Thanks @saramiller !
One of the things I missed while I was away was your posts on Yoga. This is a great write up. Personally, from my education in Yoga 40 years ago, I only learned about #2, #3, #4 and #7. It was Chinese martial arts that brought the rest of those concepts into my life. But both were very Americanized back in that period. It took a lot of reading and self-awareness to get much more out of it.
I don't think the whole of unity can be fully captured even in these 8 elements...actually, I think language itself is pretty limited in its ability to convey super juicy ideas and experiences, but we have to work with what we've got, right??
Big ups to you for continuing to search for more than the "Americanized" version you were given; I believe a lot of people restrict themselves by accepting the surface presentation without asking more questions. I find it so interesting to look at Eastern vs. Western paradigms - cultural conditioning is something many people take for granted and assume that their perspective is just the way life is. It's incredibly deep programming, and it really restricts imagination!
I would love to expand my study of martial arts - lots of rich material for self-exploration there. There's quite a lot of overlap as far as focusing and harnessing chi goes, and it's interesting to look at the history and influence these practices had on each other.
I really appreciate your support and input @baerdric!