This
week is the Jewish holiday of Passover, when Jews celebrate the liberation of
the Israelites, led by Moses, from slavery in Egypt. The root of the Hebrew word for Egypt, mitzrayim, means to bind or tie up, or
to be restricted. As a noun or adjective, it means distress, narrow or tight. So from this we understand that mitzrayim is a narrow, constricted
place, and this is not only a physical condition, but a spiritual one as well. The Israelites in the story had forgotten who
they were, they had forgotten their connection to their Source, and as a result
had allowed themselves to be enslaved for hundreds of years. 
I
do not want to insinuate that slavery is a choice. The mere fact that I am able to sit and write
these words and publish them as I wish is indicative of the fact that I was
blessed enough to be born into a life of freedom and I do not take that
blessing for granted. However, all of us
have felt bound up and constricted from time to time. We all have narrow places in our lives. From a Tantric point of view, our humanness
is not a constricted state that we need to transcend to find liberation, but an
inherent state of unlimited freedom. No
matter how constricted we might feel, physically or otherwise, our true nature
is unfettered and unbound by any aspect of our human experience – the essence
of who we are is infinite freedom. But, like the Israelites in mitzrayim, we forget.
On
our yoga mat we are invited to expand into the narrow places in our
bodies. Even as I have that thought, my
mind goes immediately to the places in my body that feel restricted – maybe
yours did too. But here’s the thing, we
can know those narrow places without becoming enslaved to them. The mental torment we layer on top of our
physical limitations are what bind us up – our wanting of things to be
different than they actually are. As Bob
Marley said, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can
free our minds.”
And
the mind really is the vehicle of our spiritual contraction. What are the thoughts and experiences that
keep you from the full experience of your innate freedom? What are the constricted, narrow–minded
places in your life right now? Just so
you’re not feeling shy, I’ll share some of mine:
The
image I have of, as a yoga teacher, what my body is supposed to look like
The
standard I have of what success means
The
ideas I have of what proper parenting is
…those
are some big ones, but there are more of course. I find that many of mine come
from outside influence and this is an aspect of mental slavery - allowing outer
voices to dictate what is “right” and “wrong”.
One
of the most striking parts of the Passover story to me is that when the slaves
are finally told that they are free to go, they say no. They don’t want to leave the only place they
have ever called home. At face value
this seems crazy of course, but how often do we choose to stay in patterns that
restrict us simply because it’s easier, or it is what we’ve always known or
done? Our narrow places are familiar and
change is hard. We have to be ready to step into our freedom. We have to choose to hear the voices that
move us towards liberation, rather than the ones that keep us bound up and tied
down to patterns that don’t serve us, or those around us, anymore.
Although
this story happened thousands of years ago, it is said that the Jewish people
are still in a state of leaving mitzrayim. It’s
almost a relief for me to read those words every year, because in spite of all
the practice, the study, the reading, the asana, pranayama and meditation, I am
still unfortunately very aware of my narrow places, and most days they are of
the mental or spiritual variety. This is
a holiday of remembering – we tell this same story year after year after year
to remind us that our essence is freedom, but that it is a choice to align
ourselves with it. We need to choose to
face our narrow places and soften our thoughts about them. When there is a narrowing, like the
constriction of the throat when we practice Ujayyi pranayama, the energy that
passes through it becomes concentrated and so much more powerful. So let your narrow places give you something
to push out against, to expand into with the fullness of your inherent freedom.
Off
the mat:
Become
aware of your narrow places. What are
the thoughts you have about yourself that keep you “enslaved”? What are the thoughts or actions you have
about others that keep them in a state of constriction?
I read that it takes 21 days to change a habit. What practice can you commit to that shifts you from restricted mind to expanded mind for the next 3 weeks? As you become aware of these patterns in your mind, create a mantra for yourself to help redirect where you are sending your energy. If you need help, don't ever hesitate to reach out to me: RDyogamama@gmail.com - let me be the mirror that reflects your freedom back to you!
On
the mat:
We
practiced binding this week, poses that physically constrict us like Garudasana
(Eagle pose), Baddha Parsvakonasana (Bound extended angle) and Svarga Dvijasana
(Bird of Paradise). In our yoga practice
when we mindfully put our bodies into narrow places, we can work to expand our
awareness to make more space inside. We
consciously create constriction so we can practice being in a limited place,
and yet connecting to our breath and our inner Self to remember our limitless
nature. And when we can do this successfully
on the mat, then when life binds us up we have the tools to remember what to
do.
