In this challenging arm balance, the bound leg represents the rope, or gāla, tied around Gālava’s waist, and the extended leg is the tail of the rope being held by his mother. In order to maintain the āsana, a counter-balance must be present, and it looks almost like a see-saw. Bringing weight into the hands, the upper torso moves towards the earth while maintaining a lift in the head and sternum. At the same time, the back leg lifts up off the floor, all the way up towards the sky, to an angle at which the body is in one straight line from head to toe, and looks like a see-saw. Once the back leg lifts high enough, past the fulcrum point of the front leg resting on the arms, the āsana feels a bit weightless, like you are defying gravity.
The story of how Gālava received his name also lends itself as a reminder that there must be a balance between our yoga practice and our everyday lives. Ideally we are living our lives in a joyful, yogic way, but we also can’t ditch our family, friends, and responsibilities just to practice. It is easy to become seduced by the benefits of a daily yoga practice – it has a magical affect on our body, mind and soul! But this might start to be an issue if you are missing dinner with your family or friends, or your kid’s soccer game just to get a class in. A Jīvanmukta is one who has found liberation in THIS LIFETIME. Which means that you have reached a state of enlightenment, but you are still living in this current world, in this body, with the same everyday responsibilites. You are just not affected by the ups and downs of everyday life. (Supposedly…I am not there yet!)
april dechagas 