16/07/2025
Yoga in Life, Sawbridgeworth
Yoga has influenced many people across the world for centuries and I love finding references to yoga practice and philosophy in unexpected places. None more so than at the Kiefer / Van Gough exhibition currently showing at the Royal Academy of Art.
Both artists shared themes of the starry sky and sunflowers with the starry sky symbolising the passing of time and the sunflower symbolising the cycle of life. In a process of heliotropism the sunflower follows the sun across the sky as it moves from east to west, then at night it closes down and moves it’s head back over to the east again ready for the sunrise the following morning. As the sunflower seeds ripen the flower turns brilliant yellow, and having achieved the purpose of it’s existence the sunflower starts to wilt and die.
Kiefer’s collage depicting a man laying on the ground in the yoga position of savasana or co**se pose with a sunflower growing out of his body suggests the cycle of life or ‘the condition of our being’.
In the practice of yoga we help ourselves to become relaxed and peaceful in body and mind, by laying on the floor (or seated), still and quiet, and meditatively focus upon our awareness of being, feeling ourselves to be, “…at one with nature”. (RA)
The cycle of the seasons and how we respond to the seasons has been the theme in my mat based classes this last year. Savasana is part of every yoga class I teach. Mat and Chair classes at Old Harlow, Sawbridgeworth and High Wych.
Email via https://www.yogainlife.co.uk/contact or 07885 971712
See https://www.yogainlife.co.uk/
