On this page, texts by members of the Association are posted, regarding the practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and yoga in general. The opinions expressed in the texts are personal, fall under the sole responsibility of their author and do not constitute an official position of the Association.
At some point we found ourselves without a means to travel the vastness of the sea of our being, discovering, searching, rooting and uprooting what is useful or not useful.
With whatever materials were available, a boat was created with sails and oars.
Maybe she stayed in the port for some time, hindered by the various attachments of everyday life, but at some point she started the journey through the oars, through effort working on our endurance and strength.
At some point the boat left the port, and continued its journey.
Sometimes calm sea, sometimes rough, sometimes dry, sometimes rain, but the journey non-stop, with some small stops for rest, in an unstable season and season.
At one point the sails were unfurled on the boat, but perhaps we were turning them against the wind. At some point, when we managed to coordinate with the wind, the boat rolled and the journey flows more leisurely without worrying so much about how the boat will move, but now we can deal with the images of the journey and the lessons they offer us, such as the sea, the sky, that we see moving, the element of air touching us, the element of the sun warming us, the shine of the moon speaking to us and the stars accompanying us.
Some are in some of these periods of the boat, whether in the oar, or in the sails, or in the harbor, in the ocean, or in some sea, it does not matter so much, as long as each one knows where he is, is aware of this point in present.
A map and a compass give us the knowledge of the landscape and the path to traverse it, but they are useless to him who does not know the mark where he is to begin the journey.
Even if one leaves the port, and if the boat sails effortlessly with the sails, the previous steps, the oar, some port will come again.
Small, large seas, oceans will be on the schedule, until the moment comes to arrive at the final port, the final destination.
The journey of Odysseus can be interpreted as a symbolism in the journey within our being, the desires that lead us and trap us back to our deep truth, our true home, Ithaca. This journey was delayed on the island of Calypso, which symbolizes the delusion that is created in our mind, in this life.
Every season of his journey is beneficial, magical and rich, but an important phase is to see if the boat remains tied or we have untied it from the port, or at some other port of the course.
The most important thing is for everyone to find what is blocking this journey.
If we forget the essence on this journey, let the moment we reach navasana, the boat pose, remind us of it.
I wish such a Resurrection to everyone!
The richest and most priceless gift in life is time, and every practice in this life brings us into meaningful contact and use of this time, with criteria of quality and not quantity.
January 2024, Nektarios Mitritsakis
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