I was inspired listening to the Warrior Monk interviewed on Cery's Matthew's 6 Music show last Sunday. (About an hour into the show if you're interested). Then I did a class with a lovely teacher Rhakee who was speaking about the physics of time, space and energy in Warrior and what this teaches, about our own spacial awareness and intuition. So I thought I'd share something more about it here too.
Warrior Pose, called Virabhadrasana in Sansrit, is a foundational yoga posture.
The pose is named after the Warrior Virabhadra. Kino Macgregor explains in a tutorial about the pose.
In traditional Indian mythology, [the warrior] was created out of a lock of the Hindu God, Shiva’s, hair–one of his dread locks that he threw down to the Earth. And when that dread lock hit the plateau of the Earth, Virabhadra landed, holding the sword of Dharma* above his head, making the shape of Virabhadrasana A.
There's another important reference to Warrior in the Yoga Tradition, which I've mentioned a few times here before from the Bhagavad Gita, which is part of the epic the Mahabharata.
The Bhagavad Gita is known as a book of wisdom about how to live a good, righteous and happy life. The main characters are Arjuna (who is a master Archer) and his Charioteer, Krishna who is God. Krishna guides Arjuna in how to manage the many dilemmas he faces on the battlefield.
The physical characteristics of warrior poses are based around a warrior stance, with the arms representing swords. The foundations must be firmly grounded and strong. Yet the rest of the body reaches forwards, backwards, up and down, depending on which variation. These are oppositions of force and create a protective energy field around us.
Another very important aspect of these poses is that strength and softness are combined. Like the origin of 'Martial Arts' which were considered as as the path or way against violence. The strength of the Warrior comes from within. The softness is achieved through consistent practice and effort. Making a strong posture look calm and without effort.
In the Gita one of the main messages is about not getting caught up with what we want to achieve but being present to the process and journey. We learn about non attachment for an end result.
Through the physical practice of yoga we're encouraged to revisit postures again, and again, and again, with a fresh approach but with the same energy and grit as a warrior. Putting in the 'effort' is what is important. Listening and learning from the knowledge of other teachers and as we grow in wisdom we learn to become our own teacher. Through the physical practice we can better connect with ourselves. Another regularly quoted Gita phrase. Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.
This is as much about recognising when something, maybe someone, is no longer supporting us and letting those things go. This our protective field and helps to enforce our own boundaries.
This is from an article in Yoga Journal from The Bhagavad Gita.
“The unenlightened do things with attachment (wanting some results for themselves). An enlightened person does things with the same zeal, Arjuna, but without attachment, and thus guides others on the path of selfless action (karma yoga). A wise person will not disturb the mind of an unwise person who is still attached to the fruits of their actions. But by continuously performing perfect (selfless) actions the wise person influences others in all they do.” 1
Please feel free to read that again.
As we grow in wisdom and work out what is important to us sometimes we have to stand up for what is right for the 'Common Good'. Yoga Warriors on and off the mat.
Namaste.
*Dharma - Duty
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