Its been almost an year of yoga. The charm of yoga still gets me some days. So many poses to practice, so many dimensions to grow in, strength, flexibility all that yoga is about is just too much to take in. Yoga room gives me new goals in every class. Every pose every class is a new discovery. As experience deepens, more body awakening happens.
There are few more pointers I picked up in my practice.
Twist : Who likes twists? Most of the beginners like me have no idea what they mean by twist. Its only when you experience it after a few months, you gauge the range in which your body can move. The basis of a twist is centered body. When you twist in triangle pose, look up towards your hand, straighten it without putting pressure on your supporting leg or hand, raise your chest inhale and then twist back. Seated twist are kind of warmups for these.
Shavasana : Shavasana is the most important and ignored pose in yoga classes. I mean literally I have teachers who advertise in shavasana about teachers training and discounts. Again, that doesn't mean I give up on it, its a purely internal process that we do to release our body after a yoga class. Its not just breathing or lying down, try this dialogue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsHuGPp9qJo
Bikram : Bikram is a very argued class, its hot its damaging. Well, it kind of is. But there is no other class that has this many poses with specific cues on how to get it right. They train teachers with a defined guideline. My point here is hydrate, choose your spot and rest or just do one set if its too much. If heat really bothers, do it in your home. Just don't quit on it. It sets basis for so many other forms of yoga poses. Its wonderful.
Relax n stretch : When they say stretch, I hear people puffing over extending themselves pushing. A stretch should be one of the relaxing poses, if you are not flexible let it grow on you. I couldn't do forward fold, then one day I figured, lets follow the cue but not force anything. With every breath just relaxing into it helped a ton more than any other thing did. Let gravity help you.
Back: Backbends are my favorite ones. With advanced bikram class, this trick dawned on me. In a backbend, you first inhale raise your chest, then hands stick with ears, feel this straight posture from legs to head, then move back, rise with every inhale. In every exhale lower back works. Its like a dance. If I go too fast, it hurts for days. Curve is created with chest up and then lower back just rhymes with it.
Stomach : Honestly, my stomach is dead. When they say abs, i have no idea how it feels like which is something I should be working on. So sucking in stomach doesn't mean you stop breathing. When we go down for rabbit pose, we inhale take stomach in, even when we tuck in chin, the whole other body is rising. It plays a vital role in so many poses. If I get this one thing nailed, this will change so many poses and increase my strength. More you tuck in stomach, better you inhale and rise. So get used to that feeling.
Knees: Lock your knees, lock your knees. Lets try this sitting. Flex your feet so much calves touch floor. This is the locking position we want in all the balances. Its that simple. Try standing head to knee, just focus on your standing leg, don't stretch your leg to mirror. When you stretch, it should be like your leg is parallel to floor and you are lifted in pose. Try going on toes and feel the sensation. This one tip changed all my standing poses and protected my knee. In warrior 2, never let your knee go lateral. It should be straight. After some time, looking at other people's poses also gave me the idea why knees might hurt.
Soft focus : Focus focus focus, this is yoga teacher's favorite word. Just focus on your third eye. Yeah we need focus but not the kind that makes you pull your eyebrows together. Its how you look at someone you love, softly lovingly with slow breaths. When there is no pushing, pose creates itself.
Setting up posture : In my initial classes, all I cared about was getting into pose. Its so important to pay attention to setting up pose. It eliminates so many mistakes we make. Listen to setting up cues carefully. Supporting or staying in pose depends entirely on setting it up perfectly to your body's capabilities.
Coming out of posture : Yep skipped this one too. I see people barely holding up poses, as soon as she says come out they are down without any precautions. While coming out, never hurry, take it slow, release joints carefully.
Executing posture : Executing pose is just staying in it after setting it up. Lets try plane pose, so we moved from warrior 1, now in plane pose keep your chest lifted, leg lifted like a string connects to you a tight rope and you have no option but to be calm and lifted. With every breath, lift your chest lift your leg, with exhale relax into it. In triangle, you are twisting continuously but with controlled breaths. No matter what happens, if it makes you feel like a cardio race, come out of it gently and go for shavasana.
