Yoga Articles by Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad
The 3rd Perspective & Yoga - Bringing the East & West Together (Page 3)
Joel Kramer Yoga Journal, November/December 1981
THE THIRD PERSPECTIVE
The East and West in their opposing viewpoints each express fundamental truths that are incomplete in themselves. A synthesis bringing them together into a third point of view is necessary. This “third perspective” sees unity and diversity as two aspects of the same thing, neither being more real, important, or profound than the other. In fact, paradoxically, neither wholeness nor separateness could exist without the other. The one is the many. The “eternal now” has within it the products of the past and the seeds of the future, so past and future are not illusory, but exist within the now. Being or “is-ness” has within it “becoming,” and “becoming” at every instant displays within it “what is.” The “perspective of the one” values merging with the whole; the “perspective of the many” values individuation. The great psychological conflict for people both in the East and the West is between these two ways of looking at things. We all want to realize ourselves as individuals, and yet we want to be in touch with something more profound than merely ourselves. From the “third perspective” individuation and merging are actually not opposites, but are two poles of a growth process and are necessary for each other. Surrendering, whether it be to life, a relationship, or a yoga posture, must be balanced by the ability to exercise control. Determination is necessary to counter the mechanical aspects of aging and entropy and to make the world a better place. Here the potential to merge and break boundaries comes not from ego-loss, but from ego strength. For when boundaries break without there being the strength to form them again, this creates, at best, a dependent person and, at worst, a truly fragmented one. To fully individuate, there must be a merging with something greater than oneself. To be able to merge without being shattered psychologically, there must be individual strength.
Another way of creating the synthesis of East and West is seeing how history is both cyclical and linear at the same time. Cycles repeat, yet each turn is different, unique. Still another way of bringing the points of view together is seeing how the eternal (“timelessness”) only displays itself in the field of time, and how each separate moment is “all-ways” expressing the eternal.
In my yoga, as well as in my life, the “third perspective” has been essential in integrating opposites within myself. It has brought about one of the most basic joinings necessary for yoga - the integration between mind and body. Although we may intellectually agree that the mind and the body are intimately interconnected, we often emphasize the physical side of postures because it is more tangible. We tend to forget that yoga is a truly psycho-physical activity. It is the mental aspects that involve bringing together seeming opposites such as control and surrender, goal-seeking and non-attachment, focus and attention.
The "point of view of the one" does away with the mind/body split by negating the reality of the body, calling it “illusion,” as is all matter. The West has been battling with this split for at least 2,000 years, trying to solve the problem intellectually. The “point of view of the many,” by giving ultimate reality to separation, tends to divide not only the external world, but the individual, too. We think of ourselves as minds that have or live in bodies. The mind becomes the rider, in control, while the body is the horse - to be trained and used. The paradox is that although we identify with the mind, calling it “me,” the mind itself is very materialistic, worshipping tangible accomplishments such as beauty, youth, or wealth.
The “third perspective” sees how the mind and body are both two things and one thing at the same time. They are two different manifestations of energy whose interplay creates a total being. This means that in yoga, as in life, control must shift between them. Thus, the mind will sometimes control the body by pushing and directing. However, the mind must allow the body to take control, too, so that movement and relaxation can come from the inner intelligence of physical systems and even the cells themselves. On occasion, the control comes from a third place where one's total being is effortlessly the director and the directed at the same time. Yoga involves the aware interplay of these three spaces.
ON YOGA
The mental attitudes you bring to yoga greatly influence where yoga takes you. The following is a brief description of how the "third perspective" has influenced the way I approach doing yoga.
People do yoga for many reasons: to achieve certain mental states, to control emotions, to retard aging, to generate energy, or simply to feel better. I know that yoga can and does bring these as well as other benefits.
The paradox of yoga is that if you are doing yoga solely for the results it brings, you are not really understanding what yoga is about. Yoga is in essence transformative - it can change your whole being in a way that does not come simply from aiming at results. We usually build habits in mind and body unconsciously, and although the habits are sometimes convenient, they all too often constrict us. So, as we age, this conditioning process limits movement in the body, and we become tighter.