A Question of Wind and Balance
by Karta Purkh,
Kundalini Yoga Yogi
I
was able, last Sunday, Oct 5, to take a bicycle ride through
northeastern Kansas. I was part of the Lawrence Bicycle Club's
Octaginta Ride. It was my longest ride of the year, some 80 miles
plus.
It was windy day
with gusts in the 20 to 30 mile an hour plus range. It was hard
enough riding INTO the wind, especially on the uphills (one as long
as two miles according to my computer) when I thought I might be
slowed to less than 4 or 5 mph and risk being unable to keep the bike
upright. That did not happen luckily. Strangely enough. when the wind
was behind me I felt no extra push, just the heat of the sun, shining
on my back. (Maybe the wind stopped blowing when it was at my back
but I never think of Mother Nature as THAT way!)
What was most remarkable, to me, was that when I was traveling across
the wind and it was pushing me over there was this miraculous feeling
that I COULD NOT actually be pushed over. I felt the wind, assuredly,
blowing my beard to one side or another. And I felt my balance being
tested as the bike leaned slightly to one side but the re-balancing,
the coming to the upright position was automatic. It was as if it
were not really in my control but happening beyond it. I would lean
slightly over because of the wind and just as quickly (a
millisecond?) lean back the right way. And this would happen
four, five or six times within the space of one or two pedal strokes.
It was an amazing
experience to be aware of a threat to my safety and not have any
control over the outcome. After a while, I took the phenomenon for
granted as a skill I had, but had no knowledge of perfecting. It was
just automatic and beyond reflexive.
This is where this article gets to be about Kundalini Yoga. I am sure
that many cyclists are aware of the particular experience that
occurred on my ride and many probably have a better idea than I do
about the physical mechanics of it.
The brain, I know, has a deep concern for "balance."
Our physical balance is basically taken for granted except in the
case of serious health problems. So what about our mental and
spritual balance? Do these happen as automatically and as quickly as
they did for me on my bike? I hope so.
I feel that I have been truly blessed to be practicing this wonderful
science of Kundalini Yoga and one of its blessings is balance. There
are many others ... some I am not aware of and some I take totally
for granted and some I am grateful for on a daily basis.
Kundalini Yoga is truly the Science of Awareness. The awareness is
given to us on a moment by moment basis. Some of it we acknowledge
with much gratitude and some of it sneaks upon us and does things for
us that we have no idea where or how they came. This one small
instance that I experienced last Sunday is one I would not trade even
though I really feel I had no control over it whatsoever. I admit
that others riding bikes with me that day (close to a thousand, I
think!) had the same experience. Can I say then that we are all Yogis
in one way or another? Some of us admit it openly, others have an
inkling and wonder, and some have no idea at all ... but we're all in
the same boat, or body ... and it's pretty amazing!..
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