Why Yoga and the Value of Transcending Opposites

Through the practices of yoga we are cultivating a synergism of process in directional movement. When dialectically opposed patterns are joined together, they merge to create a more potent, higher state of being that has within it higher levels of potential energy, light, freedom, and grace. If the patterns were left to their own divisive tendencies, we encounter less of the just mentioned qualities and miss the opportunities of a dynamic equilibrium. Also, in the dissolution of opposites we find a heightened source of power, joy, vitality, through which the ecosystemic processes of the breath-mind-body system can be fully tapped and enlivened. In yoga we are planting seeds, the bijam, of the various yoga postures in the the soil of our lives, into the fecund ground of the mindful heart, where their encapsulating psycho-physiological effects take root, accumulate, and join together as a radiant, towering forest. As the postures age and begin to accumulate, all you have to do is let go of your efforts and allow the exfoliation, the flowering of the process, to unfold within the present moment. The general tendency to this experience equates to the process underlying the word "bliss."

For example, by spreading the roots of the feet in Head Balance, through expressive and articulate legs, our intention echoes the feeling-tone, the bhavana, of a lotus blossoming and unfolding its heart towards the heavens, with roots that draw their energy from deep within our hearts. The applications of this process, of course, extends well beyond our personal lives.