(Mayurasana: The Peacock)

Postures are archetypes having their own power. They function like energy traps and promote the regulation of this energy in the body. The difficulty is to be able to enter into the archetypal mold and perfectly adopt its shape. During the process, the archetype will then act on the body by working on specific energy systems. With a regular and progressive practice, this action goes into the more subtle plans of the various dimensions that constitute a human being.

The first step is the most difficult one. When the beginner attempts for the first time to engage in the requirements of a posture, he or she is often challenged, physically as well as in terms of breathing and focusing. Initially, the postures may be uncomfortable as the student may experience various constraints. Breathing and relaxation may be difficult and the person may feel uncomfortable. The mold is new and holding the positions more than a few minutes may be difficult. A certain amount of willpower is necessary, and the natural tendency to compare oneself to others may further hinder the process. However, the group and the teacher assist the new student through empathy and care.

One needs humility in order to abandon her or his own importance in exchange of that of the true and impersonal one of the posture. This posture is even more so impersonal as it has been transmitted conforming with the tradition and without any acculturation. Since the teaching must abide to these same immemorial rules, the practitioner must adapt as best as possible to this conformity by forgetting his or her own personal views. As the conformity to the tradition progresses, the postures become more efficient: the practitioner gains the power accumulated by the temporal egregore of the posture.

In this way, if the practitioner persists, difficulties quickly decrease. Little by little, he or she experiences subtle windows of movements and starts to experience the posture.

With time, the experiences gained through each posture generate a true feeling of joy. The practitioner has tapped in the experience of his or her own entity. Postures that once appeared complex become easy, and those that were taken as easy become rich in new levels of understandings.

Beyond the formal aspect taken by the body during a posture, beyond the relative perfection or apparent imperfection, what matters is to enter in contact with the energy and to experience the inner feeling. Once the practitioner experiences this inner feeling, he or she has truly engaged in the inner work of the posture. Regarding this, the relaxation times following a posture as an important as the exercise itself. The remanence of the energy needs to be tasted and the sensation happen to be quite enjoyable.

With time, these moments of awareness of the energy, the perceptions become part of the practitioner’s life. The forms have been taken, and the memory of these forms having been actualized many times, the movements of energy triggered by the postures have become part of the person’s life.

Finally, regularity remains of utmost importance since the postures are archetypal forms of energy movements. The regularity allows refining the perception and control of these movements and these energies, permits a deeper integration in the major cycles of natures. Grasping his or her inner melodies and perceiving them as part of a greater harmony, the practitioner has then engaged in an integrated quietude, power and glory.