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Focus of The month

WHAT IS INSIDE MEMORY

by Tatiana Koshkarova | December, 2024

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Om gam gaņapataye namah

Reverence to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and the Lord of all auspicious beginnings.

— Translation & Commentary by Manorama

It often happens that some kind of undertaking or a new business encounters certain obstacles on its way. And then we have a choice: to continue to explore this area, discovering something new, studying ourselves, overcoming certain doubts, or to quit from the very beginning without even trying.

Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, also called Ganapati, elephant-headed God of beginnings is the remover of obstacles- Vinayaka.

Let us think, when on our way all the obstacles are removed on the one hand – this makes it possible to advance very quickly, but the one who removes the obstacles can also create them, and this is also a great opportunity for us to affirm ourselves in the intention of our achievements. After all, it often happens that we value exactly what we get with a certain work or the study of new knowledge that develops us. And then the value of the invested time, effort – reveals itself to us.

Elephants have a very developed memory, and a very high coefficient of encephalization – this unit characterizes the development of intelligence, and subsequently it is this indicator that is responsible for the transition of short-term memories into long-term ones. It directly helps the elephants to survive: if a herd of elephants survived a drought, the baby elephant can remember this, and already at an adult age recognize signs of an imminent drought in the region, and leave this territory.

According to one version, Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati; there are also other versions, and one of them is: Ganesha was created by Mother Earth from ubtan (it is used in India before soap), as her own protection. Even in the Muladhara chakra, which represents the element of earth, Ganesha is considered her Deity. Therefore, Ganesha is the protector of the earth element. After all, a lot comes to us from the earth: food, home, well-being, and our body. It is believed that our body consists of the same elements as the planet Earth, the body is called “earthly”.

The human body is a very successful shell for the soul born in it. It is mentioned in many Vedic scriptures that even the gods desire to receive a human birth, because only on this planet, on Earth, can a certain level of spiritual development be attained. Earth gives us everything to make our earthly journey comfortable, providing for every living being. There is another connection: our body, like a kind of planet, is home to millions of bacteria and viruses living on the surface and inside it. Their existence directly depends on the existence of the body, As we depend on Earth, its well-being.

Memory is one of the activities of our mind, consciousness described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (YSP 1.11). Memory is the recollection of experienced objects. Without it, we would not be able to learn from experience. And all these five kinds of mental modifications, which are either painful or painless (YSP 1.5) are restrained by practice and nonattachment.

Our body is a certain planet that has its own history, memory of the actions taken, which we can rely on when we meet new circumstances and difficulties. It is thanks to overcoming them that we discover new lands, qualities. The memory of our body is unique, and it is important to turn experience into wisdom, it will then give the keys to new discoveries.

Caring for the body, being respectful to it, allows you to master more skills, and to transfer this experience of the Spirit into new incarnations. You can always refer to Earth as a planet, and project the same to your own planet, care, respect, and show interest in the treasures that lurk on the surface and inside. It is memory that allows us not to lose this thread of interconnection, showing wisdom through already lived situations. Like the history of Earth, it teaches us to avoid past mistakes, and be more careful with its resources today.

 

TEACHING TIPS

  1. During the month start to learn more names of Asanas with students, later using mostly only Sanskrit names.
  2. Speak about changes in the body during practice in different periods of time.
  3. Find some information about Global change on the Earth surface, what was the reason for it and the result.
  4. Speak about Ganesh mantra, and chant it on Thursday – day of Ganesh. Use harmonium, without harmonium: out loud, in a whisper, on your own.
  5. Find information on the Internet about Prithivi Namaskar – a complex of exercises in honor of Mother Earth; do 3 to 6 in each class.
  6. Think about and inspire your students that in their own location, each of us can create a habit that will benefit the environment: cleaning up and sorting garbage, feeding local animals, supporting environmental protection funds, showing films about this topic, highlighting literature about it.

 

From jivamuktiyoga.com/fotm