Hanuman (asana): are you ready to take a leap from the heart?
Split pose is also called Hanumanasana or Hanuman's pose. But who is Hanuman and what can he teach us about split pose?
Hanuman was born with superpowers
Hanuman is the son of Anjana and Vayu, the wind god. He was a half god with super powers. One morning he saw something big and yellow in the sky. He thought it was a mango, his favourite fruit. He jumped up to take a bite , but it turned out to be no fruit but the sun god himself. The sun god threw a bolt of lightning at Hanuman and Hanuman died instantly.
Hanuman forgets about his superpowers
Vayu, Hanuman's father, brought Hanuman back to life along with other Gods, but the deal was that Hanuman would no longer remember his super powers so that he wouldn't do more damage. And he will be raised by the monkeys in the forest. Hanuman grows up in a monkey tribe and one day he meets King Ram. Those two become inseparable friends. When Ram's wife, Sita, is kidnapped, Hanuman does everything he can to help Ram.
Hanuman regains his strength
To find Sita someone has to jump across the sea from India to Sri Lanka. Hanuman kneels in prayer and prays to do the impossible to help his friend. He gathers the energy needed to make the jump, then pushes himself off and jumps with one leg forward and the other leg back, like split pose. Hanuman regains his strength in this split-pose jump. He transcends his own little doubts and insecurities through the love in his heart.
What can we learn from this story?
It is an active pose where you must first gather enough energy on a physical and inner level. Physically it is good to prepare with sun salutations or by jogging first, for example. Hanuman also charges his spirit with prayer an love. If your actions are in line with good pure intentions and and if there is love in it, it gives extra energy and lightness. Your legs are powerful in the pose, pushing you up from the ground. The moment you take the leap, you can do more than you think ...
Some questions for reflection
Was there anything that stroke you in the story? Any spontaneous insights?
Is there a point in your life when you forgot about your power or someone broke it? If so, how can you find it back?
Who or what do you love so much that you would do anything for?
Which task do you see as impossible? What if you could do it anyway?
Sources
Photo banner of Krishna Chaitanya Velaga, Wall carvings depicting the worship of Hanuma at Undavalli Caves in Guntur District
Thanks to Arjuna van der kooij & Alanna Kaivalya for the book “The myths of assana’s”