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You know it’s often possible to get the wrong impression about things.
Our minds do this to us constantly. The citta emotionally setting objects into their respective categories of understanding to “help us.”
There is a sutra for this of course, just like there is a sutra for everything!
Yogasutra 1.8
विपर्ययो मिथ्याज्ञानमतद्रूप प्रतिष्ठम्
viparyayo mithyā-jñānam-atadrūpa pratiṣṭham
False understanding is mistaking something for something else.
This Patanjali verse speaks about the habit of misinterpreting. A kind of “knowledge” that does not correspond accurately to Reality. Something like mistaking a rope for a snake or misinterpreting a shy girl for a stuck up snob. Our minds deceive us so constantly that it is often quite difficult to discriminate fact from fiction. And now we can see how in this golden age of information, we’re drowning in a glut of false impressions.
“What is real?” — We must constantly ask ourselves.
It’s true as well that we get the wrong impression about people. And, especially, in as virulently racist a society as ours, with an accumulation of negative stereotypes, it is distinctly likely to have implicit bias buried like seeds of samskara (unconscious impressions and habits)… And from whence they came — we have no idea.
For example, we just assume that Larry Bird is a supremely intelligent basketball player and that Serena Williams is a naturally gifted athlete. And forgetting to examine this thought-construct, we go on constructing the rest of our assumptions based upon this initial premise.
When cross examined (as any good philosopher should do when positing an argument or counter-argument) we come to learn that there was no greater conditioned athlete than Larry Bird and his natural hand eye coordination was truly a gift from god, while Serena Willams is one of the most cerebral tennis players who ever lived.
So, it is with great pleasure that we introduce Laruga Glaser to you.
Of course you know her already!
She is extremely famous in our little world. She, is someone who might be thought of as an athlete or an “asana-jock.” Some might jealously (in their small little minds assume she is stuck up) where in fact — if they took the time — would discover her to be reserved, poised, extremely thoughtful, philosophical and discerning.
We tried to probe into past offenses or micro-aggressions she may have experienced; Yet, incredibly so, we learned that Laruga herself isn’t into carrying baggage. She’s moved on.
She is, in fact, a Swedish citizen.
Listen with us and learn what a “Brutus” is from one of the most celebrated Ashtanga Yoga masters of our time.
Laruga Glaser has been practicing Ashtanga yoga continuously for over 23 years. Starting at the beginning of her 20s, she was immediately drawn to the practice after working with other forms of yoga years prior. After establishing a committed practice she then deepened her studies traveling to Mysore, India annually to practice at KPJAYI where the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught and now his grandson, R. Sharath Jois teaches. Laruga has made more than 14 trips to Mysore and is on a mission to continue to learn and grow as a student as well as a teacher. She is one of the few in the world who have been given the distinction of being certified to teach up to Advanced B, which is not easily given and takes many years to earn. Through it all, Laruga teaches as an act of deep sharing and love for what yoga develops in each individual, facilitating space to open, challenge, and inspire those to realize their inherent potential, and has been personally invited all over the world to do so.
JOIN HARMONY - APRIL 11 - Reset, Refocus, Reboot Your Personal Practice
The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.
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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.” Listen to the entire album on Spotify - Simply Click Here.
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