Nurturing Insight

by Meg Agnew
Seattle Yoga Arts Teacher

If you’ve had some experience with insights, you know they can’t be called up on command. The best we can do to encourage the arising of insight is to create hospitable conditions. Reflecting, meditating, journaling, attending a silent retreat and walking meditation are some activities that are frequently associated with the arising of insight. Our relationships, too, are rich sources of insight. Once an insight sprouts up, we do have a wonderful opportunity to nurture its potential to create positive change.

Insights come in many varieties. One insight might invite us to alter our behavior or adopt a more compassionate attitude, while another may encourage us to view our past from a fresh new perspective. More rare is the insight that shifts our entire take on reality, like when Krishna revealed his true identity to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. Whether heart opening or mind blowing, an insight is a precious gift that springs from our own deep wisdom. How can we honor this offering? How do we nurture this seed of wisdom into a full flowering so that it serves the highest good?

One approach might be to consider which Brahma Vihara our insight is pointing us towards. The Brahma Viharas are qualities or heart-mind states that are revered in both the Buddhist and Yoga traditions. Sometimes referred to as the “heavenly abodes” or the “four immeasurables,” they are: loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. It is taught that these four are the only states that one experiences after becoming fully enlightened. 

If our insight is truly a wise realization, it will be pointing us toward one (or more) of the Brahma Viharas. When we recognize which one, we can support the full unfolding of our insight by focusing our yoga practice on that particular quality. For example, say we’ve had an insight that seems to be calling for greater acceptance around a difficult issue. In this case, we might practice standing postures with an intention to cultivate equanimity as we connect with the Earth’s unwavering support at our foundation. If our insight is calling us to deepen our heart’s natural capacity for kindness or sympathetic joy, we could choose to do postures such as backbends that physically open the heart center and have been shown to increase feelings of happiness. Compassion for self or others pairs readily with forward bends or restorative poses that quiet and renew. These are simply some suggestions. Stay open and notice what speaks to you. There may be a particular pose that suggests itself as the perfect symbol of your insight-in-progress. Practice it as a heart offering to your arising wisdom and growing capacity for love.