The science of sitting still

Sitting still, to repair the body and mind

*The anti-aging effect of being still

* And a story to explain how this works

Even when one is sitting still one can have the sense of running endlessly and breathlessly. Or if you are still, you may feel dull. Energy is a rather vague thing. Nevertheless everyone is sensitive to it. I am saying this, because if you ask anybody to define energy they will find it difficult. They can only talk about it in the way it manifests itself in their behaviour and being. Or they can talk about it more clearly, when it is absent!

We all say this without thinking too much: “I have no energy.” “Today my energy is low”. “I have lost the energy now.”

So, I was browsing one of my favorite authors Dr David Frawley in his book on Soma in Yoga and Ayurveda. He says that rejuvenation needs stillness. He makes it clear upfront that he is not talking of a sedentary lifestyle. I think in India especially most of us feel that we are enjoying ourselves when we do nothing. I can’t figure out where this comes from, considering we have cheap labor! But as a yoga instructor I find this attitude the most difficult to dislodge when students sign up for my classes: that they believe recreation is in doing nothing, but sitting around with people we know and eating food we do not need! So let’s first get rid of that idea that being sedentary is equivalent to being still. (Otherwise some of you are going to use this as an excuse to do nothing in life!)

• How to use asana practice with this idea of the soma – or the juice of immortality – flowing through it? He says each asana has soma, and if you know to tap into it, the nectar flows😊 I paraphrase his words below:

Yoga asana is not only about developing flexibility but also developing stillness.Those who are flexible may not have this inner stillness. While those who have it may not have physical stillness. Stillness has the power to heal the body, awaken a higher energy, and awareness of the mind. Such a yogic stillness is not enforced born of personal effort. It is a natural stillness born of deep relaxation. To arrive at this stillness we must first let go of any disturbances and agitation in our body and mind. This may initially require movement to break up deep seated tension. But movement must not be the goal or end of the practice. We should learn to move into stillness, which is to slow down the body and mind.”

This sounds good. But for a lot of us, this is more of the sublime state that we don’t know how to access. Instead we can come back to brass tack: How exactly can I create stillness and where do I start on it.

So seated meditative poses have this impact, according to Frawley:

• ·         Direct energy to our navel center / manipura (ego center)
• ·         They remove the knots in our heart (love center/anahata)
• ·         They relieve anxiety and fear
• ·         They remove /control anger and aggression

And he underscores this further:IF U WANT TO REJUVENATE YOUR BODY AND MIND YOU MUST FIRST LEARN HOW TO SIT.

That way you learn to forget your body.

I was deeply touched by this beautiful story by Thich Naht Hanh: He says he had a Vietnamese student who was imprisoned for her good work. The prison guards would get angry when they saw her meditating. So she would meditate at night. Sitting still with natural strength gave her the sense of freedom despite being inside the prison. She taught this to other prisoners, the strength of sitting still with oneself. Here is what Hanh says, which I found poignant: If you can sit like that the walls are not there. You have more freedom than people outside who are imprisoning themselves with their agitation and anger. People can steal many things from us, but they cannot steal our determination and practice.

Hope this resonates with you. And if you are resisting meditation, you probably need it the most!