Flower Power

By Mehtab, Founder 
April 2011

What do flowers have to do with yoga? Well, everything.

The number one classical yoga posture is named after a flower – padmasana, or Lotus Pose. The chakra system which is fundamental to the practice of Hatha and Kundalini Yoga is based upon the multi-petaled system of the flowers which symbolize the various energy systems of the body.

Is that why we always have flowers at Yoga Yoga? Actually, here's why:

Yoga, like the sister sciences of Ayurveda and Jyotish (Vedic Astrology), is based upon the five element model of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. The yogic practices work with these elements to bring them into balance. For example, earth and water area balanced by the yogic practices of ethics and self-control, or the yamas and the niyamas. The element of fire is harnassed through the practice of asana or the postures while air is balanced through pranayama, or the breathing techniques if yoga. The most subtle element, ether or space, is addressed by the practices of mantra and meditation.

Ether, or "akash" as it is called in Sanskrit, is actually considered to be the primary element in the practice and success of yoga, with all the other elements either being re-absorbed or spawned by it.

Think of a yoga center. It is mostly space, empty rooms, that create the opportunity for expansion and growth. We are constantly creating space through our movements, our breath, and our meditative mind in yoga. It is through the cultivation of space, or ether or akash, that we are able to go beyond the limitations of materialism and experience the spiritual.

A flower is the representation of space – it is the most ethereal expression of the plant. It is subtle and creates an impression through the vibrations of color and the scent of fragrance. In the practice of puja, or yoga ritual, flowers are offered to create akash or ether and they are considered to be the most effective way to create a sacred space.

From the first day we opened Yoga Yoga, we made our pilgrimages to the flower markets, wrapping colors and scents together, and arranging them so they could be seen when you walked into the studios. It seemed like a costly indulgence when we could not even afford to pay ourselves in those early days, yet we would no ore consider leaving the flowers out than we would the Yogi Tea.

Even in the Yoga Yoga logo and sign, we used the eight-petal flower which is the number of flower petals on the traditional lotus and also represents the eight limbs of Yoga as outlined by the sage Patanjali.

But ultimately the flowers in Yoga Yoga remind us of what we have to offer: beauty, wholeness, a momentary perfection, and the sweet fragrance that lingers after we are gone.

Enjoy the spring flowers and bring the outside inside.