Asato Ma

Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Asato Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyur Ma Anritana Gamaya

"Lead me from non-being to being.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from ignorance to eternal bliss."

At the end of our asana practice today (which constited of learning the Sanskrit words of Surya Namaskara - the sun salutations, as well as other poses that can be incorporated to the sequence), we chanted the above mantra.

I feel as if this mantra was the perfect closure to the intention that I had chosen as the focus of my asana - enlightenment.

In the world of yoga, enlightenment means many things. It could be finding your first true meditation, or reaching samadhi and escaping the confines of the human body. But, as I am just a baby yogini, I want to explore what enlightenment means to me, each and every day. Today, enlightenment showed itself in a multitude of fashions.

Enlightenment first entered my practice when I realized how peaceful it is to sit in a very crowded room that is in nearly utter silence. The silence, interrupted only by the sound of yogi breathing seemed to manifest an energy that washed away any impurities in my day. Who knew peace and quiet could be found in a tiny room with more than 50 people present?

It was at this point that I chose this word as my intention. As the practice carried on, we held poses such as Utkatasana (chair pose) for nearly 5 minutes as we learned to properly pronounce the asana and as Stuart kept teaching, forgetting momentarily about his poor yogis' dying legs. The over lasting pose gave me a new sense of what I am capable of. It enlightened me to the sensation of being solidly rooted to the earth, which is the common theme of standing poses. Having held my asana for such a period, I truly did feel the roots of my being going through the test of strength and into yoga bliss.

My hope is that with this course and with yoga in general, that I become enlightened in every sense of the word. Mind, body, spirit, being. I hope to shed enlightenment on myself as I discover who I am. I hope to share my leanings with the world and enlighten all whom I touch.


Namaste