Tag: fitness

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Before our dive into Sankhya: Why Practice?

/*my apologies friends – there were two posts that ended up in drafts instead of being posted. I’m posting them today and will follow with the new post on Sankhya later this evening*/

Before we begin our study of Sankhya  (our first official post on that will be later today)– let’s dig in to our intentions for embarking on such a deep study. Why study this way?  Why practice?

There is value and delight in exploring the cracks and crevices of the yoga practice – going deep, mining the esoteric elements and using our time on the mat as a laboratory to experiment and empirically validate the findings of the ancient wise ones who brought forth and developed the practice.  The perpetual renewal of the desire for practice confirms that people do experience a potent and ineffable something when they practice yoga.

The rich and resonant core of the practice is unearthed through the investigation of the source of the practice.  To bow down our hearts and minds to those who have gone before us, paving the way that we too might walk towards freedom and enlightenment – to receive from the history of yoga practice.  For every step on this journey into depth and wisdom we are invited to the land of “Nyasa” the perfect placement (as in Vinyasa).  Why are we here and now? In this place in this moment?  Purpose and intention nurtures the practice and in return the practice reveals deeper truths about personal purpose and intention. 

/*Why practice?  Why practice in this way?*/

There are easier and more efficient ways to get in shape…so…

/*Why practice?  Why practice in this way?*/

There are easier ways to feel better… so….

/*Why practice?  Why do the work of studying yoga in this way?*/

Because our day to day experience of the practice yields a sense of promise, and the promise of yoga is the universal end of pain. “The end of all love longing”. (see the Kena Upanishad)

So as we embark on our exploration of the Sankhya philosophy in the coming weeks – know that sankhya understood in conjunction with our yoga asana is a profound and powerful  tool for tapping into a richer vein of practice. Yoga from the the source is path of transformation that subtly transforms the world as we are transformed through it. 

A well-done practice ranks among the world’s most treasured resources – path of treasure yielding transformation.   So….

/*why practice? the promise of the practice is there, but what does that mean for me?*/

Who will you be-coming?  What is the offering that you bring to the table in these times…and how will you wrap that package?  What is love asking of you at this time?  As with all things yoga, the questions are more important than the answers.  The questions guide our process – our unfolding in practice  – As we learn and grow our intentions unfold with us so it’s good to be flexible (we are yogis after all) – but it’s good to set our compasses- and know what our heart desires. 

So with that I nudge you to reflect before the coming year, on your practice, on your purpose, on the yield of the discipline you will bring to your study.

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This post’s newsletter is on with a sutra from Patanjali. If you ‘d like to see it check it out here:

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Pratiṣṭhāyāṃ:  A Path to Deep Asana प्रतिष्ठायां

/* 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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Deep Asana:  Understanding your joints for deep healing.

/*This is the first in a four part series about deep asana and creating personal sequences*/

In the classical schools of yoga  the healing power  of deep asana Is a powerful rubric. By deep asana I am referring to the classical spinal twists (i.e., ardha matsyendrasana) , lotus (padmasana), and all the various binds. These deep squeeze postures  are purposeful in their intensity in a way that large muscle strengthening or or deeply relaxing postures are not. To practice them effectively we must understand how the joints function – and what the deep asana does.

For example

  • Padmasana. The knee is a hinge joint. The ankles are mosaics of tiny interconnecting bones that move like ball bearings to allow maximal movement – but the structural stability of the joint is borne of the way those joints fit together, fettered together by soft tissue – fascia, ligaments, and such. When we do padmasana – the deep exterior rotation of the legs must emerge from the hip socket to protect the functioning of knees and ankles. If we are practicing padmasana – we must balance that deep external rotation of the hip joint with stabilizing strengtheners in our standing practice. Particularly the internal rotations which connect the feet to the earth through the inner ball of the foot. These inner rotations, while originating in the connection to the earth travel up the leg and into the hip socket and pelvic girdle. Stable hip/pelvic girdle structure is needed for standing, walking, and containing the soft internal organs. a correctly activated inner rotation will strengthen whatever tiny muscles which need to be strengthen and will establish ease in those which have been acting as supports when it wasn’t their function. So we must understand how the joints work – and what their purposes are and how they relate to each other.

  • Ardha matsyendrasana: Vertebrae spin gently in restricted rotations around a central axis. Each vertebrae is uniquely shaped for its perfect placement in the column of the spine. The shape of each one contributes to the moving stability of the spinal column. When performing a deep asana form of a spinal twist, we are invited to gently explore the boundaries of the vertebral rotation. The spine must be lifted and relatively straight to protect the cushions between the vertebrae, which protect the nerves. Remember important components of the nervous system travel through the spine – your central nervous system! A classical spinal twist is not a full body twist – it is focused on the spine. The sacrum does not participate in the twist. Instead, the pelvic girdle is given structural stability built from the ground up  either through knowledgeable activation of appropriate muscles or through placement i.e., through sitting squarely on the ground.
  • The pelvic girdle is a bunch of moving pieces. Yep. It’s not a solid bowl. Those moving pieces can misalign in subtle ways,  impact the alignment of the vertebral column and the ability of the vertebrae to turn. The stability in the alignment of your feet and knees supports this structure. Building the asana from the ground up helps with this.
  • Deep asana is not forceful asana. There are lineages where force was used effectively but I am not aware of any school that currently works successfully with dramatic deep quick forceful adjustments into deep asana. Gentle knowledgeable movement is as effective, if not more so in the stable ongoing practice of deep asana.
  • Modifications and simpler postures are your friends. You can design or learn modifications that will work specifically on the joints which present obstacles in our practice of deep asana. In my practice I work for long periods of time in specific modifications to open joints, like the hip or the  turning of the spine, before moving into the deep posture.  This creates a stable foundation for the deeper postures which is safe and healing.

Note – the relationship with deep asana is very different for those who started yoga before their bone structures were fully formed.  Yeah. The sacrum is still forming up to age 5. For the rest of us – bones remain malleable through our lives, depending on lifestyle – so change is possible, but it is best executed gradually and consistently.

Through the squeezing wringing of soft tissues in the joints – deep seated stress patterns in the fascial tissue are released, and structures in the pranamayakosha – the pranic body are aligned and rejuvenated. After squeezing – fresh blood and prana will flow into a joint to nourish it.

I encourage you to learn more about the way your joints function and how each posture – in its classical form (see Light on Yoga) articulates the joints. Note that Mr. Iyengar who is depicted in the pictures in this book, started very young. He’s like a gumby. But you can still see external rotations, internal rotations, deep spine twists, in those classical images. Gently experiment with what you learn – so it is no longer an academic exercise to learn about your yogic anatomy.

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