Yoga Paradoxes
by Yogilea (Dr Lea Brindle)

If you have been practicing yoga for a while now, it will probably be quite apparent that yoga and, indeed life, is full of paradoxes – indeed, you might even be beginning to think that yoga IS a paradox itself!

I recently moved from London to the South West seeking less pressure, cleaner air and generally better prana. While most of my expectations have been met I have been presented with many new challenges too! For example, although it is generally much quieter where I now live the sounds around seem much louder! For instance, because there is so much less traffic noise I am acutely aware of the cars & motorcycles that waft across the hills & valleys. Also, because there are very few aircraft here (I used to live close to Heathrow Airport) I am so aware of the light aircraft and helicopters that do fly over occasionally! Because it is normally so quiet here the sounds there are seem much louder! I am not sure if this is just ironic or an example of a paradox but, hopefully, you’ll see what I mean.

As you know, letting-go is at the heart of yoga asana practice. Going deeper into a posture requires us to stop “trying” and forcing ourselves to overcome what we may see as our physical limits. Instead, it requires us to breathe, be aware of tension and resistance (whether in the body or the mind) and to allow these to gradually dissolve. This awareness and recognising the need to let go, or surrender, makes yoga fundamentally different from, say, body balance, pilates, stretch & tone, etc.

Take the example of the bridge posture (setu bhandasana) - if once “in the posture” we begin to notice held tension e.g. in the face, jaw, neck & shoulders & buttocks (and especially in the mind) and are able to consciously start letting-go we can begin to melt away tension, enabling us to go deeper into the posture. So, following an out-breath where we allow the posture to soften we can, on an in-breath, deepen our bridge, opening, for example, the heart centre more fully. And then another outbreath to soften and let-go, and so on.

So here is another paradox - by “trying” we actually increase tension and halt any progress in a posture. Conversely, by surrendering and letting-go we allow the posture to deepen. Then it’s as if we become the posture and it happens to us rather than us creating the posture. This is the opposite of how we typically are taught to live our lives! We learn to strive for success; not to just let it happen!

Another paradox is that by bringing awareness to our practice we become aware of our mind which can cause more thinking. This then can detract from our felt sense in the body. That is why, when we notice that we are thinking (which, of course, we do all the time during our practice) it is important to bring awareness back to our practice – our breathing, body awareness, the need to surrender and so on.

Having expectations, goals, postures, etc. we want to achieve in our practice often gets in the way of actually doing yoga. Again, paradoxically, once we let go of these expectations, etc. a weight lifts off us freeing our minds we are just as we should be once again. So, paradoxically once we let go of our desires we have everything!

Because letting-go is at the heart of yoga sadhana (our yoga practice) another paradox becomes evident. Although we need to let go of attachment, and our ego, will, etc. in order to deepen our practice, achieve enlightenment or whatever we cannot do this without getting on to our mat, into our meditation routine, etc. in the first place. Here ego and will, of which both get in the way of our yoga practice, can provide the force required to initiate our practice which then requires letting go or surrender!

Taking a more abstract view the Sankhya philosophical system, often thought to be at the root of modern yoga theory & practice, has an essentially dualistic rationale. Sankhya is an ancient (circa AD350) philosophical system and possibly the first truly systematised (i.e. written down & subject to logical discourse) Indian philosophy. It means literally the “enumeration” (or counting – five elements, five senses, the structure of our minds, the three gunas, etc.) of our universe and also means “Right Knowledge.”

Right Knowledge requires discriminating pure consciousness (or purusha) from all matter and, in fact, everything else (prakrti). Purusha and prakrti are completely separate yet inter-dependent as we shall see. A metaphor that is often used to describe this relationship is that of pure, white light (purusha) shining through a vase containing coloured water, revealing the nature of prakrti in the coloured light thus displayed. Another metaphor often used is of the sun shining (purusha) and causing a flower (prakrti) to turn towards it and begin to open up its petals. As the flower opens up to the light of purusha it reveals more and more of it’s intimate nature. Thus, prakrti is the seen and purusha is the seer or the witness. So here at the root of this fundamental yoga philosophy is another paradox: in Sankhya the world is divided into two ontologically separate aspects and yet we can only “see” prakrti though the light of purusha. Conversely, we can only experience purusha (pure consciousness) through the material world of prakrti. Although separate they can only exist in relation to each other!

What, one may ask is the relevance of Sankhya theory for yoga practice? Let’s take the relevance of the gunas for, say meditation. Dedicated meditation practice can lead to us exploring the most subtle (satvic) states of mind. However, through identifying with even the most subtle states of mind we inevitably involve our ego and lose the basis for seeing purusha as it is. Having got close to a satvic state through our meditation practice, once we recognise it for what it is we immediately lose it! Inevitably, our satvic state either becomes too peaceful and the resultant complacency causes a decay into a dull and tamasic state. Or if we begin to feel a sense of achievement rajas may result. Pulling, pushing or other attachment to an enlightened meditation, a good posture, etc. will, through hanging-on to the ideal of satva, result in either a tamasic or a rajasic state. Our everyday practice of yoga, on & off the mat, constantly places us in these double binds or paradoxes.

So, paradox is not merely a by product of our sadhana – our yoga practice – it appears to be integral to yoga itself. By experiencing paradox and coming to terms with it (gleefully seeing its funny side and even laughing at our confusion) we learn more about ourselves which, for me, is one of the core purposes of yoga, that is, self development through awareness.

In this article I have tried to give you a flavour of my awareness of paradox in yoga and no doubt you will have your own experience too. I would be really interested to hear about this and of any examples you may have of yoga paradoxes – both on and off the mat. Please do write or email me at yogilea@yogasadhana.co.uk

Thanks for reading this. Yogi Lea (Dr Lea Brindle)