Breathe Life into the Practice

We come together to practice not only as a meeting of the mats, of the physical, but almost as a meeting of the minds ~ Making certain to check our egos at the door, affirm the space is without competition, offer inspiration to one another just by being there. We make certain to bring care to the asana, vinyasa, sequence, ujjayi, dristi, bandha; if we do it with the right intention, it becomes vivid.
This Astanga method is a set 'script' from tradition, but it is the student of Astanga that literally breathes life into it...like an actor breathes life into a role/ a singer breathes life into a song/ a reader breathes life into a book. The classics are worth repeating, worth revisiting. Astanga is a time honored practice ~ repeat, revisit, relish, revere.

Clear the Way for Thoughts

In the Moving Meditation that the Astanga practice offers, and eventually truly becomes for practitioners, I find it not to be so much a "stopping" of my mind and my thoughts, but an allowance of gaining more clarity. The true, worthwhile thoughts come through and are even offered some dedicated time for contemplation and reflection.
What seems to occur during practice is that, while the running monkey mind chatter fades into the background, any clear and true thread of dialogue remains. The breath and the movement work to shake things up and sift things through and settle into place a sense of knowing. In short...things get worked out in my head!

Exhale to Inhale

A teacher's command to come to tadasana at the top of our mats: "Samasthitih". We not only are called to equal standing, but to equal breathing. And it all starts with an EXHALE.
Perhaps more than most of you are thinking, 'No not an exhale, but it starts with an inhale?? Arms up for the first movement of Suryanamaskara A, vinyasa 1/ekam, is an inhale, yes?' Well, yes of course. But our Samasthitih is always an exhale. Here we are at the beginning of practice, finishing the Invocation with an exhaling Om. We inhale, then put arms to the sides to fully find Samasthitih with the EXHALE, then begin the Sun Salutation. We finish each Sun Salutation and then exhale into Samasthitih, and without missing a beat, we inhale into the next round. Sun Salutations don't entirely start & end, but are seamlessly connected with a Samasthitih; as are the standing sequences. And old school full on Astanga had every asana coming back to Samasthitih!
The deliberate exhale makes sense. It gets you grounded, as apana force will do, but it also allows you to inhale more deeply. I will hearken back to my many moments with David Williams in his workshops, stating the physiological movement of a complete emptying exhale that then 'pulls in a more full inhale'. He tells us, 'Exhale completely, then just a little more'. Exhaling sets up the inhale. (Perhaps this can be the 'chicken & the egg' debate :) But we look for balance, and more exhale = more inhale.
I like this...We can see it if we liken the breath to the surf; a wave recedes rushing back from the shore (exhale), and the next cresting wave is made stronger and more full from it (inhale). Lately I recognize it when I watch our dog out on walks - when he really wants to sniff and catch the scent of something (everything, as dogs can & do), he first gives a full emptying puff of an exhale. It's as if he is gaining the absolute clearest path he can, to experience the inhale fully.
When you first start out in a breath-led yoga practice, you notice that it is challenging to achieve a deep inhale as opposed to achieving a long exhale. The longer exhales come with some ease. The deeper inhalation takes some time to build lung capacity, as we are used to breathing throughout the day in a more shallow rhythm. We need to add emphasis to the exhale to encourage building the draw for the inhale.

It Takes Practice to Practice

For most of us, there are things we can 'weekend warrior' ourselves through without too many chance negative ramifications. And along with cycling, skiing, running, and other sports that don't have an opportunity in our weekday schedule, yoga sometimes gets on the Weekend List. As advantageous as it might seem or feel, a once-a-week yoga session is scratching the surface. And those of you practicing Astanga yoga in particular, know the woes of missing practice time. More than just missing the stretch & the strength, but missing the breathing time, and the mindful movement. It is a practice to incorporate into your routine, your schedule, your body, your mind, your being. And indeed, It Takes Practice to Practice. Not necessarily how good you are at Warrior I or Urdhva Dhanurasana etc, but how diligent you are to show up and just be present without attachment to the outcome. How committed you are to give into the notion that a steady practice will calm the mind, support the systems of the body, tap into the best health you can have, and boost your overall well-being no matter how 'good' your 'performance' was. Becoming discouraged is easy in a western society that puts so much emphasis on gaining applause - but slow & steady wins overall (note the tortoise & the hare analogy) - I say it often. And I want this style of yoga to be looked at as doable and accessible and non-defeating. If you need to be 'good at something' in the practice, insert ujjayi or dristi or bandhas in that statement - be your best at breathing with intention, moving because of breath, setting a focused gazing point, engaging the locks. Over time, all that you need for practice and life will come. It takes practice to practice.

I missed January

Sorry to miss out on the starting month of 2010 with a post. Here's a quickie: Set your 'stretch' for the day by getting out of bed and first thing, move slowly into a downward dog. Use a full minute to ease into a stretch in the hamstrings to set for the rest of the day. Look at this as giving your hamstrings a fighting chance; a starting point of length rather than short from slumber. We are relatively still for our hours of sleep, and tend to wake up stiff from no movement (not a surprise). If you don't have a wake-up-yoga-practice, I offer you this Minute of Down Dog to set your stretch for the day. Shoulders and torso will appreciate it as well. The second immediate thing...scrape your tongue! (this will be continued in an Ayurveda post later on :)