Metaphors and Yoga Practice
Practising yoga in a group environment clearly shows up our similarities and differences. Sometimes we have more in common than we think, at other times, for example, we realise that how we an instruction is taken differently from one person to another. How we learn can also be both universal and unique. I have often found illustrative metaphors (and the associated story-telling) helpful for my developing practice.
Visual cues can be a short-cut for the memory. If I have an image, it can help me understand further the aim of specific postures, or why we are encouraged towards experiential knowledge in yoga. It is also important to situate yoga in the historical and social context of the Indian subcontinent. In other words, I decided a while ago that anything ‘extra' that helps me from time to time understand what might be happening for me physically and psychologically on the mat is worth an investment of my time.
Reading both the works of BKS Iyengar, and more recently, broader Indian Philosophy, has made me realise just how common certain metaphors are across major texts and thinkers. One such example is that of the chariot and horses:
Just under 60 years ago, BKS Iyengar wrote: ‘The citta (mind, reason, ego) is like a chariot yoked to a team of powerful horses. One of them is prana (breath), the other is vasana (desire). The chariot moves in the direction of the more powerful animal.’
And, over 2000 years ago, the Katha Upanishad used the metaphor in a similar application:
‘Know the Self as lord of the chariot,
The body as the chariot itself,
The discriminating intellect as
The charioteer, and the mind as reins.
The senses, say the wise, are the horses;
Selfish desires are the roads they travel…
When a person lacks discrimination
And [their] mind is undisciplined, the senses
Run hither and thither like wild horses.
But they obey the rein like trained horses
When one has discrimination and
Has the mind one pointed.’
Have you ever been in a class where no matter how hard you try, your mind won’t be still? Or, when despite your best effort, your body seems to do its own thing? And then on another day, you can observe yourself in asana, finishing a session feeling calmer, more centred. It is like everything is coordinated and, as as a result, your mind and body feel better together.
In our study group, which includes listening to audio lectures from RIMYI by Prashant Iyengar (BKS Iyengar’s son) and Srineet Sridharan (BKS Iyengar’s grandson), the metaphor was used again. The lecture covers Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra I.35: “Or, by contemplating an object that helps to maintain steadiness of mind and consciousness.” The chariot metaphor was used because the power of our errant senses and the impact our body has on our mind-state is undeniable. In visualising that we may reign in our senses to calm our reactivity, we are encouraged to see how regular practice can lead to a more “serene and sublime” sense of self. (Plus, we are also learning why understanding in detail the sutras themselves helps for ‘everyday’ yoga.)
Start looking, and you will find metaphors involving chariots and horses across many of the major texts (like the drawing above directly referencing The Bhagavad Gita). (Never mind also visual metaphors involving birds, the moon, ropes and snakes, and much, much more.) Each time there’s both a continuous thread, and also perhaps, a new perspective.
In Australia — where, as a collective, we are only just now beginning to respect the wisdom that comes from a continuous culture over millennia — I’m often in awe of the respect the peoples of India have shown to diverse oral traditions, and of acknowledging lineage in ideas. BKS Iyengar regularly pays homage to the influence of his guru, the sacred texts and his own religion. And as you may tell, investigating how classical stories ‘join up;’ how history repeats itself; and, how what we read and see can influence how we act — well, I find it immensely interesting.
Jackie Ruddock
Jackie Ruddock has been practising Iyengar yoga since 2008, and joined Central Yoga School in 2018. She is a certified Level 1 teacher.
References
[1] The Upanishads, Eknath Easwaran, 1987
[2] Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar, 1966