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Life Is Yoga - Hand - Samadhi

Samadhi is one of the eight limbs of yoga. It’s the state when everything falls into place. All is brought together. But how can you achieve this? And how can the experience and training of an actor help you to master the art of ‘bringing it all together’?

Concentration

The root of the word ‘samadhi’ comes from sam-a-dha. It means ‘to bring together’. Maybe it is better defined as ‘to concentrate’. So it involves concentration. Actors have to be fully concentrated when they act.

Acting

Sure, but why do you keep mentioning the word ‘actors’? For me, as a dramateacher, its simple. An actor uses it’s body, voice and emotions to tell a story. He has to be fully focussed. The role an actor plays, has to be ‘concentrated’. He has to show the character in the essence. It has to be pure and as real as possible.

Fake

But acting is fake right? Of course, but an actor wants to trigger you imagination. An actor wants to place you in the middle of the illusion, using the power of your imagination. It’s almost like magic.

Behind the magic

Now you know acting is creating an illusion with voice, body, emotion. So next time you experience a magical moment; a moment when everything falls into place, focus on voice, body and emotion.

Exercise

Write down a song that means a great deal to you. Can you write down what elements trigger you? Is it the music, the lyrics, the voice, etc. Imagine you wrote this song. What was the urge, the reason you had to write this song?

Try a pose

Want to experience what it’s like to be in the moment?

Try Natarajasana (Dancer’s pose)

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Koshas (annamaya kosha)

Life is yoga (matroesjka) Groningen

De Kosha’s worden ook wel energielichamen genoemd. Ze doen mij een beetje denken aan een matroesjka of de schillen van een ui. De eerste schil is ‘Annamaya’. Het woord ‘anna’ betekent voeding.

Annamaya kosha

Je bent wat je eet.

De eerste van van de vijf schillen is het fysieke, je lichaam dus. Je lichaam heeft voedingstoffen nodig. Afhankelijk van wat je eet zul je je prettiger of minder prettig in je lichaam voelen. Net als een dieselauto niet rijdt op benzine, zo heeft je lichaam ook de juiste voedingstoffen nodig. Ook in de yogahoudingen, de asana’s, ervaren eerst wat het lichamelijk met ons doet.

Wil je je lekker in je lijf voelen en energieker zijn? Gezond eten en het doen van yoga-oefeningen helpen je daarbij.