Yoga: A Gem for Women - Know your Body
As we move into "Part Two - Practice" of A Gem for Women, the next chapter is called Know Your Body. It is surprizing how little we often do know about our own bodies, often taking for granted that it will just do it's thing as we go about our day to day lives. We are fortunate that for the most part it does do this. But, like any machine with many systems it needs to be maintained and tuned. This requires knowledge of not only each part, but how the parts interact with others and how each system interacts as a whole.
This requires spending time with ourselves, looking inward and becoming more and more aware of even the most subtle changes. Foods that do or don't agree with us, sounds, shows, people...
It is something I wish I had started doing in my teens. I realize now many things I put off and didn't listen to have manifested in imbalances in the body and mind that I am now learning how to deal with.
Geeta writes about how, according to Samkhya Yoga Philosophy the human body is made up of 25 components. These 25 components are affected by the action of the gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) - light, action and inertia. The 25 components include the individual soul (purusa), nature (prakrti), intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara), mind (manas), 5 subtle elements (smell, touch, sound, taste, sight), 5 gross elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether), 5 sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin), 5 organs of action (feet, hands, speech, organs of generation and excretion).
Geeta writes also about the body in terms of Ayurveda in balancing the body. The main idea I took away from the ancient systems was that equilibrium must be maintained or disease sets in. The whole being from physical to spiritual must be balanced.
This chapter gives so much information regarding the workings of the body from the gross body to the internal body that it is important to read. It is not so in depth that one won't understand, but makes clear how important the health of each cell is.
Geeta ends the chapter with, "When the body has been so magnificently and artistically created by God, it is only fitting that we should maintain it in good health and harmony by the most excellent and artistic science of Yoga."
Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com
Geeta writes about how, according to Samkhya Yoga Philosophy the human body is made up of 25 components. These 25 components are affected by the action of the gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) - light, action and inertia. The 25 components include the individual soul (purusa), nature (prakrti), intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara), mind (manas), 5 subtle elements (smell, touch, sound, taste, sight), 5 gross elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether), 5 sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin), 5 organs of action (feet, hands, speech, organs of generation and excretion).
Geeta writes also about the body in terms of Ayurveda in balancing the body. The main idea I took away from the ancient systems was that equilibrium must be maintained or disease sets in. The whole being from physical to spiritual must be balanced.
This chapter gives so much information regarding the workings of the body from the gross body to the internal body that it is important to read. It is not so in depth that one won't understand, but makes clear how important the health of each cell is.
Geeta ends the chapter with, "When the body has been so magnificently and artistically created by God, it is only fitting that we should maintain it in good health and harmony by the most excellent and artistic science of Yoga."
Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com
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