Her comment had me think about yoga as play in space. Playing doesn’t eliminate effort and the physical work of asana, but I think it can lighten the mental aspect and open a sense of joy in us that may be a timely renewal point.
In the book, Work, Play, and Worship in a Leisure-Oriented Society, Author Gordon Dahl issued a stern critique of American culture when he wrote, “We work at our play, worship our work, and play at our worship.” Dahl maintained that we miss the point of all three if our intentions are misaligned with our actions.
From the age of 16, and through college, I had to work part-time at my father’s grocery store, and since I had to spend a lot of time there, I never liked going into the grocery store as an adult. We are required to work for our living, and work is satisfying when it’s something aligned with who and what we are, but at 16 I was just doing it from necessity, and it wasn’t my intended career.
In time, I started thinking about my avoidance of grocery stores and realized the problem was me, so I set out to change my perception (an important aspect of yoga life according to Patanjali). I tried to make grocery store visits fun by putting a smile on my face and offering random comments to people. Occasionally, I stopped to juggle oranges or avocados. Now when I go to a grocery market, I tend to frame it as play. It helps.
Most of us choose to do yoga and it’s not an obligation. Obligations can become burdensome and feel like something we must do rather than something we want to do. When yoga becomes an obligation or work – like my grocery store experience – it’s time for reframing and renewal.
Thinking back to my teacher’s comment, I focused on the idea of playing in space during yoga and the class seemed to flow with ease. I had a pure sense of enjoyment; if oranges were nearby, I think I would have started juggling. After savasana, I sat up and looked out the window to a bland parking lot when an unusual and deep sense of peace – almost like a mystical experience – suddenly came over me and I realized that playing in space may even move us into the mystical; in fact, playing in space may be an open door to encountering the deep self and/or divinity.
Dr. Yogananth Andiappan, an esteemed scholar and teacher at the Andiappan Yoga Colleges in India and Hong Kong, quoted only one paragraph from the Foreword he wrote for my book Yoga Song. “In the play of yoga, we invest all we are from the inside here and now. The yoga we embody then becomes a defining storyline in our role.” I think he liked the phrase, ‘in the play of yoga,’ and this suggested to me that framing yoga as play or play in space is worth exploring.
I invite you, in the next few paragraphs, to an active imagination. Keeping your eyes open, vividly recall your last class. Where were you, what did you wear, who were you near, and what sounds and smells did you notice? Remember who taught the class and what they were like. Visualize the entire yoga space and think back to a moment in class when you felt a little tired or distracted. Were you going through the class on autopilot, even bored – in other words – did it became work?
Recall your breathing during your session. Put yourself in your physical body in that space. Imagine taking a good look at yourself from ten feet in front of yourself. Pause for a moment here and then read on.
———————————–Having seen yourself through active imagination close your eyes and go through the exercise again; but this time, see yourself with a smile on your face. Reframe yoga class as if you’re playing in space. Do this and then come back to read on.
————————————-Could you see yourself as a yogi playing at play, a yogi playing in space and in alignment with the moment? You may not have heard it before, but you can smile in yoga, yes truly smile. Smiling, or taking a moment while shopping to juggle can be the start of a simple way to renew old attitudes. Connecting to play can keep yoga fun and enjoyable.
Our yoga is congruent when we are intentional in attitude and intent, and our integrity shines when we align the noun and verb of our existence: we are workers – working, we are players – playing, we are worshippers -worshipping. I believe all three of these aspects are present in yoga and they vary in our experience just as every day on the mat is different.
But if yoga is becoming just work, shift your practice, and think about aligning your action and attitude. I am a worker at work, I am a worshiper worshipping, and today I am a yogi playing in space. This is the blueprint for alignment and a lesson on consistency in being and doing.
Perhaps it’s true, that a way of en – light – en – ment begins with the yogi playing rather than a yogi working at playing. One of my former professors used to say that we (students) ought to get something from class outside of the professor’s notes. He believed that learning could happen in the mystery of encounter, like when we’re just playing in space.
Space and play are always available, so the next time you go to market, and someone is juggling in the produce aisle don’t worry; perhaps they’re just jump-starting their perception. But if you listen and look closely, you may hear a soft humming of the eternal AUM and smile when you see the oranges spinning round and round in space.
Gregory Ormson, known as #motorcyclingyogig, is the author of Yoga Song (Rochak Press 2022). He writes, blogs, and publishes on yoga, motorcycling, music, and other non-trending subjects in various magazines and on his website https://gregoryormson.com
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