He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
In yogic thought Avidya is one of the greatest blockages than can come before the spiritual pilgrim. Often this word is translated as Ignorance, but without the negative connotations we normally associate with that word. I prefer to think of it as self-deception or inability to see things as they truly are. If we are to make progress we must learn to recognize avidya and learn to break it down as an obstacle for our growth.
In yoga practice avidya can arise out of many things. In a class I might see someone who easily demonstrates a pose I have struggled with for years. It may well be that this person has attained their facility through years of dedication or perhaps God simply made them that way. My belief that I should be able to do it shows that I am deceiving myself. Avidya may cause pain in things other than asana. Many of us carry around scars of bad experiences. These scars may be on the body but the truly destructive ones are invisible wounds on the psyche. (here I am using psyche in the sense of the Greek term "nous" which means the whole rational self) In my students and myself I often see hesitation and retreat from challenging situations because we are afraid of the consequences. We are afraid of what failure might mean for us in the eyes of others, often because we have already extinguished any hope of self worth. We may also fear success because it would challenge the destructive thought patterns that occur in the endless loop of shame and self doubt.
As the study of the self, yoga is an excellent tool for overcoming avidya. The confidence that grows as the body becomes stronger and more supple through regular asana practice speaks to us on a very deep level. A slow meditative practice can yield a new understanding of the total self that detaches outcome from identity so that we do not fear failure as a reflection on our value. Such a practice may combine forward and back bends so that we explore the inner self but don't lose sight of our connection to the world.
Applying the notion of avidya to the passage from St. John's Gospel account reveals some interesting insight both in Jesus' day and ours. How is it that a people who longed for their Messiah could miss him when he comes? How is it that so many people today declare faith in Christ and embrace a Darwinian form of capitalism that creates inequities that Jesus of Nazareth would never tolerate? (ironically often denying Darwin's belief in the mutability of species) Self deception and the inability to see things and ourselves as they truly are sheds some light on the subject. We do not know ourselves and therefore often miss Christ when he is standing right in front of us in another person. We are filled with fear of vulnerability and loss and therefore close ourselves off and miss opportunities to be Christ to the other.
As we prepare to celebrate the Incarnation of the Christ Child can we also celebrate the possibility of the incarnation of Christ through us and our neighbors. If we leave him as a baby in the manger he is no threat to us and he may also not be our savior, but instead an idol that supports our self deception. Even if you have no desire to practice yoga asana (poses) you can still use the emphasis of turning inward to see the truth then turning outward to share. In this way we do not say that Christ came into the world we can see and participate in his continuous presence in the world.
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