One Pose

Source teaching · Alex Julian, 2024

The original lesson

Originally, there was only one pose in yoga. I am serious! Originally, the only pose was sitting quietly. Interestingly, this is the position (for the most part) we find ourselves in when working and building with AI. With that being the case, it would be highly beneficial to master this position, and see what yoga has to say about it.

What about all the poses now though? There are thousands, with more being created all the time. All the poses you see in modern-day yoga are relatively new compared to the ancient roots. Yoga is thousands of years old. Most of the poses were invented in the last hundred years. To be clear, I am not jealous of people who can do better poses than me. That isn’t what this is about at all. It is also clear to me that the poses serve a purpose (especially nowadays), and there is tremendous benefit from the physical practice.

This isn’t meant to be disparaging, but it’s a fact that the majority of people are unhealthy these days. It is difficult for many to sit comfortably for long periods, let alone in lotus pose on the ground. All the yoga poses improve physical health, but they are also best viewed as preparation for sitting quietly; for mental yoga. If you aren’t able to sit in the same position and are bothered by all those nagging aches and pains, it will become very difficult to focus.

This is a vitally important point. If your body is a wreck, and you are constantly in some sort of pain, it will be much harder to focus. Even if you are tough as nails, it will be harder to focus, because all those aches and pains pull you away from your focus point.

I spent nearly this whole module talking about how yoga is more mental than physical. It is way more about focus and presence than the yoga poses. However, the poses serve a purpose, and there is great benefit in practicing the physical yoga. It is all connected. The better you feel in the body, the better you will be with the mind. Paradoxically, the more you move, the easier stillness becomes. Move the body for health, but also so you can learn to master the original pose of yoga — sitting quietly.

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