I would say that to have a union you need some parts that together form a whole, isn’t it? The union of the parts makes the whole, ok?
Let’s imagine 2 wheels, 2 brakes, 1 handlebar, 1 frame, 1 saddle, 1 chain, 1 crank, 2 pedals and something else… all this stuff can be very nice to see, maybe all new and shining… maybe you can use some of them to prevent a pile of paper sheets from flying away in the wind and maybe those paper sheets are vital your job, you can imagine a lot of situations about these parts, some are silly, some are useful, some are boring and some are really pointless…
…the magic happens when you join all these parts, you make them operate together in a new organized whole -> now you have a bicycle, a nice whole made by many parts united together.
Now imagine some bees, some flowers, some plants, some animals, some humans… sure now you got the concept, they’re some of the (many many) parts that make the whole we call planet Earth. How do they interact together? The bees are the main actors for plant pollination, plants are main actors for oxygen production (through photosynthesis) and at the same time are a good source of food, some animals live eating plants while some other animals eat animals, humans… well, humans have different roles in all this!
Think of the situation in which there are no more bees around -> no more pollination -> in some time less and less vegetation around, maybe even no more vegetation -> big problems for animals eating plants -> even more problems for animals eating animals -> let’s again omit humans for the moment!
Do you understand now? Union is where the different parts of the whole work together for the efficient and sustainable development and growth of the whole, every part of the whole has a function in serving the whole (directly or indirectly!) and often even the smallest part of the whole has a big or even vital role in the maintenance of the whole.
Now let’s look at your body… can you see the same concept of union between all the parts of it? I mean… can you see the union of your muscular system, skeletal system, circulatory system, nervous system, pulmonary system, digestive system, lymphatic system (and so on!) as a whole, a fully integrated living organism?
Now can you imagine the absolute necessity of every of these parts to cooperate together in a really efficient union to have an enjoyable daily life?
Easy example (we’ll go in details on this in some next post!): you are in a state of agitation for your job/family/politics/football team/traffic jam/blablabla… this means that a part of your nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system is in arousal mode, it will redirect the energy of your body to the systems necessary for a “fight or flight” reaction to external events, obviously this will interfere with your digestive power, your immunitary system and your ability to rest… imagine now to be in a constant state of agitation, it’s very easy to be in this condition in modern society, isn’t it?
How enjoyable could be your life in constant agitation, always constipated, catching a cold at every opportunity, waking up after an unsatisfying sleep and beginning a new day with old worries starting from breakfast… if not from eyes opening!? Yes, i know, maybe it’s extreme… but it’s common to be at least sometimes in this situation, isn’t it?
Let’s go back to the point… at a strictly physical level, through yoga you will bring your body to a state of efficient and cooperative union between all your cells, tissues, organs and systems under the intelligent control and supervision of your mind… yes, this makes implicit that your mind will be part of this nice union as well ehehehe!
How? We’ll talk about this but before… can you imagine now your life with a good sleep every night, never sick, no pain in your body, good digestion and high energy levels, ability to focus and to complete your tasks, in control of your actions&reactions, consistency in achieving results? Can you put yourself in this new idea of life, at least at an imaginary level? Can you imagine how you will feel in your new life? Well, even if it can seem a bit optimistic… see you there, my friend eheheheh!!!
Well, just a couple of links if you want to deepen the bees and plants argument!
http://www.botanical-online.com/theimportanceofplants.htm
http://www.mnn.com/local-reports/pennsylvania/local-blog/the-importance-of-honeybees
I’m not for discussions on human behaviors, examine and decide by yourself if the attitude of the man on this planet is compatible with the intelligent union we just talked about!
Most important… don’t talk about the change… be the change!