Parvati, the yogini Goddess
Parvati is a benevolent and auspicious manifestation of the divine principle and Shiva´s partner. Her name means “daughter of the mountains” because her father was King of the Himalayas. She is also known as Sati or Uma.
She is considered the ideal spouse, mother and householder, but she is also the quintessential yogini. The fact that Parvati is dedicated to the traditional female roles while she keeps her focus on the spiritual development shows us the heart of a purely tantric path in which the world and spirit are one.
You will recognize her because in most of her images she is wearing a red sari and her hands are holding attributes like the conch, the mirror, the rosary, the bell, sugar cane or flowers. It is common that her children, Ganesha and Kartikkeya, sit on her lap or stand by her side. There are also many images of the whole family: Shiva, Parvati and the kids.
However, there is another classical representation of the goddess that shows her full yogini´s splendor. In this case, she is standing (sometimes sitting) in a dynamic and sinuous posture that highlights the sensual curves of her body and with her chest bare. So beautiful and alluring! Parvati is a manifestation of goddess Durga and therefore she is woman-goddess by herself, free and independent within her relationship with Shiva. Her freedom within the partnership is so radical that she even has the capacity to become a mother on her own and she created Ganesha from her own flesh without Shiva´s intervention.
As goddess-yogini, Parvati awakens the power of Will (iccha shakti), the determination to stick to a spiritual practice (tapas) and the ardent desire to experience spiritual partnership.
She is Shiva´s beloved spouse and together they represent the highest aspiration for the relationship God-Goddess. Krishna and Radhe´s love is innocent, adolescent and I even take the risk to say that a little too sentimental. Shiva and Parvati incarnate a mature love and the development of spiritual partnership. They represent the unbreakable union between spirit and matter, wisdom and love or celestial and earthy matters. They give form to inner evolution as the most fascinating romance between the individual Self and the universal Self.
The practice for the yoga super heroes is:
Find balance in your life between the world and your spiritual life. They are really not separated since everything that we do is an act of spirit, full of consciousness. Within the frantic rhythm of life, create time to be and contemplate, move more slowly through the day and do less.
See you on the mat!
Om Shanti
Zaira
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The Zunray Spark is a biweekly email with an inspirational message. It also serves as theme for the classes at Zunray
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