 It is common to hear the phrase "hands palms" in Bikram Yoga. Due to the nature of the "dialogue" and the fact that some teachers use rote memorization for their instructions, this phrase has been repeated countless times.
However, it is a strange phrase. In English, we do not need both the words "hands" and "palms", because palm is clear enough on its own when instructing a hand position. However, if we think in terms of translation, this phrase makes more sense. In Bangla, the language of Kolkata, there is no singular word for "palm". The phrase to convey this meaning is হাতের তালু, or "hat-er talu". The first word is "hat" which means hand. The second word is "talu" which means palate, crown, or flat. Together this creates the idea of the "hand's palate" or the flat part of the hand. In English this becomes "palm". If we are simply translating this phrase from Bangla, it makes sense to say "hand's palms". However, since English has the singular word "palm" which refers to the position of the hands, clarity doesn't require we also say "hand". Translation is a helpful tool to understand why unusual phrases make their way into the yoga world. "Hand's-palms" is one of them.
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 Traditions of yoga and meditation have long been interested in investigating the nature of the self. This is what has been labeled in traditional texts of South Asian philosophy as ahamkara or asmita. This refers to the sense of self we create and hold in the mind, or what we can think about as our "I-ness".
As Western psychology progressed in the twentieth century (and certainly drew some influence from South Asian philosophies) this became known more and more as the "ego". Presently, discussions of ego have led us to think about "two types". They are as follows: Type 1 Ego — Thinking that the way you see the world is obviously the way that everyone sees it, and even the way that the world truly is. Type 2 Ego — Thinking that the way you see the world is profoundly different from how everyone else sees it. These are entirely different on the surface level, but have the same root problem. Type 1 believes that because we see the world in specific ways, it only makes sense that everyone else shares those ideas. This leaves no room for different perspectives or experiences. Instead, a Type 1 ego believes there is just simply how the world is, and that that version of reality is the one that we have created in our own mind. Reality is not how the world is, but rather, reality is how the world is in our mind. Type 2 believes that we are the only ones who see and understand reality. We can see the truth but no one else can. This again places us in a unique position where we hold the singular key to reality. Only this time, we believe that no one else is capable or has yet realized the truth we think we can see clearly. These are both born of the same problem. Of course we do have a sense of self and it is actually useful in the world. However traditions of yoga and meditation believe we must recognize that we hold a sense of self and not mistake that sense for reality. We may recognize that we think we are unique like in Type 2, but that is not the same as believing it to be true and basing our understanding of reality around it. The problem with the two types of ego is not that they exist, but that we tend to accept them for reality. The practice becomes recognizing the ego for what it is: the sense of self. Not for what it is not: singular reality.  First, let's get the irony out of the way. Yes, this is a blog on the internet and we are posting it with the intention that you might read it. Now for the point of the blog...
When we are trying to learn about yoga, we often turn to whatever resources we have available to us. Friends, teachers, books, and of course, the internet. As the internet becomes more and more available and now, with the prominence of AI, this becomes the easiest go-to source for "information". However, the internet and especially AI will tell you a lot of wrong information. (By wrong information, we don't mean a "wrong" opinion. We mean that the information it provides does not correspond with reality in the form of textual, archeological or scholarly evidence that is available to us.) It is becoming clear that AI lies. However, even without resorting to lying, the internet and AI do not have the ability to sort good information from bad information. The good news: you do! The human mind can think about what source their information is coming from and from there, decide how useful it is. Someone who devotes their entire life to studying a subject will have a better understanding of the subject than someone who doesn't. A business who wants to sell something will have a different approach to information than a person without financial stakes. Scholarly publications on yoga are a useful place to start if you want to learn more about yoga. Yes, they can be dense and hard to get through. But they are scrutinized heavily by others in the field of yoga who know about the same information, by the publishers and by reviewers. This makes the quality of information not perfect, but more reliable than what Google will tell you (unless of course, Google is sourcing a high quality piece of information). Easy access to information does not make the information true. Sadly, we have seen a pretty substantial increase in the acceptance of misleading or untrue information around yoga in the last year. Let's all do our part to check the validity of our sources, and when in doubt, try to choose a book written by an expert, over Google or AI. |
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Scott & Ida are Yoga Acharyas (Masters of Yoga). They are scholars as well as practitioners of yogic postures, breath control and meditation. They are the head teachers of Ghosh Yoga.
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