"Only Half Primary Needed For Samadhi"

Last weekend I was at a workshop with my teachers Bill and Lisa. I asked a question about "only" doing half primary, as opposed to doing several series. Are there any risks with doing so few asanas, and repeting the same day in and day out. What do you miss? Bill, who has been in Mysore a lot, and practiced with Pattabi Jois, answered that if you do any movement in the wrong way, you can injure yourself. But if you repeat the same movements, and do them in the right way, huge benefits will come.

I sometimes wonder if I will ever do second series. I wonder if I will ever be able to bind in Marichy C! I also ask myself why I would want to reach to that place? I have enough to work with in my practice as it is. What is it I want to attain with my practice, and what do I need to reach that place? I guess the answers to these questions change during the path. As my practice is now, I guess I will have to trust Gurujis quote: "Only Half Primary Needed For Samadhi".

Impermanence And The Space of The Heart

"Our other resources come and go. But when we touch that pure presence, the pure ego-less space of the heart, we are unbreakable. With that connection, which is the deepest gift of yoga, we can deal with just about anything." -Sally Kempton

Each week at the Buddhist Center, we get a question to think about to next time. We get to choose the question ourselves, relating to the topic we have been discussing in class. So, last week we were talking about impermanence. Everything is in constant change. Nothing is fixed. Even our Selves. In yoga philosophy, there is an idea that amongst all this change, we have an inner core that is unchangeable. An essence that is pure and stable. In Buddhism on the other hand, there is no core. We are completely subject to change. Nothing is stable.

This is my question of the week. To reflect on my impermanence. My coreless Self. Which theory do I beleive in? It´s nice to think that I have a core, something around which I can revolve. Some stability...On the other hand, if everything is subject to change, what is there to be afraid of? If everything changes, there are endless possibilities. The things I identify with today are not written in stone, therefor I have the possibility to change. And that´s quite liberating! No need to cling, because there is nothing to cling to.

I was meditating on this question the other day. I imagined that I was boundless. That I had no core and no bounderies. At first, I got really scared. I felt the ground being swept away underneath my feet. I was falling. Panic. Tears were trickling down my cheeks. But I stayed with the feeling, and after a while, I realised that since there was no ground, I would not crash. I could just keep on floating in endless space. And when I accepted that, I felt free. I would let myself be carried away by the currents to wherever they were taking me. I let go of trying to control things. I could feel a sence of warmth and security in my heart. There is my true home. Pure presence.