Yoga as a Metaphor: Activity to Equanimity

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

One of the definitions of a metaphor is a figure of speech or object that is symbolic of something else. In metaphorical language one event, place or thing is compared to a similar event, situation, or even a person. In terms of a Yoga practice, the way a Yoga practitioner approaches his or her own practice often matches how the individual approaches his or her own life in many different ways. By mindfully witnessing how we engage or do not engage fully in our own Yoga practice, this awareness can give us reams of information about how we approach our own lives “off the mat.”

For instance, lately I have been seeing car insurance ads on television that are filmed during a mock Yoga class. During the class, while in an inversion (of course!), the Yoga student checks her phone to see if her car insurance bill has been paid. Ok, while you may be thinking to yourself that you wouldn't actually check to see if your car insurance company has received your premium check while doing Yoga, how many of us sneak a quick peak at our cell phones during class in order to check our text messages, while we tell ourselves “just this one time.” 

This constant urge to multi-task may be found in all corners of our lives. For instance, we may be answering our emails while talking on the phone, or even attempting to text while we are driving. Some of these activities can put us in danger, such as texting while driving. Other multi-tasking activities may be efficient at first, but often doing multiple tasks at one time drains our energy and diminishes our performance on these tasks. By noticing the urge to multi-task while doing Yoga, your own awareness about your propensity to split your attention and focus in other areas of your life will become quite evident. 

Of course, different people have different levels of ability to concentrate and accomplish multiple tasks at one time. However, the practice of Yoga gives us an opportunity to truly relax and focus on simply breathing and moving our bodies for a set amount of time. As you begin to ground and relax into your practice, you will find yourself more easily moving from activity to equanimity. This occurs naturally as you move through the more active part of a Yoga practice, which includes flowing Sun Salutations, standing postures and balancing poses, into the more restorative Yoga poses such as seated forward folds, hip openers and Shavasana. 

If you find that you are having difficulty allowing yourself to move from a state of doing to a state of being, practicing mindful awareness and progressive relaxation in Shavasana is a first step to giving your body and mind the green light to simply rest. By allowing yourself ample time to rest in Shavasana at the end of your practice, you also give your body and mind the message that a period of rest is a priority for you during your Yoga practice. It is recommended to rest in Shavasana for at least ten full minutes. This is generally the amount of time that it takes for the body to cool down and for the muscles, ligaments and skeletal system to reset into the more optimal alignment created by your Yoga practice. 

If you find that you feel anxious or impatient with practicing Shavasana for ten minutes, this is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your breath and witness the incessant urge to always being in a state of constant activity. In order to shift from doing to being, you may wish to practice progressive muscle relaxation while resting in Shavasana. This is quite simple to do. You simple tense and relax each large muscle group as you move around your body in a clock-wise fashion. As you begin to be able to move more fluidly into the relaxation portion of your Yoga practice, you will notice that it is easier to move into a peaceful state of relaxation at the end of the active part of your day. 

Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a Yoga and health-related freelance writer and academic support specialist. She may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com.