vina atma – Soul Loss
Indigenous people recognise depression as a result of soul loss or as an injury or weakness to spirit rather than hopelessness or somatic complaints.
We are all susceptible & vulnerable to the impact of grief, loss, trauma, social chaos, sorrow, and despair. However, often our guidance out of these spaces is misguided & can result in chronic conditions, leaving many people lost in the world.
Soul loss can arise out of feeling an absence of what it is we expected
It can also arise out of a very reduced experience and participation with life. We’re basically conditioned in our western world to earn a living, receive wages, pay a mortgage or rent and then blow it off on the weekends. And that’s supposed to somehow comprise a meaningful life.
Meaningful work is really important, but the soul came for much rather a ‘sense of participation in the great realm of life’ to feel that it was invited to give its gift away.
“These questions are almost never asked in our boxed society, consequently, we feel chronologically insignificant, we don’t feel like we matter…”
“What do you do for a living?” vs “What do you gift to the world?”
You will often hear people ask the question “what do you do for a living?”, this is a job question, rather than a spirit/soul question about what you do to sustain life. Instead we should ask: What is it that your soul came here to give away? What is the gift you arrived with? These questions are almost never asked in our boxed society, consequently, we feel chronologically insignificant, we don’t feel like we matter, and that’s a lot of what our depression is. We just feel superfluous like we’re just part of the machinery,
James Hillman, author of The Soul’s Code had this thought which I have to agree with. He said, “Depression is often the soul’s refusal to match the manic pace of culture we live in, a manic culture driven by speed which is lethal to the soul.”
Is depression the soul’s way of speaking out to you?
And so perhaps we need to start seeing depression as the soul’s way of saying, “I’m not going to go another step. I’m stopping right here. I’m going to take you out of this situation until you can begin to live in a rhythm that is much more hospitable to Soul, to community, to beauty, to creativity, to imagination, all of these things that are rapidly being replaced by devises, AI and virtual experience.”
What does this mean for the welfare of our souls?
It is my understanding not in all cases but that much of psychology and pharmaceutical drugs are predominantly there to banish depression like it is some sort of terrible disease when in fact could it not be incredible messages, reminders to go home, back to all that truly matters.
Soul loss exacerbates shame, hopelessness, and an overall visceral sense of spiritlessness evidenced by feelings of emptiness and disconnection.
Yoga translates as to unite, yoke, to bind
therefore addressing soul loss via yoga in a supportive therapeutic context promotes self-compassion, forgiveness, and the integration of our fragmented parts for healing.
Pose of the Month
Pose – Bow Pose
Sanskrit – Urdhva dhanurasana
Pronounced – Urd-vah dah-nur-AHS-ah-nuh
Type – Backbend
Urdhva dhanurasana, also known as Bow Pose is a pose that stimulates our water, fire and air energy, the sacral, solar plexus and heart energy.
Therefore, stimulating the water element enables us to get back into the flow of life again. Stimulating fire element brings energy back to our lives, enabling us to find purpose again, and stimulating air element, the heart chakra brings a sense of balance back to our emotional body.
Don’t worry!!
In Jivamukti the class is structured so that the body is prepared; stretched, strengthened and opened by visiting the requisite shape and effort in preparatory postures so that our destination posture each month begins to feel more and more accessible over the 4/5 weeks of practice.
Book your first discounted class now! Use the code AUM
Mantra of the Month
Maha Mritunjaya Mantra – very close to my heart.
With tenderness and a sure hand Shiva guides those who aspire to self realisation and relieves the suffering that exists in the universe.
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे
सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्
मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥
Om Try-Ambakam Yajaamahe
Sugandhim Pusstti-Vardhanam
Urvaarukam-Iva Bandhanaan
Mrtyor-Mukssiiya Maa-[A]mrtaat ||
Chanting this mantra heals, protects, and conquers death of soul. It provides a gateway to the supreme and initiates freedom from depression, anxiety, diseases, and premature death of the physical self too.
