Have you ever met Ganesh? In yoga centres, or Indian restaurants and stores, you will likely find this Hindu deity in the form of a statue or painting, with his proud elephant head and beautiful round belly.
Who is Ganesh? What does all this have to do with yoga? After all, yoga is not religion… is it?
No, it is not. Yoga is a science that evolved in the Himalayas thousands of years ago, as seekers of Truth retreated to forest ashrams to meditate under the guidance of sages and saints. Their experiments in consciousness produced the knowledge that was passed down from teacher to student and eventually recorded in ancient yogic texts. These first yogis mapped out for us the terrain of body, mind and soul. They described the various paths to freedom and truth: how to overcome suffering, how to find lasting peace, joy and love, how to be of true service to the world around us. And they didn’t ask us to believe them; they instructed us to practice that we may see for ourselves.
These yogis’ primary discovery was that, at the core of our being, we are pure Light: Truth (sat), Awareness (chit), and Bliss (ananda). The essence of each person is this same Light. Yet this Light takes on different qualities as it passes through us, just as sunlight shining through the rain will reveal a rainbow of colours.
The Hindu deities represent the divine qualities/energies of that one Light. Ganesh represents the strength we have deep within to overcome any obstacles in our way. Gentle yet powerful, uprooting large trees with his strong trunk, Ganesh is a reminder that our potential is certainly greater than any troubles we face, no matter how entrenched they seem. He reminds us, too, that sometimes we encounter obstacles in order to grow stronger and wiser.
Each Hindu deity has a vehicle, an animal that carries the deity to his or her various appointments in the universe. Ganesh’s vehicle is the humble mouse. Can you imagine an enormous elephant riding atop a tiny mouse? The ancient yogis taught that our physical body is the vehicle for our soul. Our humble body is like Ganesh’s humble mouse. The body – amazing as it is – is actually quite small, weak, and insignificant in the scheme of things; consider the awesome power of Mother Nature, or the unfathomable vastness of space. And yet this tiny, fallible body carries around our brilliant, limitless soul! How often we fret about our bodies and fail to notice the Elephant in the room – the incredible force within that takes us steadily onwards and upwards.
A simple and powerful way to connect with our inner Ganesh is through nada yoga, the yoga of sound. Each deity, or divine quality, is associated with one or more sounds, including the sound of his/her name. In fact, it is said that the deity is the sound, and that repeating the sound manifests that deity/quality/energy within one’s body and mind.
Join me on Sunday, February 10th, 4-5pm, at Vraie Nature Yoga in Chelsea, for kirtan: the singing of yoga mantras. This time, I will introduce mantras invoking Ganesh! All are welcome to this free event, including children. The session will also include the chanting of OM 108 times and the sounding of our Tibetan singing bowls and ting-shaws.