Bamboo Lives - SomaYoga Project

Sutra 3: That [Consciousness becomes] diverse because of the division of reciprocally 
adapted objects and subjects (From the Pratyabhijñā-jrdayam). 


"The world we perceive is inextricably woven into the fabric of our existence. We have the opportunity to create and re-create—and create again—our experiences of that world, and thus, we hold the power to
 find a direction in our lives that will, ultimately bring us growth and fulfillment.”
 (Swāmī Shāntānanda, 2003, p. 85, on Sutra 3)

Pauline Sameshima. Bamboo Lives 
(2014, Cassette tape on canvas, 29”x 29” framed)

This Sutra refers to the idea that we are each object and subject and we are constantly shaped by our relational interactions. “Bamboo Lives” is a rendering of an educational research project between Lakehead University and the International SomaYoga Institute with an Advanced Yoga Teacher Training 500 hour program studying embodied learning practices. In our interactions with one another, we are changed in mind, body, and spirit. Each “Bamboo Life” depicts a member of the group and is made of cassette tape, an analogy for a lyrical part of a whole. The fascinating thing about bamboo is that it emerges from the ground at its full diameter, an important lesson reminding us that we are each already full and enough as we are. We are complete and yet we complete a larger whole.