organs

So the rage in yoga instruction today is all about the muscles. The bones come in second, and god knows what comes in next - maybe fascia? I don't know. Nervous system maybe. So I've been teaching classes based on specific internal organs this week, and not just thinking about them, actually trying to MOVE from them, to initiate movement from an internal organ.

Organs bring with them the feeling of home. Why? because they are home. They have nowhere to go, because wherever you go, there they are. They are home. And have you ever watched an organ (except for the heart muscle) do it's "work?" Can you tell by looking at it whether or not its working? Probably not. (If you can, you're probably in a bit of trouble... ) That, my friends, is an example of effortlessness on a platter. Also, they are suspended in the space of you, so there is an inherent quality of lightness. Do you see where I'm going with all this? Yes - effortlessness.

So let's back up. "If i do my asana practice and i'm not FEELING anything (meaning my muscles stretching) then I'm not DOING anything! I'm not getting any benefits!" Hold the phone. We are still doing triangle pose or a twist or a handstand even, but we are letting the movement come from a different place. Yes, the muscles still will be working, and they continue to work, otherwise you'd be a collapsed bag of bones and goo, the difference is, where is your mind? The mind will be listening to the organs instead of what they usually listen to.

Let's just say that you've listened to your favorite song a thousands of times. Do you always listen to the same thing, like the lead singer? When we do triangle pose, our muscles have been the "lead singer" of triangle pose, (decided by us, not the body/mind continuum), and the organs have gone along for the ride, whether they are backup singers, roadies, groupies, or even the elusive, yet important, shaker egg. And they go with you every time you do triangle pose. When we put our attention in our organs, we listen to the shaker egg. We make the shaker egg the most important thing. How is the shaker egg used in this song? How does it affect the other instruments? How does is change the mood of the piece? etc... The song (triangle pose) is the same. In other words, (all caps warning--) YOUR MUSCLES ARE STILL WORKING WHETHER YOU ARE FOCUSING ON THEM OR NOT!!! Wow! You are still getting a "workout" without feeling "worked out!" You feel effortless. And "warmed up." And you float into handstand instead of fighting or stressing into it. Therefore you float into your life off the mat instead of stress or fight your way though it. And you feel safe. Because you are home. Because you take yourself with you. wherever you go, there you are.

This is just the esoteric idea behind the mind of the organs. I haven't even gone into the fact that yoga masters have mastered their organ function, which is one reason why we call them, duh, masters. So as yoga practitioners, wouldn't we want to master the organ function? My guess, is that to master the organ function, we need to focus on the organs then. Hmmm.
 Or that stress in the organs shows up as stress in the body, if not now, then most likely when you are a bit older. And you know who you are and what I'm talking about, and this is why is doesn't matter how many trips to the massage therapist or chiropractor you take, if the root of the stress is not  addressed, the stress aint going any where!

Your organs. And there they are. And there they be.