/* To be established in a posture is not about the first time you attain it (although that is to be deeply celebrated). It’s about accessing it – in an aligned fashion – consistently enough that you can grow your alignment within it.*/
Pratiṣṭhāyāṃ – to become established in, is a fundamental concept in yoga practice as described in Patanjali Yoga Sutra. It’s pervasive; we are guided to become established in focus, established in asana, established in meditation, established in practice, established in the experience of yoga and more. Once you are established your path is clear and unfolds quickly. Yoga does not peak with the experience of a flash of insight (although that’s a valuable thing – it’s not the heart of the practice) it’s about establishing oneself in an internal landscape where insight continuously fosters understanding. To be established in a posture is not about the first time you attain it (although that is to be deeply celebrated). It’s about accessing it – in an aligned fashion – consistently enough that you can grow your alignment within it. You are relating to the posture. Deep asana then becomes about that capacity to deepen the alignment of the posture over time. There is an eternal, never-ending quality to establishment.
/*All postures become deep postures through the practice of inhabiting them in time with greater alignment and understanding.*/
Deep asana then is relative to one’s own body – built into the practice over time and emerges with stability and ease. It’s always advisable to step back in practice when one cannot stay stable in the posture with relative ease.
A first mode of deeper alignment which unfolds in deep asana is internal – at the level of the ManomayaKosha or mind body. Presuming you have placed yourself well to begin with in a posture, discomfort is first addressed in the mind. This does not mean that sensations are ignored – on the contrary paying attention to them is awakening into the posture. But, for most of us, placing our bodies in these unusual positions is…odd. So, there is likely to be psychological discomfort and an opening up around that is very powerful.
For those with backgrounds of dance, gymnastics or similar – expectations take the place of the psychological discomfort of the novice. They are constructs in the mind that obscure new levels of awareness. For the physically experienced deep asana is an invitation to shift into a new awakening, into a different kind of bodily experience – experiencing the shape without judgement, competition or preconceived ideas about how the body should inhabit the shape. Discomforts, expectations and conquests are often mental constructs which obstruct our ability to deepen an asana in a fresh, organic and transformative way. They are subtle forms of fear and resistance. If we meet them with spaciousness we come to know and understand ourselves and the posture differently .
/*Discomforts, expectations and conquests are often mental constructs which obstruct our ability to deepen an asana in a fresh, organic and transformative way. They are subtle forms of fear and resistance.*/
Tuning in is a second mode of shifting into deep asana. Feeling the body holistically in space and time. Inner body scans, proprioceptive or kinesthetic exercises and relaxing around resistance deepen the holistic sensory experience of an asana – not once, but continually.
A third mode of establishing into deep asana is time – time in the posture and consistent practice of the posture daily, weekly, or monthly – over months, years, or decades. Doing less, more consistently will yield a deeper result than doing a lot intermittently. It’s seldom a linear process, but the intention to consistency will do much for establishing your practice. A general rule for this is that your posture should always be stable and easeful. So, find your edge at 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and so on. Work the mental resistance first. Begin to identify what your mental resistance looks like.
Example: I’ve been working a 10 minute Virasana, and 10 minute Padmasana (5 minutes each side) sequence for months now. In those postures I’d been meditating in a whole new way. A new proprioceptive awareness (my body in space) of my pelvic girdle began to emerge. This week as I take the postures for practice my mind bounces all over the place – it’s hard to get on my mat to begin with and there is no peace. Breakthrough time – time to step back a little and cultivate the stability of mind that I need, that I can reside in consistently enough to experience the breakthrough. I modify the postures slightly in consistent, strategic ways. A little extra propping, a little extra warming up. I reduce my time in them at the beginning of practice and then engage them again for a short time at the end of practice.
This kind of strategic approach to asana, while analytical, lays the ground for being your own teacher in a personal practice in an illuminated way. You may find other ways to bring strategy and discipline to your practice, but I encourage you…gently…to experiment with modes of deepening your understanding of your practice. It leads to deep healing and a different flavor of progress.
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Natalie Ullmann 