This is a guest post by international yoga instructor Banyan Gallagher. More on Banyan and his exceptional work below.
And so you sit. Well-perched on your organic cotton clad meditation cushion, armed with a sandalwood mala and your very own mantra, you sit. “See your thoughts as small waves, rippling across the calm surface of the mind,” your teacher tells you. See my thoughts? you think. How can I see my thoughts at all? Does he mean THESE thoughts? The ones that I’m having now? Or the ones that happen once I start? I’m kinda hungry. Is that a thought, or a feeling? “Calm surface of the mind”. Yeah, right! Feels like the Perfect Storm of the mind in here. Smells like coffee. Did I turn off the coffee maker before I left this morning?
Does this sound familiar? Long before lycra, yogis struggled with the same challenge in meditation: the calming of the mind’s vrittis, or fluctuations. But it seems modern students of yoga hardly have any interest in, or patience for, meditation at all. Why is that?
From an Ayurvedic perspective, there is one quality, one vital essence, that makes meditation easier. That makes it a pleasure and not a chore.
We call that quality Ojas(“Oh-Jahs”). Ojas is one of the three Vital Essences, the most positive, auspicious aspects of the three basic balancing forces. Ojas is the force of vigor and vitality within us. It’s the subtle energy of water. It’s the substance that gives you patience, and endurance. Physically, it’s said to be manifested in your reproductive fluids, your cerebrospinal fluid, and the lining of your nervous system. In Chinese Medicine, it’d be most closely related to Yin.
In today’s modern world of hyper-stimulation(yes, you, the one looking at a computer screen with the coffee steaming on the desk), most yogis are operating with a deficiency of ojas. We’re burned out and overstressed, before we even begin our yoga practice.
And then we do yoga with lots of movement and heat. We add more fuel to the fire and fan the flames with oxygen…further evaporating the one quality that gives us patience and endurance.
Our lack of ojas, or awareness of ojas, means that among other things, we won’t have much patience for, or interest in, meditation. Because we don’t have that basic substance that makes meditation easier!
The good news is ojas is relatively easy to build. Restorative yoga, yoga nidra(or any deep relaxation), longer holds in cooling asanas, restful breathing, good quality oils, warm baths and massages are all ojas-building. Love is good for ojas. Love of self, love of other, even love of a cat, can be life-sustaining and develop more patience, endurance, and vitality for the journey ahead.
So go get a massage! (Doctor’s orders).
Banyan Gallagher is recognized as one of the very best yoga retreat leaders in the industry. A world-class performer, formally with Cirque Du Soleil, Banyan is deeply committed to his craft and has studied with elite yoga instructors all over the globe. Banyan brings a refreshing and deeply devoted approach to yoga retreats and Floating Leaf Eco-Luxury Retreat is honored and delighted to be working with him on his upcoming “Power of Play” Level II Yoga Training in Bali.This unique14 day Bali retreat will cover yoga, awakening, anatomy, alignment, philosophy, and, of course, play. This advanced training is open to students who have completed a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certified Teacher Training course, or those who can demonstrate similar experience.
The retreat will be hosted at Floating Leaf Eco-Luxury Retreat. An award winning sustainable retreat center in a traditional seaside village in East Bali. TripAdvisor awarded this innovative retreat center with The Traveler’s Choice award signifying it to be among The Top 1% of hotels worldwide.
For more information on this opportunity to work with one of the very best yoga retreat leaders, visit his page “The Power of Play” – Level II Yoga Training in Bali.
