Force Vs. Feeling

Cop. Yoga Journal - Aadil Palkhivala

Learning to feel rather than to use force during your practice will not only make you a better yogi, it will also make you a better citizen of the world.

The survival of the fittest. Looking out for number one. Achieving a goal. Winning. These are the ways of the world.

The survival of the most sensitive. Looking in for number one. Living the journey. Growing along the way. This is the way of yoga.

Our world teaches us to succeed by force. In schools and workplaces, we are tacitly encouraged to dominate our peers, to compete in “the struggle for existence”, and to climb the corporate ladder by trampling over the heads of others. Our leaders invade countries while multi-national corporations do whatever they deem necessary to win market share. The end is said to justify the means. Somehow this approach to life is supposed to make us feel successful, happy, and even glorious.

As a reaction to this manner of living, some feel that success is not important at all. These people believe that being meek is the way, and that one's self is not important. So, on the one hand, we are encouraged to indulge in egoistic pursuits of glory, and, on the other hand, an equally one-sided pursuit of self-annihilation. But where does yoga fit into this debate?

Yoga is the middle way. It means neither domination nor submission. So how can we, as students of yoga, find the elusive balance of the middle way in our practice and in our lives?

(The primary aim of the yoga class is to guide us towards our own heart centre, where life is lived according to feeling. When we learn to feel the poses rather than force our way into them, we are learning to become more sensitive to the unique human being that we are, to make decisions from inside, and to be in touch with the dictates of the divinity within. The practice of yoga aims at freeing ourselves so we can fully become ourselves. Whether asana or pranayama, whether in the building of relationships with self or others, we must learn to find fulfilment through exploring the path rather than through forcing an end result. Feeling takes you into yourself, forcing takes you away.)

When we want results, we push to make them happen. The moment we start to push, we are no longer aware of the effect this action is having on us or on our nervous system. Force is the opposite of feeling. When we force we cannot feel. When we feel, we cannot force. (Try to remember this maxim and allow yourself; or learn to be constantly attuned to your thoughts, words and deeds, making them all come from feeling.

Forcing is yang - it raises blood pressure, makes a person angry, and creates heart problems. Feeling is yin - it makes a person reflective, calm, and able to understand life.)

(When you are practicing poses, ask yourself if you have the urge to be the best in class. Try to look inside and find the source of that desire. This common urge is not native to the gentle human heart, but is indoctrinated by an insecure society. The urge to be the best leads to force, and force leads to injury. Remember that forcing comes from ego, while feeling comes from the connection with one's self. The chronic urge to succeed sacrifices the critical connection the Self for a mere result, and for the satisfaction of the ego alone. In yoga, the victory is not in the victory but in the ability to feel more than what we felt before. The more we feel, the more we can feel. Eventually, feeling becomes a way of life, and force, like a stone dropped into the ocean, sinks into oblivion.)

(Remember that true yoga is not a competition with anyone else, not even with one's self. We do not get a prize for doing a pose well. Remember that when you feel and create a small movement, it is far better for your nervous system than to force and create a big movement.)

(Work intensely, yet without force. We generally think that working intensely is working forcefully, but it is not the case. Force is the opposite of true intensity. We force when we are not present in the body, not listening, not aware, but just working blindly.)

(When you are forcing to open the back of your legs for example, take the opportunity to learn a deeper lesson. Remember that the hamstring resists because it is not used to the stretch. When we forcefully stretch, how is that different from forcefully imposing our beliefs onto others who have opposing beliefs? Feeling develops sensitivity and acceptance of an opposing viewpoint.)

(Watch your breath as you do poses, for this helps reduce forcing and invites the spirit into the body.)

(Keep everything in perspective, and remember that the body is only a temporary phenomenon, and that the reason for yoga is to embrace that which is permanent: the spirit. Being violent towards the body repels the spirit. Gaze towards your heart centre and make the asana practice an expression of the divinity within, rather than a violent display of ego. Try to always watch what you are doing in a detached way, with an inner smile.)

In yoga, we strive to become more aware of ourselves - our bodies, minds, feelings, emotions, our very nature - because the more aware we are, the more we are able to make correct decisions and avert future pain. Yet, our usual way is to get angry when a situation arises that is not to our liking. Anger, which is violence, is the opposite of awareness, which is feeling. In yoga, we move away from violence and anger, moving towards awareness and feeling.

(To truly make progress on the path of yoga and overcome obstacles, we must transform our habitual mannerisms of force and violence and discover the humanity of sensitivity, awareness and feeling. Then our practice will be more serene, our society more harmonious, and the world more at peace.)

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