Theory of Relativity

I had not seen the Sun in the last 13 days or so. I do Surya namaskars in the pitch black surroundings in the morning. Then it slowly turns dark grey and then it gets grey by 11 am. And, it rains non-stop here in Vancouver. I sometimes think I have moved to Cherapunji, the wettest place on earth.

The idea of not seeing the Sun for days and weeks is something new. The Sun came up briefly for an hour or so. Boy, was it nice. I had never longed for bright and sunny days ever until now. It was always a given for me. In India or in California. I do think the Sun is selectively partial to these places. Now that the Sun has become so precious, I celebrate every time it shows up briefly, as in once a month. It is a good day here, when it does not rain, even though it is dark  and cold.  If the Sun shows up then it is a bonus, an extra ordinary day. All definitions change with respect to place. But then I have to wonder if I am a real yogi if the presence of the Sun affects me so much.

I remember learning this Sutra in Chennai in February, the definition of a true Yogi by my man Patañjali. It was all the more interesting as I studied this after an argument over  the ceiling fans. The yogis in the class were divided. If the fans should be running or turned off. Some were feeling cold in Chennai at 38 C and others found it unbearably hot. No consensus found among the yogis, just a compromise.

A person who practices yoga asanas with sthiram and sukham is not supposed to complain when things don’t go your way. Sthiram and sukham means being steady in a pose and yet comfortable. That is what Yoga Sutra II.48 says.

He who is practicing asanas with sthiram + sukham will be able to handle hot, cold, joy, sorrow, day, night ( I must add that my teacher did not mention rain).  He has clarity, stability and balance. He understands that without opposites, the world cannot exist. By this measure, I am so far from being a true Yogi.

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