Yoga_Journal_Singapore_FebruaryMarch_2017

16

february / march 2017

yogajournal.com.sg

begins with figuring out your

number, which essentially represents

how you present yourself to others,

where your attention goes when

you quiet down, and what triggers

your behaviors. Piver, for example,

is a Four, which means her chief

issue is envy. “Before I knew I was

a Four, I used to think that what I

longed for would make me happy,”

she says. “Now, I’m able to see

the longing itself as a sign that I’m

unsettled, unhappy, or hurt, and that

I can turn my attention within instead

of looking for something outside. This

helps me notice when I need to take

better care of myself.”

In addition to revealing negative

patterns and deep wounds, the

Enneagram also highlights your

greatest strengths. For example,

when Piver’s envy is brought

into balance, it becomes the

more evolved version of itself:

equanimity. “Envy and equanimity

are on a continuum,” she says.

And these continuums exist for

all of the numbers, which means

that regularly trying to find balance

between your strengths and blind

spots is the key to living a more

aligned, authentic life.

Even better, all of this self-

reflection comes with improved

communication with other people.

That’s why Piver calls the Enneagram

an upaya, Sanskrit for “skillful

means.” While she cautions against

using the system to label someone,

she says it can be a helpful tool to

navigate communication blocks.

For example: “My partner is a One,

and Ones are focused on right and

wrong,” says Piver. “I’m a Four, and

Fours are focused on meaning. If we

get into an argument, I want to talk

and understand, but I can’t do that

with him until I acknowledge what

went wrong—that I see where the

misstep happened. That is very

useful to him because everything

in him wants to get to the bottom

of the right and wrong in order to

fix it.” Once Piver’s partner’s needs

have been addressed, they can

then have the kind of conversation

that also works for her.

Ultimately, the Enneagram

can help us release the tight hold

we have on our version of things.

“It’s hard to understand a person’s

makeup when you are only looking

at it through your own lens,” says

Piver. “But what if you were told,

‘Here are nine lenses—which one

do you think this person is looking

through?’ It gives you a way to let

go of expectations so that a more

genuine exchange can transpire. It

generates compassion.”

Yoga offers the perfect training

ground to explore the nuances

of your Enneagram type. When

you know your number, you can

start to use the Enneagram to let

wash away what Patanjali called

the “layers and imperfections

concealing truth.” “It’s an incredible

companion [to yoga] that covers

territory yoga doesn’t address,”

says Michael Cohen, founder of

the Kirtan Leader Institute and a

certified Enneagram practitioner.

“Yoga talks in broad terms about

how to transcend our limitations;

the Enneagram gives incredible

detail about what that means.”

For example, each number has a

corresponding somatic pattern.

“For Fives, Sixes, and Sevens, poses

that bring energy to the lower body

and the feet are very important

because these types tend to leave

their bodies by going up into their

heads,” says O’Hanrahan. Once

you know your type’s patterns, he

says, you can customize your yoga

practice to support the work you’re

doing to escape your old grooves

(or samskaras, in Sanskrit) and form

new ones that serve you better.

To that end, Brown has paired

a pose with each Enneagram

number to accentuate both the

challenges and the possibilities for

that number. Determine your type,

then use your pose and mantra to

continue your self-inquiry so that

how you do asana reflects how you

do you—with awakened clarity

and compassion.

PUT THE ENNEAGRAM

INTO PRACTICE

THE WORK OF THE ENNEAGRAM

THE

REFORMER

THE

HELPER

THE

ACHIEVER

THE

THE INDIVIDUALIST

INVESTIGATOR

THE

LOYALIST

THE

ENTHUSIAST

THE

PEACEMAKER

THE

CHALLENGER

Harmony, affability,

resistance

Self-restraint,

idealism,

inflexibility

Helpfulness,

attunement,

intrusiveness

Enthusiasm,

confidence,

self-promotion

Intensity, empathy, envy

Self-sufficiency,

objectivity, reclusivity

Perseverance,

skepticism,

vigilance

Optimism,

playfulness,

superiority

Bluntness,

nobility,

protectiveness