I have declared myself before as a yogini of very little brain (clearly, there was a reason he was called Yogi Bear 
). One of the hardest struggles I had during my teacher training was grasping Yogic philosophy and the hundreds and hundreds of Hindu gods and goddesses. I loved Anatomy and Physiology, I couldn’t get enough of Sequencing and I never got cold feet or a butterfly tummy when I had teaching practice in front of my peers. But when it came to the philosophy and the ancient texts my mind boggled.
When I was at university I did a course on Greek Philosophy. My module on Ancient Warfare suddenly seemed like a walk in the park. The concepts of philosophy were just out of my reach. Every time I thought I could grab them they disappeared into thin air. During my teacher training this same thing began happening again.
I came to the conclusion that I needed some context to really grasp what I felt to be rather esoteric ideas. At school I never understood Pythgoras Theorum until Pa Yogini explained to me how a surveyor would use it. I needed some way in which to adapt Yogic philosophy into my practice.
Luckily for me, Darren Main came to my rescue allowing me to take the concepts of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva onto my yoga mat*.
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Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the “Holy Trinity” of Hindu mythology; top gods if you will.
Brahma is the Creator, who brought the whole universe into being; the impetus for all life.
Vishnu is the Sustainer, the provider of all we need to grow and evolve in the physical universe. Without him life could not exist.
Shiva is the transformer or destroyer, responsible for the changes of everything, breaking down the old to allow it to be reborn. The concept of Shiva is sometimes feared because he is associated with death, but without the transformation, new life could not occur.
These three aspects of life can be brought into yoga practice – and into our life off the mat – by remembering that we, and everything around us, is born, will live and will die.
When I first come into a yoga pose, I am creating it, finding my alignment and my breath, by breathing into the pose rather than resisting it I can open myself to the pose and the aspect of Brahma.
Then I must sustain the pose, quieting the mind and surrendering into it. By experiencing Vishnu sustaining the posture, I can move more deeply into it.
Finally, I release the pose. Rather than just stop doing it, I must come out of it mindfully using the breath. By remembering Shiva when exiting the pose I can transform the pose ready for the next one.
Away from the mat, these three aspects can then be applied to life, by everyone. By finding these three aspects within ourselves we can live a more balanced life. It’s not easy because each aspect brings with it fear. We have to learn not to fear the new territories and experiences that Brahma’s creation brings, we must learn to trust in Vishnu’s sustenance, letting go of worries about safety, security, finances and love and trusting that there is enough of everything to go around, and we must move away from our fear of death, not just of ourselves or our loved ones, but the little deaths of various stages in our lives.
You don’t even have to think about it in terms of mythology of any kind. It’s a simple paradigm shift, a change in behaviour patterns. In 12 months time every cell in your body will be new. A lot can happen in 12 months!
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*Darren Main’s book probably saved my ass several times over during teacher training. If you want to delve deeper into yoga but in a way that actually applies to modern life, I cannot recommend it enough (and I know I’m always recommending it, but honestly, I don’t get a cut of sales, I promise!).
Himself and I in November 2006 at the London Eye (this is the closest Himself gets to clean shaven!)
spelt rolls made by me last weekend – please note that the mis-shapen quality of them is meant to be endearing…
