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Alternative Therapy using my limited intellect all this while. But Spirituality is beyond the intellect. So I had to look beyond the illogical scenario and see the real purpose that this kitchen sink was fulfilling. I realized God did not merely want dishes to be washed. He wanted to create divinity within seekers. This sink put one on the spot as it had the potential to precipitate the flaws within one – the slightest bit of irritation could easily be perceived by the interrupting seeker who now stood right beside one. So one’s patience had to develop and one’s love had to develop too, so each interaction was gentle and friendly, and even sublime. The kitchen sink interruptions have served as a time to nudge the other and say something uplifting, share some advice or correct a mistake like ‘you have the tap open too wide, you‘re wasting water’. Washing dishes for those two hours was really merely an excuse for the big picture which was that each of us was getting a chance to be washed up and sorted out on the inside. Our Kitchen Sink has given us practical lessons on how to be in complete acceptance mode and has even got me to learn how to go beyond my intellect. Without this divinely orchestrated discomfort, where would we have got this almost laboratory-like situation that induces internal transformation? Sharon is a former model and Miss India. At the very height of her success as a model, she gave up her career to focus on being a motivational speaker and helping others to achieve happiness from within. Sharon has been doing spiritual practice since 1988. www.SpiritualResearchFoundation.org & hongkong@spiritualresearchfoundation.org Falling Down to Stand Up Valerie Wilson Trower SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED TO PRACTICE YOGA, A YOGA TEACHER taught me the art of standing up from a seated position on the mat without using my hands. As she said: “it just looks more elegant.” And so it does. Try this: Sit on the mat, bend your knees so your feet are planted firmly on the mat close to your body and wider apart than your hips. Then, as you inhale, move your head and upper body forwards between your bent knees, and keeping your hands off the mat, push your weight slightly forward and upwards (and heels down in to the mat), and there, you have stood up without using your hands! Effectively, what you are doing is ‘falling upwards.’ I often ask students to do this at the beginning or end of a Hatha yoga practice. It makes a gracious beginning or ending to a practice. I had not realised that is a practice used in Alexander Technique until I met an Alexander practitioner recently. Explaining how to do this from a chair, he commented I seemed to have learned to do this very quickly! The Alexander technique is an alternative medical technique, a discipline which focuses on body co-ordination and mental awareness (not unlike yoga in this respect). Founded by F. Matthias Alexander in the 19 th century, it was initially developed as a technique to enhance his acting skills. Practitioners use hands-on techniques to help clients’ physical problems on a one-to-one basis without prescribing repeated exercises, and seek to teach people not to use undue physical effort as they move. Freedom, efficiency, and patience are the guiding principles (again, much like a yoga practice). Over time, practicing Alexander technique methods can help with physical pain and chronic disabilities. It is thought this works by helping patients deal with pain as it assists clients’ stress management abilities. Thinking of the yogic principle of Tapas, particularly the ‘commitment to practice’ part, you can see how practice of this very small addition to your practice: standing up from sitting by ‘falling upwards’ and not using your hands, takes practice, and that this can be completed successfully by anyone who tries. It certainly embodies the concept of Tapas. A small beginning, but a step on the path to a deeper regular yogic practice: try it. My thanks to Bob Graham for introducing me to an Alexander technique practitioner. Valerie holds a doctorate in Historial and Critical Studies from the London College of Fashion, The University of the Arts, London. She practices Ashtanga yoga, Mysore style and leads Hatha yoga stretches for the Siddha Meditation Path. 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