the Heart/mind with the body. It is the one that brings both of these aspects to the table so that each one can have their say and in doing so they learn to be at peace with each other and themselves.
It's all about practicing. We will be focusing on your body, your Heart/Mind, and your breath this week in every class.
