
But why is it such a novelty when each of us, every single one of us, is wearing our own 'meat dress' -- our body? Flesh and blood contained in skin, the very physical package of our identity. And how much more beautiful, both in form and function, it is than raw beef.
We tend to think of the body we inhabit as 'our' body when it is more like a costume, or better yet, a chariot. 'Incarnation' means 'in the meat', embodied in flesh. What's in the meat? Our soul, an energetic force. Our soul borrows this meat chariot to take us on an earthly ride, loving, working and learning on the material plane and sharing with others.
Our meat chariot, our body, gives our soul the luxury of different experiences in the world, and yet instead of gratitude, most feel the pressure to constantly tinker, interfere and try to control it. In yoga, we learn to listen to it. The exercises are ways to practice this art of listening to the body -- what it wants, what it doesn't, what it responds to -- and to trust that it will give our soul the correct experiences for its growth and well-being.