Can you see the ‘yoga mind’ in these photos?

Bobbie’s written a couple of times now about her experience in front the camera lens of the talented Michelle Haymoz.

I guess I get the denouement. The full gallery is up now, right here. Given that Bobbie’s posts have largely revolved around her discomfort in being photographed, around thoughts of vanity and around the relationship we have to our bodies, it might be a bit much to ask her for one last “hey, there’s me!” post.

So, I can say: “Hey, there she is!”

Bobbie, through the lens of Michelle Haymoz.

But I can’t leave it at that, as Bobbie’s done a thoughtful job reflecting on her experience as a yoga model. So here’s my thought as I look at the 10 images that Michelle has up:

There’s no way Bobbie would have agreed to that a few years ago. (Yes, she said as much.) But her change in attitude, I think, didn’t come because she got a “yoga body,” although perhaps that helped. Let’s say it had to do with getting a “yoga mind.”

Not to imply that she’s “enlightened,” whatever that might mean. Instead, I’d describe a “yoga mind” as one that has encountered difficulties — those pesky asanas — and through them learned to experience and examine the moment for what it is. Looking at and through the web of experience, something Richard Freeman speaks of in The Mirror of Yoga.

My guess is that there was a part of Bobbie’s brain, during those photos, that was counting down the time until the shot was over. Sort of like counting the breaths until Marichyasana D is done. (Feel free to fill that in with your favorite love-to-hate pose.) But while a part of your mind is bouncing around like a monkey, wanting to get done, most of you — the watcher, one hopes — is calmly observing and trying to make sense of what’s happening.

That “most of you” is the “yoga mind.”

That’s what I see when I look at those photos, which I think are lovely, and so is the model.

Posted by Steve