Mira Rao

22/07/2025

There was a time when the physical discipline of practicing advanced postures was useful. The idea that we use our bodies as grounded metaphors for things like developing discipline, overcoming mental limitations or emotional habits was helpful.

Focussing on developing these skills in the physical did lead to their application in the mental, emotional and spiritual realms.

But in our world today, our bodies have already become slaves to the frenzied activities of our distracted minds. When we push them even further in practice, especially towards specific goals, we risk not liberating our minds but further feeding our delusions of control and domination instead.

We make our bodies a means to an end.

When practice is instead an enquiry into what is real and true and present in these bodies right now, perhaps we might instead put an end to the means – the means of domination and control – perfectionism, striving, numbing, performing and endless producing.

May this be the only goal: that my practice become a present portal of possibility once again – to transform what is mean spirited and mean-hearted in me into something meaningful.