No Walls
In a few past blog posts I have referred to the science fiction and fantasy genres of various books to illustrate my thoughts. These genres open the mind to possibilities. My very first post, The Road Goes Ever On, drew on JRR Tolkien where I used one of his walking songs (and a reverse version of it) to explain the existence both outside ourselves and within. Really though, it’s all the same existence. We just pay more attention to what our senses are relaying from outside in than inside out. In so doing we give less awareness to the billions of cells making up our reality within.
I love yoga because it brings the attention inward to our breath, anatomy, nervous system, digestion, circulation, the chemical reactions taking place that warm us and how we may keep all of it in balance. With balance comes peace and equanimity. The infinity within is just as grand as the infinity without.
After teaching my 6am class I often pause outside before leaving and practice gratitude for the beautiful location Axle Yoga enjoys. I walk up the hill and do a 360 degree turn in place. The view is so expansive and peaceful; the river, the city in the distance, the open spaces all revolve around me as I turn. In that expansive view the studio stands alone and looks so small! This week, another science fiction world came to mind; Dr Who with his spaceship/time machine the TARDIS!
The TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) is small on the outside and big on the inside. This is how I feel about Axle Yoga. Its humble exterior is contrary to how spacious it feels to me on the interior. The first time I walked into the building I was welcomed by beautiful polished jarrah floorboards, high ceilings and the view across the river. It all feels so spacious!
Carrying on with the TARDIS metaphor, the value of inner reality is just as great as, and perhaps even greater than, that which is without. Now, imagine if we erased the barriers created by the virtual ‘walls’ we build throughout our lives not only between our inner and outer selves, but also between our selves and others. Wouldn’t that enlightened reality be amazingly expansive! It is, after all, how we begin life at birth. No ‘walls’… and without walls, pure love.
A panorama photo of Axle Yoga and its surrounds. The studio rests on the left, appearing small. Our TARDIS!