On The Rocks

Is there something to be learned from using "evil" instead of "bad"? Is one worse than the other? Or are these concepts intimately bound to the languages and cultures in which they are invented and used?

Good and Evil, as opposites, occur not just in religion but throughout culture - to divide us from each other in a way that seeks to make "us" better than "them". But usually both sides of that binary divide think they are on the side of good.

Adjective or noun? Are people evil? Or the deeds they carry out? Where does intent come in? Doesn't being evil require intent? And indeed, doesn't being really good require as much intent? And in the end, people made mistakes. This doesn't make them bad. But it adds to our sense of drama, to which many of us are addicted.

Binary systems are good at helping us understand and interpret, but in the end they will lead to misunderstandings, or lead to a failure to see the many shades of grey that are everywhere.

How can yoga help us work through good and evil? We look at the tools available to us from yogic concepts and practices, but we also consider the global effect of a regular practice. 

There is a time for everything and we are going to experience it all in this life. All we can do is our best.

In this episode Colin and Robbie are joined by Yyoga teachers Jeannette and Erica to talk about "good" and "evil". It's impossible not to be reminded of current events when thinking about evil right now, but how useful is that? Many of us will feel helpless and hopeless in the face of something over which we have no control. 

Yoga teaches us that good and evil are human constructs, just another one of those binary concepts that we have to rise above, to eventually let go of. But in the meantime, most of us want to be "good" and sometimes this idea gets in the way of truly understanding who you are, acknowledging some behaviour that you didn't recognise in yourself, and working on improving. Is this yogic improvement "being good"?

How do we deal with "evil" and "bad" in our daily lives? is it ever useful to use evil as a noun, instead of an adjective? Or better still, is it wiser to see these incidents as regular people having made a mistake?

This discussion has been split into two parts, join us soon for part. 2.

This week Colin, Robbie and Matt are joined by Yyoga teacher, Michael.

The idea of "Community" is a very wide one, and has changed significantly since the advent of the internet and social media, where we have the opportunity to "meet" people from around the world with whom we may share something. What does it mean to "belong" or "not belong" to a community? And for our Francophone listeners, is "community" as meaningful as it is for Anglophones?

Most of us want to belong - even those of us who may be just as happy to be alone. When we do find a group of like-minded people, how do we make sure that we don't fall into self-confirming thoughts and behaviours inside the group? How do communities continue to be open, welcoming and not exclusive or exclusionary.

Having said that, there are communities of marginalised people who want to claim their own exclusive "safe" space. What do we gain from the idea of safe spaces? Is there another way to look at that idea, making sure we feel confident in taking part but also knowing that we will be encouraged to eventually leave the safe space?

What does yoga have to say about community? How should we behave in our own local yoga community? Are communities about rules, or respect? Join us to ponder what it means to be part of a community that encourages all its members to be the best they can be.

Another mantra that can be learned and recited in Monica's classes at Yyoga:

Om ganānam tvā ganapatigm

havāmahe kavim kavīnām

upamaśravastamam 

jyestharājam brahmanām

brahmanaspata ā nah

śrnvannūtibhissīda sādanam

mahāganapataye namah

For those wishing to listen to, and learn, the mantras that Monica is currently using in her classes at Yyoga, here is a recording of the Surya Namasakara mantra and the text!

Ōm Sāptashvārūdam 

NakSHatra-mālam 

CHāya-lōlam Chandra-pāalam 

Gagana-sañchārī 

Ōm BHāskarāya namaha 

English Translation: 

To the one who loves the shadow - to the one who rules the moon 

To the one who moves across the sky, To the Sun I bow 

For those of you wishing to listen to, and learn, the mantras that Monica is using this month at her Yyoga classes, here is a recording of the first six lines of the Bija mantra - the next six will follow later!

