Invocation
And you may wonder why I recite the invocation alone to myself. Partially because I don’t want to forget it but mostly because I want to recite it. I can remember the first time I heard it. It was a while after I first started practicing and I had not heard it due to the time slot I was practicing. Then one morning I came in early and while I was practicing I heard SAMASTHITI. And at that time not knowing what that meant I just kept on practicing. Then I heard the chant…. OM vande guranam etc. etc. And it surprised me a little and I can remember thinking that this is authentic yoga and I wondered, as a newbie, what have I got myself into. I must admit that being new to yoga and then hearing the invocation with such commitment was a bit of an unnerving feeling. However; afterword I talked to my teacher and asked him about it. His explanation, in short, was to acknowledge and thank the teachers that came before. I can understand that and for a while I did not recite it, but I did respect the process from that point on and I came to Samasthiti.
If you are like me (and if you are then good luck to ya) I evaluate what I’m being taught by who is teaching me. As I have said many times throughout this blog I have been blessed by awesome and trusted teachers. Choosing to recite the invocation is partially based on that trust.
I have read the English translation and I’ve seen various and different interpretations of each Sanskrit word of the invocation. So I recite the invocation basically to honour those teachers that came before but also my own teachers. I’m respecting what they are passing onto me as well as respecting that tradition.
And I have found a interpretation or concept of the invocation that fits with who I am. My interpretation is that it’s about what the practice reveals or uncovers. It’s about respecting those who taught before and in my case those who teach me now; and additionally that we are all one. I’m not trying to go deep here it’s just how I come to terms with my own religious upbringing and how I reconcile that the invocation sounds like a prayer – for me it’s not – and I’m not any religion at all.
It took me a while to start reciting the opening chant but as I have learned in my practice and become more aware of how it makes me feel; the invocation represents that journey and as I interpret what it means; that allows me to chant it without reticence.
And in these times my practice continues in the basement. One weird thing I do, as I’m alone in the basement, is I recite the invocation in the middle of practice in my head and not out loud. And because I do it in my head I do not say OM at the beginning or end of the chant. In a group setting I do say it out loud including OM. I also recite a couple of mantras during and at the end of my practice. They remind me how I want to lead my life – I need reminding every once in a while – ha.
It’s still a journey and I continue to learn.
Be safe.
summer is done here in Victoria so basement practice returns – check out The Basement Song – posted last week
Nice post.