Yes, there is a Rock Pose in the Kundalini yoga tradition. Basically it’s Zazen, Japanese traditional sitting. It’s a day-to-day regular sitting in the traditional Japanese living style on tatami. There were no chairs until introduced by the West so imagine how we would sit if we did not have chairs – easy. All traditional tea ceremonies and of course, meditation practices are in … zazen.
There is an old Japanese proverb:
“Be prepared to sit on a rock/stone for 3 years ”
Figuratively it means, if you expect to achieve success, achieve excellence or mastery in anything, we need to spend a very long time. The proverb expresses how one needs to have the tenacity and risiliance to not give up easily … but to keep at it, stay with it. Many people start something new – yoga – pilates – gym – some exercise – but tend to drop out and drop off the path. While it’s probably better than never starting, but you have to keep practicing; keep showing up. The proverb reminds us that if we stick with it, long enough that even initially a cold slab of stone will become warm with your heat, your tenacity and passion.
Rock pose, so named after apparently because the pose is so good for digestion, it is said, you can even digest rocks – true or not – I have another theory. It’s more by sitting in zazen, we are able to DIGEST all that is so difficult to digest in a psychic, emotional level. Negative emotions of resentment, humiliation, indignation, anger, and fear are digested and what needs to be eliminated leaves you, what we need to sustain ourselves with stays – positive emotions of love, pride, humility, compassion and … gratitude. Always coming back to your inner rock.
