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The Power of Paradox

 

I’m intrigued by paradox - seemingly contradictory propositions which also carry truth.  

I started paying more attention to paradox during my 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2019.  The fellow prospective yoga teachers and I were studying, in some depth, the yoga poses (asana) and learning about the appropriate verbal cues to use while teaching.   This was interesting…   we wanted to offer cues that would support the less experienced yoga practitioner, yet touch the subtlety and the nuance of the pose.

Here’s one that proved to be absolutely eye-opening for me: “Root down to rise up” (and all variations on that theme).   I never thought much about the process of “rising up.”  Quite frankly, I never much paid any attention to how my feet (or other bodily part) was/were using the ground, either.    And to think that these two apparently opposite directions of energy were related!

"Flying starts from the ground. The more grounded you are, the higher you fly.” - J. R. Rim 

Yes, I can see that!   So I started paying attention to how I rooted down – pressing into the earth - as I lifted my body from the mat. 

One of my yoga students struggled to rise from the mat into lunge or warrior without “cheating” by using her hands to help her get up.   Of course, we knew it wasn’t cheating.   But she also knew that she wasn’t able to get up without using her hands to help, and she was a bit frustrated.   I was elated to see her respond to the cues to press into the earth with all four corners of her feet.   She shifted her attention (and intention) to rooting down, and voila! She rose, without using her hands to help her up.

This isn’t just about yoga. The tallest trees have well developed roots.  And when we feel grounded, we are less likely to become easily upset.   We consciously pay attention to staying rooted and stable.

“Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace.” – Steve Goodier

How about this paradox?  “Less is more.”   Somehow this one also resonates with yogic thinking for me, as well as a certain perspective that aging has granted.  Yoga teaches us to connect with the moment – to savor the breath.   Doing so brings a certain sense of peace.  We are attending to “less” rather than “the more” that consumes our daily routines.   Similarly, aging has taught me that it is the small things in life which are most precious.   A kiss from a child.   A dewdrop captured by a leaf.  

I’ve used this quotation before in a different posting in this blog, and it’s perfect once again. 

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." – Henry Miller

What paradox speaks to you?

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Location: Wycombe, PA 18980, USA

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I am pleased that you are commenting and sharing your perspectives. Your comment will be reviewed by the moderator and then released for the public. Namaste. Debbie

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