Thoughts that arose for me after reading a recent article in the Atlantic: The Dark Knight of the Souls.
The role of physical and psychological discomfort in Ashtanga Yoga and in Meditation practice is a subject full of confusion among practitioners and non-practitioners alike.
Ubud is full of courses and workshops offering quick and easy access to bliss. The Western Spiritual World in general is full of these promises. It sells well!
I enjoy a bit of bliss as much as anyone, but the reality is that any authentically transformative practice will soon enough bring us into contact with the inner shadows that we would prefer to avoid. Overlaying vibrations of bliss onto a field of darkness will never give lasting results. The darkness needs to be weeded out, and for this to happen it must be seen.
When physical and mental discomfort are experienced in long term and deep practice of yoga or meditation, it can be a result of faulty or excessively aggressive practice – or it can be a result of correct and appropriate practice, when the time has truly arrived to face some shadows within.
It requires a very skillful and experienced teacher to help guide a practitioner through these murky waters. An appropriate teacher can help the practitioner to discern between faulty and correct practice and to take appropriate measures to navigate the darkness and come out the other side feeling healthy on all levels. Only a teacher who has explored and experienced all aspects of the practice – and their own body and psyche – can do this well, I feel.
Photo credit: Clare Plueckhahn