Om Hrām Mitrāya Namaha  

Om Hrīm Sūryāya Namaha

Om Hrūm Ravajē Namaha

Om Hraim Bhānavē Namaha

Om Hraum Khagāya Namaha

Om Hraha Pūshnē Namaha 

English Translation: "To the Sun I bow"

As winter is well under way, Matt chats with Colin and Robbie about darkness - literal and figurative! We can all feel a little down when Autumn turns to winter, the days are shorter and the weather colder. And many of us have been afraid of the dark - why might that be?

Can we learn to embrace darkness in a similar way to the way most of us love to embrace the light? Can we find some value there? What does yogic philosophy say about darkness?

We also talk about the fear of death - Abhinivesha - and share some personal stories about our encounters with death, and how we felt about them. Finally, there's a lot of COVID-related anxiety at the moment, especially as we plan to spend time with friends and family at the end of the year. We do have a long list of little things that can help you feel better.

You can learn to cherish the darkness.

Things, feelings, people, memories, ideas, experiences - there are many things we can attached to in life. Join Colin, Robbie, Monica and new guest, Yyoga teacher Heidi as they discuss what attachment means in yoga. Are the elements we need to live really attachments? Or is it something beyond those basic needs that may delay our development?

Addiction is an attachment that many of us would recognise, but how do we recognise other attachments which may be as harmful? How do we let go? Our guests talk about their own experiences, as well as share ideas from yogic philosophy and scripture to illustrate attachments, learning to be detached whilst still experiencing and indeed enjoying life, learning that of all of these things will end.  

In this episode Colin, Robbie and Matt talk about bodies - our imperfect bodies. The focus is not so much on body image but rather, what does yoga have to say about the body? The two primary impressions one has of how yoga sees the body are seemingly a little in conflict: the body very much is imperfect and impermanent and if we understood that more, we would be a lot less enchanted with out bodies than many of us are.

But yoga also says that the body should be treated as a temple: it is the host of the Self, and mastery over the body will aid in efforts to gain mastery over the mind. So there is plenty of focus in yoga philosophy on keeping the body as healthy as possible, to facilitate the practice of yoga.

In the many different traditions of yoga there are different approaches to nutrition. This is not so different from other philosophies and many religions: what we put into our bodies, humans have believed for centuries, has a great effect on how well our bodies, minds and spirits operate and work together. However, it is possible to observe that the roots of some of these rules, in whatever tradition, are reflections of the best food science of the time. So there is a role today for our current scientific understanding of nutrition in helping us feed our bodies in the best way possible.

We touch briefly on drugs: it may be useful to see them as yogis see many other things: not necessarily good or bad in and of themselves. The more important aspect is how and why we might use them. And let's not forget addiction, usually not useful in any context. A closer examination might reveal that addictions to sugar or salty food may be more harmful than we can see on the surface.

We express the hope that however you feel about your body, whatever state of ability or disability it may experience, whatever your level of "fitness", there is a style of yoga for you, somewhere a teacher for you, and a path to have a healthier relationship with your body, mind and spirit, because as Robbie reminds us, there is no separation between them!

This week Colin and Matt meet Florence, who introduces us to the concept of nonviolent communication. Marshall Rosenberg, a clinical psychologist active in the USA. Non-violence is a concept with which practitioners of yoga will be familiar: "Ahimsa" is the first of the Yamas, the first limb of yoga.

Nonviolent communication is not a technique to resolve all arguments, but rather a way to increase empathy - within yourself and towards others. Many times when we have argued, or been angry, or spoken sharply with others we have clumsily expressed that a need within us has not been met. Observing, understanding the facts dispassionately and working out how your needs, as well as my needs, can be met, is key to the approach.

Nonviolent communication gives us the opportunity to be open and honest in a way that encourages parties to seek solutions that can fill the need of all involved, rather than search for a compromise that may lead to further unhappiness. Understanding and experiencing our feelings, as well as making requests, may help us to find more harmony with family, friends and colleagues. Nonviolent communication techniques are ready-made for yogis!