Exercise is great, but expanding awareness is more important than expanding range of movement. To move toward yoga's greater intention, practicing yoga postures should be about tuning in, not toning up, about nurturing the body and spirit, not pleasing the ego.
From the perspective of the habituated mind, it's typically frightful to seek union with the quiet presence that lingers behind/above/beneath the thoughts, emotions and images. The ego lives within the delusion that it's king, and once it yields to the greater presence within, it becomes apparent that this is not the case. Even considering this notion can be extremely disconcerting. It essentially requires accepting an entirely different and contradictory understanding of one's self. However, the body, being an integral part of the ego's identity, feels like a safe place to allow awareness to reside. And as awareness settles into the body, it's naturally drawn out of the normal mindset. The level of perceptual transition being proportionate to the level of attunement to/absorption in the body.
Is this really important? Well, the way we use our minds affects the way we interpret our lives, which affects the way we feel about ourselves, others and life in general, which then affects our actions and our influence in this world, thus affecting how others around us see, feel, act and influence. In short, our immediate happiness, the course of our lives and the future of the world, all depend on how we attune ourselves. This may sound like far-flung logic and fanciful notions, but it is, in fact, accurate and truthful. This is what Ghandi was talking about when he said "You must be the change you want to see in the world".
There are really only two options. To be content, living in this world and feeling connected to all there is, or to be perpetually unfulfilled, living in an internal fantasy world and feeling ever alone and isolated.
Hmmm. Tough choice, eh? It's OK, you can think about it for a while.
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