Self-Expression Challenge: Mar 2014
Yoga is all about the fullest and most subtle expression of human life. That is why the proponents of yoga have long advocated the arts, the creative process, analysis, dance, drama, literary endeavors, and all forms of human expression that help guide the mind in a sentient way. And certainly in our own lives we have experienced periods of tremendous creativity. This is something inherent to all human beings. It only needs to be tapped into and encouraged.
We presently live in an age where the dollar is king and everything else is given value according to its financial return. In result, countless aspects of human thought and expression are left behind – lying untouched in the corner. And we all know what happens to that capacity that is unused – it gets lost entirely.
Yet it is that creative urge that makes the world beautiful, wherein we can complement the existing natural beauty by our own endeavor. It might be a painting of a hillside, a beautifully tended garden, poetry on friendship, a musical composition, or so many other forms of human expression. Such pursuits come within the realm of aesthetic science, or nandan vijiana.
So the challenge for this month is to share, rekindle, inspire, encourage, and honor that creative spirit within you – as well as within others. It might be an old habit or a new engagement – here skill and perfection are not the ends. The aim is to look within and create without. What is it that you can offer to make life richer in the eyes, ears, heart, and mind of the observer. Maybe that observer is you or maybe it includes countless others.
Naturally, we welcome and invite you to share your creations with us. A contest this is not – an enrichment this certainly is. Perhaps the greatest hurdle will not be the manifestation of a particular piece per se, but rather overcoming the initial reaction – “What could I possibly offer.” Everyone has their own unique offering to make. And that very inner urge and gift – that seed vessel of psychic conception – is what we wish to alight and bring to expression, whereby others can ultimately bask in its glow.
How did you know that I was thinking “what could I possibly offer?”. You got me!
I will give this some thoughtful consideration and see what emerges…
And I look forward to seeing what the members of the community share!
Thanks, as always, for the inspiration!
Ah, I so agree with Liz…this will be a serious challenge for me…I may have to stretch the meaning of “creative” quite a bit. But as alway, thanks, Satyam, for pushing us to new challenges!
Satyam, this is fantastic. Coincidentally, I have been in this exact mindset since the beginning of March. Monday I attended an ‘open studio’ to draw from a real life model. I’ve never been interested in drawing people, so this was a challenge! It made me think that it might be interesting to draw people in yoga class. Would you consider inviting a local art group to sketch during one of your classes? I bet they would love that! The people I met with are always looking for new models (however I live several hundred miles away).
Hi Lori,
Great hearing from you as always – and wonderful to hear what you are up to these days.
Wow! What a great suggestion about having artists come to class and let our practitioners serve as models. Question: How long will we have to hold the poses 🙂
I hope not too long. This would be interesting to explore – wonder if this is already going on somewhere – probably so.
Thanks again for the interesting and neat suggestion…
Yes, the timing could be a problem. You wouldn’t want the invade or misrepresent the yoga space by asking for the poses to be held longer than necessary. In the open studio I went to last week, they asked the model to switch poses every 60 seconds, for 18 total poses. She also held two additional poses for a much longer time. Of course, all the yogis in the room would also need to be comfortable with strangers drawing them! It might be a better opportunity for a single individual to visit a continuing education art class or community art space.