Have you ever observed how the respiratory system is affected when practicing asana? Sometimes I get so involved with the skeletal muscular system that all my awareness of the respiratory system is so far in the background that I’m unaware of it. Other times I’m so involved with the respiratory system, that I lose track of the skeletal muscular system.
I find it interesting how these two systems affect one another, how when I overuse one system the other is affected. So for example, if I over use the skeletal muscular system then it has an affect of straining and then this results in holding my breath.
This brings me to something that I wondered about for a long time. I read in different yoga books and have heard teachers talk about how a particular asana has benefits for a particular body system. Now I understand how hamstrings lengthen in an asana, because I feel it. But when it came to the effects on my liver, for example, then I couldn’t feel it. But what I found out was the sensation of the liver and the sensation of the hamstrings were two different things. They express themselves in different ways.
This goes back to the skeletal muscular and respiratory systems; they both have different ways of expressing themselves. So sometimes in a practice I’ll go to Light on Yoga and look up what systems are affected in the asanas that I’m practicing that day. Then I observe as I’m practicing how these different systems are expressing themselves. This is a interesting way of practicing because it shows what systems are over used and what systems are under used.
Nov 2, 2010
Oct 24, 2010
Support
My subject today is support. I remember being at the Iyengar Yoga Association conference in Toronto. During the time I was there I listened to a lot of stories about people’s trips to India. These stories were not just about their adventures in India but also about the support they received from their life partners left at home. Being in the situation of owner/teacher of a Yoga studio, I have made sacrifices of not being able to travel to India as often as I should have. When I did go I always had the support at home so I could go.
A support in asana practice gives us the opportunity to learn what we couldn’t without it. This is also true of the support of the partner at home when we go away. Personally speaking this is also true of the support I get from the students that attend my classes; I’m not only talking about the average student who plunks down their money and attends a session of classes. I’m talking about a community that is growing around the yoga studio because people offer to help in many significant, varied and enriching ways. This has been going on for years now. As the support of a bolster in Supta Baddha Konasana allows me to open my chest, so also the support of the yoga community and the support of my partner in life Muriel Zimmer, a dedicated Yogini herself, allows me to keep the studio running all these years.
Sometimes I feel that we forget that most of us are lucky to have support in life no matter what that support may be. So let’s all acknowledge that support to whoever or whatever is offering that gift to us.
A support in asana practice gives us the opportunity to learn what we couldn’t without it. This is also true of the support of the partner at home when we go away. Personally speaking this is also true of the support I get from the students that attend my classes; I’m not only talking about the average student who plunks down their money and attends a session of classes. I’m talking about a community that is growing around the yoga studio because people offer to help in many significant, varied and enriching ways. This has been going on for years now. As the support of a bolster in Supta Baddha Konasana allows me to open my chest, so also the support of the yoga community and the support of my partner in life Muriel Zimmer, a dedicated Yogini herself, allows me to keep the studio running all these years.
Sometimes I feel that we forget that most of us are lucky to have support in life no matter what that support may be. So let’s all acknowledge that support to whoever or whatever is offering that gift to us.
Oct 23, 2010
Letting Go
Today I’m going outside to work on a spruce tree in our yard that is leaning over to one side. Apparently the root system is shallow and the ground is wet, and also we get strong, one sided winds in that part of the property. So, I’m going to put a few stakes in the ground and tie ropes around the tree and the stake will give the tree support from the winter winds. I remember last year I had to do the same thing. Once I supported the tree it was as though the tree could take a breath of relief; it could finally let go because it was supported.
In Iyengar Yoga, because we have the use of props, we can experience the same letting go. That letting go can arise in many ways, from one extreme to the other, from crying to laughing or feeling anger to feeling joy. Like the tree, we need that foundation in an asana or we are continuously holding on, not just physically but also mentally. So it is no wonder when we can finally get in a place of support that we can let go. Just compare the difference of doing a headstand in the middle of the room to doing a headstand hanging in the ropes. Once you accept the support, your body responds by letting go. In giving that support to the tree, I am giving it a chance to let go.
In Iyengar Yoga, because we have the use of props, we can experience the same letting go. That letting go can arise in many ways, from one extreme to the other, from crying to laughing or feeling anger to feeling joy. Like the tree, we need that foundation in an asana or we are continuously holding on, not just physically but also mentally. So it is no wonder when we can finally get in a place of support that we can let go. Just compare the difference of doing a headstand in the middle of the room to doing a headstand hanging in the ropes. Once you accept the support, your body responds by letting go. In giving that support to the tree, I am giving it a chance to let go.
Oct 22, 2010
There are only so many hours in the day
When I drive to the studio from Falmouth I usually listen to the radio. And it is not unusual to hear the comment on the radio that in today’s world we all have busy lives. Now I’ve heard this many times before but on this day it stuck in my mind. We are all so busy no matter what it is. Even manufacturers have come up with gadgets to help us organize our lives. The days aren’t long enough to get everything done; something always has to be put off until tomorrow.
Then I remember what my mother used to say, or was that my grandmother? “There are only so many hours in the day”. When I thought back, I tried to think when I wasn’t busy. Even as a child I was always doing something. What I’ve come to realize is that being busy is a rush; it is addictive. It all has to do with the mind. The mind loves to be busy, the busier the better; it even puts itself down when it can’t get everything done on time or done that day.
Now you might say, but “what about my job”, “what about the children”, “what about”, “what about”? I say, be kind to yourself. It’s not that you stop doing everything; it’s just about being present while you are doing everything. The are only so many hours in the day.
