The Bird of Paradise Alights Only on the Hand That Does Not Grasp - Jon Berry
We live in increasingly complex times. A switched on, ever-ready planet of late-workers, party-harders, striving, achieving and consuming in a ‘more is more’ culture that leaves little time for respite or reflection. As as species that prizes physical and mental aptitude, this acceleration in pace and drive is often regarded in black and white terms as ‘progress’ with seemingly little cost to the individual, society or our planet. And, after all, isn’t it the want of every older generation to lament the passing of simpler, slower days of yore? But scratch just below the surface and we start to see steep declines in mental and physical wellbeing - so what, then ,is the real and quantifiable value of wanting and needing ever more? Consider, for a minute, if you can spare it, how you really feel on a personal level when your space, health, time and freedoms become marginalised. Tired, impatient, angry, stressed, depressed? Now times that by seven billion and you start to see a different picture. So every in culture, it would seem, there is a definite need of its counter.
If I came to yoga with what might be politely referred to as ‘some reluctance’, it would be fair to say I was dragged to Yin pretty much kicking and screaming. Hold the same pose for five minutes? Four words: ‘easy, pointless’ and ‘totally dull’…and yet still I came. These days even my tiny, rigid mind would caution heavily against thinking of Yin as easy or pointless or indeed anything like dull. It may by its nature be a more static practice but, with the wrong approach, (the exact one I chose, incidentally) five minutes in a pose someone else has chosen for you can feel like a pretty bloody long time. It takes physical and mental discipline of a different sort, most notably the willingness to listen and to yield…not this particular little being’s strong point.
This practice of slowing down, allowing, rather than grasping and reaching creates much needed antidote for these headstrong, competitive times. It is a practice of discernment; of constant checking in, exploring and reassessing your edge. We all have boundaries- places we’ll go to and those we retreat from. What better way to explore our attitude towards them and experience a clearer view of ourselves in our own lives and the wider implications of our actions? In a world of increasingly narrow deals of beauty and likeability how do we draw lines across ourselves and others? Where are our parameters set? Are they compassionate, permeable and softly drawn, or are they harsh, uncompromising and unyielding?
If acceptance and allowing are the fundamental building blocks of a tolerant and truly free society then now, more than ever, we need to create space, conversation and change that simply won’t happen whilst we’re all crashing along at break-neck speed. Stillness and deep listening are required. So be still, listen because Yin is also a beautiful way to explore your relationship with silence - it may be more complicated than you think. There is very little verbal cueing once you're in the pose. This gives rise to a quietude to which we’ve become unaccustomed and can sometimes find deeply unsettling. In the surrounding silence the mind and body can, paradoxically, become unbearably loud. Can we observe but not pathologize every thought, feeling and sensation? It’s easy to become angry or dismissive or bored - all distinct possibilities when checking in with your surprisingly predictable self. Guess what? It’s OK to be bored. You don’t need something or someone to occupy, entertain or placate every moment of your existence. Great creative endeavour has sprung from boredom and frustration. This is a practice of working with what is and realising that there is value and learning in everything. What am I feeling and where am I at? When do I need to reconsider, react and re-adjust and when do I need to allow and even accept the discomfort of being? Questions beget answers but only if we pay attention.
It seems these days that a grounding practice is an essential requirement of existence on this planet, because from a distance we look like a species in crisis. I don’t have definitive answers as to what paradise is but I strongly suspect it has less to do with more and more to do with less; less noise, less loud retaliation, less competitiveness and consumption. We need opportunities to ‘walk ourselves back’ from the edge. Only when we learn to get quiet, and sit with what is, can we really move from a carefully considered and balanced perspective.