DHARMA IN PLAYA PART IV
Scorpion Pose





Tuesday was our first full day with Sri Dharma - ie; a morning and evening session in the beautiful, handmade (ie; no machines were used), super-shanti jungle shala called Otam.



I woke up with super-shiny eyes that morning, after basking in the presence of the guru. Then I made the short walk with the others to the bus.

Dharma spoke a lot at the beginning of class. He spoke of the three things are needed on the path:
-knowledge of the Supreme Self
-compassion for all
-surrender of the ego


He said that we are all like 100-watt bulbs, but some shine more brightly than others.

Then we did asana.

When you look up in, say, Parivritta Parsvakonasana, this is what you see:





During "the exercises," when it was time for forearm stand, I did my stiff-back version of Scorpion Pose.

Later, Dharma explained that that stiffness can be caused by anger. And by not trying to get the head to the floor in downward dog and not working hard in Kapyasana.

We learned this while trying Viparita Dandasana.

Thankfully, he showed a variation for people with tight upper backs - simply coming onto the toes in Backbend when the forearms are down, and then lifting the pelvis, getting the head off the floor (no small feat), and moving the chest away from the feet.

The savasana was amazing.

Afterwords, a scorpion skittered across my mat.

Dharma saw it, and reacted calmly as usual; the Supreme Self is the same in all.

He and some students scooped it up and set it free outside.

Ahimsa in action.