Then I remember what my mother used to say, or was that my grandmother? “There are only so many hours in the day”. When I thought back, I tried to think when I wasn’t busy. Even as a child I was always doing something. What I’ve come to realize is that being busy is a rush; it is addictive. It all has to do with the mind. The mind loves to be busy, the busier the better; it even puts itself down when it can’t get everything done on time or done that day.
Now you might say, but “what about my job”, “what about the children”, “what about”, “what about”? I say, be kind to yourself. It’s not that you stop doing everything; it’s just about being present while you are doing everything. The are only so many hours in the day.
Oct 21, 2010
Reaching Out
I find it interesting how everyday life shows up in asanas. Just by moving into, staying and moving out of an asana can show me so many things about how I live my life. For example this week in class I observed that when I did Ardha Chandrasana that I really didn’t want to reach out and put my supporting hand on the floor. It was more comfortable just to place that supporting hand on the floor.
So realizing this I wanted to see the difference if I did reach out. At first it didn’t feel normal, I felt uncoordinated and uneasy within myself, it seemed that I wasn’t in control. The uneasiness was deep inside me, it wasn’t physical, because I could reach, I just felt uneasy doing it. Now this wasn’t the first time I’ve done this asana, but it was the first time I notice this reaction. So now this is my meditation when practicing asanas that involve reaching, I will slowly start to extend my reach.
That ability to reach out in my life isn’t developed to its fullest and this showed up in Ardha Chandrasana.
Like me, if you feel uneasy in an asana, use it as a meditation, slowly work on the asana until there is no more uneasiness.
So realizing this I wanted to see the difference if I did reach out. At first it didn’t feel normal, I felt uncoordinated and uneasy within myself, it seemed that I wasn’t in control. The uneasiness was deep inside me, it wasn’t physical, because I could reach, I just felt uneasy doing it. Now this wasn’t the first time I’ve done this asana, but it was the first time I notice this reaction. So now this is my meditation when practicing asanas that involve reaching, I will slowly start to extend my reach.
That ability to reach out in my life isn’t developed to its fullest and this showed up in Ardha Chandrasana.
Like me, if you feel uneasy in an asana, use it as a meditation, slowly work on the asana until there is no more uneasiness.
Oct 18, 2010
Letting Go
Today I’m going outside to work on a spruce tree in our yard that is leaning over to one side. Apparently the root system is shallow and the ground is wet, and also we get strong, one sided winds in that part of the property. So, I’m going to put a few stakes in the ground and tie ropes around the tree and the stake will give the tree support from the winter winds. I remember last year I had to do the same thing. Once I supported the tree it was as though the tree could take a breath of relief; it could finally let go because it was supported.
In Iyengar Yoga, because we have the use of props, we can experience the same letting go. That letting go can arise in many ways, from one extreme to the other, from crying to laughing or feeling anger to feeling joy. Like the tree, we need that foundation in an asana or we are continuously holding on, not just physically but also mentally. So it is no wonder when we can finally get in a place of support that we can let go. Just compare the difference of doing a headstand in the middle of the room to doing a headstand hanging in the ropes. Once you accept the support, your body responds by letting go. In giving that support to the tree, I am giving it a chance to let go.
In Iyengar Yoga, because we have the use of props, we can experience the same letting go. That letting go can arise in many ways, from one extreme to the other, from crying to laughing or feeling anger to feeling joy. Like the tree, we need that foundation in an asana or we are continuously holding on, not just physically but also mentally. So it is no wonder when we can finally get in a place of support that we can let go. Just compare the difference of doing a headstand in the middle of the room to doing a headstand hanging in the ropes. Once you accept the support, your body responds by letting go. In giving that support to the tree, I am giving it a chance to let go.
Oct 16, 2010
Be familiar with the unknown
The importance of being you. The importance of being me. The importance of understanding who you are. The importance of understanding who I am. We as humans become familar with ourselves. I think we become so familar that we fall into a trap of thinking we really know who we are; it feels safe this way.
Most of us have busy lives, so the opportunity not to get caught up in that cycle of knowing comes around only once in a while. B.K.S. Iyengar says he is a student of Yoga. If this is true, then this doesn’t mean he starts his practice from a beginners’ level, but in his practice there is an unknown. When I practice headstand, for example, I place my arms and head in a way that I can connect with and receive energy from mother earth. That is something that a beginner needs to learn. Once in the pose I go through all the actions that I know; after that I can’t do anything more. Then comes the unknown. The unknown is a place of discovery. It’s a place of not being me, me doesn’t have anything to do with it, me needs to get out of the way. So in your life, find a time to not be you. Find a time to not be your job, not be a mother or father, or a son or daughter, or a wife or husband, just be.
Most of us have busy lives, so the opportunity not to get caught up in that cycle of knowing comes around only once in a while. B.K.S. Iyengar says he is a student of Yoga. If this is true, then this doesn’t mean he starts his practice from a beginners’ level, but in his practice there is an unknown. When I practice headstand, for example, I place my arms and head in a way that I can connect with and receive energy from mother earth. That is something that a beginner needs to learn. Once in the pose I go through all the actions that I know; after that I can’t do anything more. Then comes the unknown. The unknown is a place of discovery. It’s a place of not being me, me doesn’t have anything to do with it, me needs to get out of the way. So in your life, find a time to not be you. Find a time to not be your job, not be a mother or father, or a son or daughter, or a wife or husband, just be.
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