The Transformative Symbols of Yoga
Each yoga asana is in its essence a symbol: its name is by no means arbitrary, and indeed hints at its inner meaning, whether it is an animal, plant, bird or geometrical shape.
For example, the cobra posture represents the awakening of prana generated by yoga practice, the uncoiling of the dormant prana shakti. The bow posture represents the spine made strong yet supple, poised to let go of the arrow of the spiritual aim at the Divine target.
The plough posture represents the ploughing of ourselves by yoga sadana, exposing our fallow soil for the planting of new seeds (karma is of course depicted as seeds, whether of positive or negative growth).
The eagle posture with its intertwining of the limbs represents the harmonisation of Ida and Pingala and the awakening of the third eye (the eagle is the animal symbol of the agya chakra).
Surya Namaskara is another example in which the body is moved through 12 ritualised positions, each with symbolic meaning, correlated with the movement of the sun through the heavens, with its effect on prana and consciousness.
Even the spine itself is a revered symbol of the sacred mountain (Mount Kailash, Mount Meru or our own Croagh Patrick). This subtle spine is our inner mountain, and the chakras are its pilgrimage points or stations. A traditional, devotional asana practice is a form of pilgrimage, a ritualised circumambulation (rather than ascent) of our inner Mount Meru.
Moreover, not only is the asana a symbol which may be reflected upon intellectually, but the practitioner is invited to ‘enter it’ and to experience it organically and existentially in the timeless here and now and indeed to become one with it, “the dancer becoming one with the dance” to paraphrase Yeats.
This is when the asana seamlessly enters the state of mudra so that an ssana, such as the forward bend, becomes an archetypal gesture of humility, where the head (representing the ego) bows down submissively to the humble feet, which tread the Earth.
We have to consider symbols in the context of the worldview in which yoga is rooted. This is a vision of a hierarchical reality, of seven levels (lokas) from the absolute reality “down” into the material world. Thus, everything in this world exists simultaneously at a progressively “higher” level culminating in a divine archetype: “as it is above, so below”.
Symbols in themselves are hierarchical, and those which resonate most strongly have a stronger connection with their archetype. Religious symbols immediately spring to mind, but we can think of many examples in nature. In the world of flowers: the lotus, lily, rose, sunflower; in the world of animals, the lion, lamb, snake, elephant, dog, cat. In the world of birds: the eagle, swan, dove. And of course the chief natural symbols of mountain, sea, stream, river, lake, well, tree, seed, acorn. Additional symbols of light include moon, stars, sunrise, candle flame etc. Yoga practitioners will instantly recognize these images as familiar features of yoga nidra.
Robert Assagioli, founder of psychosynthesis, advocates the use of symbols for therapeutic, educational, and self-realisation purposes. However, the yogis grasped this thousands of years ago when they developed an organic ritual based on positive symbols to promote healing, integration, and ultimately, a return to our centre.
OM Tat Sat
Yogacharya Michael McCann
