Flying Dragon

we have a workshop learning this (with adaptations) next weekend 


Taken from Wendy's Blog...
YOGA DRAGON DANCE
The Dragon Dance is fusion of Indian and Taoist yoga.  The sequence was created by Paul and Suzie Grilley, well-known American yoga teachers.  In the many years that I have been practising yoga, I don't believe I have come across a sequence more beautiful than this one. The Dragon Dance is graceful and strong, grounding and uplifting, and fun and challenging. The story it tells is also fascinating and based on Buddha's teaching of the four aims of life: desire for sensory pleasures (Kama); desire for material success such as job promotion (Artha); personal duty or role in society (Dharma); and liberation from all three (Moksha).  

In the 1st act, we meet the Hero who is out looking for a dragon to slay.  The Hero symbolises Kama or the desire for pleasures, and Artha, the desire for material success and gain.  He is the "I WANT". The Dragon is seen turning to look at the Hero in the 2nd act warning him that "Big Brother is watching you".  The Dragon is the "THOU SHALT" and it has on each of its scales the rules and laws of the society.  In the 3rd act, the Dragon raises its wings as if to say "I will not take this lying down", and in the 4th, it dives back down keeping a close eye on the Hero.  The Dragon swings its tail and attacks the Hero, intending to put him back in his place in the society, in the 5th act.  The Hero dives under the belly of the beast to avoid the attack.  Now what?  Will "I WANT" kill "THOU SHALT"?  That's the dance of life.  How much of your personal desires do you need to give up to keep your family happy? How much of my life can I spend being a good son/daughter, parent, student, teacher, preacher, boss, subordinate, etc., without completely losing my sense of self?  Do I choose to please me and ignore the duty that everyone expects of me, or do I fulfill my Dharma and forsake life's pleasures?

The Buddha taught that there is one other option - Moksha, liberation from  or transcending above all three other aims of life: Kama, Artha and Dharma.  By being freed from these three, the Buddha didn't mean we didn't have to do our duty or we shouldn't have desires.  We can want to eat chocolate but don't let the desire for chocolate dictate your life.  If you haven't got it at home but you have money and time, then go ahead and buy it.  If you have no money, don't rob someone so you can buy chocolate!  Your duty to society, living within the limits of the law, is far more important than your desire for chocolate.  If, however, your new boss decides he doesn't want you to go on holiday even though your previous boss had already agreed to the dates, don't get angry and cancel the holiday.  Have a chat and work out what can be done to satisfy both your needs and your duty.  That's the 7th act of our dance - the Hero spirals around the Dragon, climbs on top, and they both fly off together - yoking the "I WANT" with the "THOU SHALT" and soaring above them.

This dance of life is complicated.  Life is all about balance, and balance is not about staying still.  Balance is about constantly moving.  To find balance, we need to keep on dancing into balance.  A bit of me time, a  bit of serving other.  A bit of pleasure, a bit of work.  The Dragon Dance keeps us moving and turning.  Performing the Dragon Dance challenges our flexibility and our ability to maintain our balance.  Just like performing the dance of life.
(The information above is based on my understanding of Bernie Clark's article on the Dragon Dance on www.yinsight.com)