Radical Ones
The arrival of spring proves a perfect time to talk about radishes, in the yogic sense of course. Not sure how the two relate? Let’s start at the root.
The root of the word radish comes from the Latin radic, which literally means “to root”. Perhaps for obvious reasons already, radish relates to yoga practice as you are often trying to “ground down” or “root down” your foundation. However, rad also serves as the root of the word radical, which, when used as a noun, www.thefreedictionary.com defines as “One who advocates fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions”.
For this reason, in ancient times yogis were considered radicals. Not necessarily because they were trying to upset social order, but because they were interested in getting to the root of things. They didn’t settle for what others told them, nor did they settle at just looking at symptoms.
In present times, yogis are still considered radicals in many ways. With asana practice being the main limb of yoga practiced these days, it serves as a gateway for people to start looking at the root of their actions. In other words, people begin to wake up. However, some well intentioned yogis stop digging at the first sight of root, and any patterns or crutches get reinforced with asana practice. For example, if you’re an extreme perfectionist and you see that it stems from your “daddy issues” don’t stop exploring, otherwise the way you place your mat and practice your asana will serve as ways to reinforce that perfectionism. Keep digging and find out where else it comes up in your life, big or small.
Perfectionism (and daddy issues) is my narrative. What is yours? Where does it come up? If you’ve spent years digging and you think you’ve hit gold, dig in another spot. There’s usually enough work to last several lifetimes.
