I'd certainly heard the descriptor "sparkling eyes" before, but never had I met someone whose eyes sparkled as much as Jyotsna Aunty's did.
They drew me in, and before we even got the chance to exchange the regular pleasantries, I had already asked her the question that had been on my mind that day: what exactly does yoga mean?
"Yoga has to do with the mind."
"Yoga is the mind -- it is mindfulness. It's not weight-loss, it's not getting fit, it's not about the body at all. Ayurveda may be about the body. But yoga -- yoga is about being aware. And with complete awareness (of the body and more) comes natural physical fitness (which is often viewed as the purpose of yoga). But it's not a cause-effect thing, no, she said. It's a cycle.
Yoga remains about the mind, and thus involves the breath above all else.
She learned dance when she was younger, and so I asked her what the connection between dance and yoga are. "Dance IS yoga!"
"Push yourself. Take one step, one thattadavu or any basic step. And do it for 30 minutes. or 40 minutes. Do it in different tempos, do it in different talas. And focus entirely on it. 100%. Push yourself. It's incredibly hard. Do it without stopping! You have to go beyond!
"And it's so beautiful! It's not beautiful to watch and it's not the dancer that is beautiful. But it makes me feel beautiful. and it makes you feel beautiful. And it creates beauty!"
These were the golden words. Creating -- revealing -- inherent beauty. The sense of beauty that simply is. The beauty that is revealed when you really push the mind. The beauty that comes when thinking ceases. When the mind is completely aware.
Whether it's dancing, whether it's swimming, whether it's an asana, whether it's breathing. Whether it's eating or it's talking, whether it's brushing your teeth or whether it's running a marathon, Push Beyond. Dedicate 100% of your awareness to it. Fully engage. And only beauty is.
