A person can live to an old age without vision, sense of smell or hearing, but even if all these sensory organs do not function, we shall still have one very important sense — a sense of touch.
Many people do not pay due attention to tactual sensations. A person builds up his/her own world and finds it very comfortable, but he/she is not conscious of the way other people live. By cutting oneself off the world a person is suffering very much, and does not understand the reason why he/she is suffering.
Tactual sensations play a great part in human’s life
When people shrink into themselves, they block the feeling of unity with the whole Universe. All sorts of neurosis, frustration, state of depression and hopelessness appear as a result of lack of tactual contact. Without a tactual contact, our body starts assuming that there is nobody around, that you are the last representative of humanity and have only painful death in loneliness ahead of you.
If there is no one else close to you it is impossible to continue life and any rational living being, in this case, is prone to self-destruction.
What kind of Yoga is helping to develop tactual sensations?
There are as many types of yoga as there are types of human activity. Nyasa yoga is a branch of yoga working with our tactual sensibility. It is translated as “Yoga of touch sensations”.
Nyasa yoga is very similar to massage, however, it has important differences. If during massage some distinct, consistently performed techniques are used, Nyasa yoga is more intuitive in terms of touching. However, Nysa yoga requires much more work upon one’s attitude towards micro and macrocosm.
Main principles of performing Nyasa Yoga
It is important for the person doing Nyasa to feel the body of another person as his/her own, and perform nyasa in such a way as you would like it to be done for yourself. It is necessary to feel touching another person on your own body, literally and figuratively. It is very important for a person accepting Nyasa to relax and resign to sensations, to accept this touching not from a specific person, but as if from the whole Universe.
A person who is subject of Nyasa is not a targeted object, but a mirror image of the Nyasa performer.
Only this attitude is the forceful power of Nyasa yoga, as it neutralizes our restraint and helps to perceive the world as a whole and not to separate ourselves from everything around. By practicing this attitude we develop trust in the Universe and as a consequence improve our ability to make balanced decisions and getting close to the harmonious coexistence with the others.
It should be noted that this practice helps to neutralize the disbalance of prana flows, which emerged by practicing other kinds of Yoga.
Nyasa Yoga training
The subtle know-how of Nyasa yoga is not subject to replication. It is impossible to write a textbook on Nyasa yoga, as there are not enough words to describe tactual sensations. Nyasa yoga cannot be taught by movies, books or audio lectures. It requires a very long and persistent practice among the associates and the Teacher, who have practical knowledge of this yoga. The art of performing Nyasa Yoga does not stand rush and should grow slowly inside us, like a lotus flower growing from the seed.
What do we get from Nyasa Yoga methods of touching?
Nyasa yoga is a real gift; not only it helps to get rid of our internal strains, but it also greatly facilitates all other yoga processes.
By performing tactual contact we get to understand that we are an essential part of the Universe, capable to cooperate with all other parts in harmony. By feeling touch we understand that we are not alone in this world, that we are safe and loved.
Give tactile sensation and be happy!
Author: Eva Rati
Editors: Kerigona, М.Sarasvati-Bhavani, Mirra
Translated by Tatiana Sugrue
Project curator: Kerigona
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