A physical practice is just a physical practice unless you bring into it the other elements.
"Many of you say that performing an asana is a physical
discipline, but if you speak in this way without knowing the depth of
asana, you have already fallen from the grace of yoga." BKS Iyengar Wow
how I love this man! I traveled to India this past fall and I had
hoped to say I studied Yoga in India. I took some classes,
I
stayed in an Ashram along the Ganga for a week, (bathing in a bucket I
might add) Participated in some amazing spiritual rituals, journeys and
tours, but I was really surprised at how little yoga I found. The
teachers I did manage to take a class with were as diverse in
their approach to yoga as we are here in the West. A physical
practice is just a physical practice unless you bring into it the other
elements. I began yoga with the asanas, Bikram Yoga. I loved it
because it was purely a physical practice. But it was when I paused to
feel what was happening in my body that a whole new world opened itself
to me. For me the asana practice becomes the bridge between movement
and perception. as causing me to pause and reflect on the sensations
with total awareness. What is this thing called Yoga? Their
are 8 limbs and they are something to be studied, practiced and
discussed. They are what makes the practice of a yoga a way of living, a
way of being and they all have their place in your asana practice. It
is my understanding that if you are not practicing these 8 limbs you are
not really practicing yoga. Seldom have I heard them mentioned in
classes and what a shame. This is where the teacher has an opportunity
to enhance his/her understanding and growth by sharing. What are
the 8 limbs? I wonder how many people out there practicing yoga know
what they are? I wonder if my students even know what they are. We
talk about them extensively in my i but
do I do an effective job translating it my weekly classes? I go thru
some of the Yamas and Niyamas often enough, especially ahimsa, but what
about the other 9? While I am laid up with a broken ankle I am
going to take the time to share with you a brief description of each of
the 8 limbs and hopefully provide myself with a beautiful outline of
intentions for my classes when I return. I always learn new things
to share when I travel and India was no exception. In India, my
understanding of yoga was not broadened or changed in the manner I had
hope. It was more of a confirmation of what I know to be true today.
The practice of yoga is a mind-body practice and the asanas are a small
portion of what yoga is. Yoga is not something we can learn in a day.
It is not something you can even learn in an intensive. It is a
lifelong process of bringing together the body and the mind. See You on the Mat! |
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Categoriesasanabalance breath chakra injury karma, meditation patience perception practice touch yoga yoga alliance yoga, accountability |
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