Australian Yoga Journal - May June 2017

66

may/june 2017

yogajournal.com.au

am I?

THE WORK OF THE ENNEAGRAM 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 behaviours. 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.”

PUT THE ENNEAGRAM

INTO PRACTICE

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 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

customise 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.

1

The

REFORMER

Self-restraint, idealism,

inflexibility

9

The

PEACEMAKER

Harmony, affability,

resistance

5

6

3

The

Achiever

Enthusiasm,

confidence,

self-promotion

4

The

INDIVIDUALIST

Intensity, empathy, envy

The

INVESTIGATOR

Self-sufficiency, objectivity,

reclusivity

The

LOYALIST

Perseverance,

scepticism, vigilance

The^7

ENTHUSIAST

Optimism,

playfulness,

superiority

8

The

CHALLENGER

Bluntness, nobility,

protectiveness

PHOTO: 4KHZ/ISTOCKPH

OTO.COM

2

The

Helper

Helpfulness,

attunement,

intrusiveness