Breathing : Why do we do yoga? Why do we stay in poses for long time? Is it to lose weight or is it to be an acrobat? Nope its to gain control on our breathing, when we can control them and bring them to a slower pace even in a headstand, that is true yoga. That is the purpose. That is how we align our body energies. Every pose is about aligning body energy with breath. No puffing, no loud exhales like someone strangled you, this should be your natural state. That is the comfort you are looking for. That is the yoga we all should be doing.
Flexing of feet : Flexing of feet helps with lots of poses. When we flex, our calves touch ground and gives a solid base for standing poses and folds.
Practice alone : Usually my spot is in a corner where I see no one, just myself. It helps in many ways, of course there is no distraction of other people's practices, their breathing doesn't affect me, their restlessness doesn't get to me. If I could just practice in nature, it would be ultimate goal. That way my yoga will improve in folds. Sometimes I phase out teachers voices and follow my internal voice.
Namaste : Instructor says shavasana and we roll on mat like a cat. Before going on mat, bow to yourself, thank your body mind for this amazing support on mat, for not straying , for not failing you. Most of all, it is for you, by thanking you establish a gratefulness with yourself for showing up for practice. Everytime I smile and bow down, something in me glows.
Strength: Soft strong focus and strength that is not moved by mind's weak suggestions. Mind will say, lets rest for a while, its for us to see if we really need it or we can push further in our practice. Get this strength and determination in practice.
Grace : Last but not least, whatever you do in life, be yoga or cooking or waking, do it with grace and elegance. When you do yoga with grace, its like a dance where you move in coordinated soft flow. Your face starts showing it. Your body starts feeling it. Its magic, plain magic.
NAMASTE
There are few more pointers I picked up in my practice.
Twist : Who likes twists? Most of the beginners like me have no idea what they mean by twist. Its only when you experience it after a few months, you gauge the range in which your body can move. The basis of a twist is centered body. When you twist in triangle pose, look up towards your hand, straighten it without putting pressure on your supporting leg or hand, raise your chest inhale and then twist back. Seated twist are kind of warmups for these.
Shavasana : Shavasana is the most important and ignored pose in yoga classes. I mean literally I have teachers who advertise in shavasana about teachers training and discounts. Again, that doesn't mean I give up on it, its a purely internal process that we do to release our body after a yoga class. Its not just breathing or lying down, try this dialogue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsHuGPp9qJo
Bikram : Bikram is a very argued class, its hot its damaging. Well, it kind of is. But there is no other class that has this many poses with specific cues on how to get it right. They train teachers with a defined guideline. My point here is hydrate, choose your spot and rest or just do one set if its too much. If heat really bothers, do it in your home. Just don't quit on it. It sets basis for so many other forms of yoga poses. Its wonderful.
Relax n stretch : When they say stretch, I hear people puffing over extending themselves pushing. A stretch should be one of the relaxing poses, if you are not flexible let it grow on you. I couldn't do forward fold, then one day I figured, lets follow the cue but not force anything. With every breath just relaxing into it helped a ton more than any other thing did. Let gravity help you.
Back: Backbends are my favorite ones. With advanced bikram class, this trick dawned on me. In a backbend, you first inhale raise your chest, then hands stick with ears, feel this straight posture from legs to head, then move back, rise with every inhale. In every exhale lower back works. Its like a dance. If I go too fast, it hurts for days. Curve is created with chest up and then lower back just rhymes with it.
Stomach : Honestly, my stomach is dead. When they say abs, i have no idea how it feels like which is something I should be working on. So sucking in stomach doesn't mean you stop breathing. When we go down for rabbit pose, we inhale take stomach in, even when we tuck in chin, the whole other body is rising. It plays a vital role in so many poses. If I get this one thing nailed, this will change so many poses and increase my strength. More you tuck in stomach, better you inhale and rise. So get used to that feeling.
Knees: Lock your knees, lock your knees. Lets try this sitting. Flex your feet so much calves touch floor. This is the locking position we want in all the balances. Its that simple. Try standing head to knee, just focus on your standing leg, don't stretch your leg to mirror. When you stretch, it should be like your leg is parallel to floor and you are lifted in pose. Try going on toes and feel the sensation. This one tip changed all my standing poses and protected my knee. In warrior 2, never let your knee go lateral. It should be straight. After some time, looking at other people's poses also gave me the idea why knees might hurt.
Soft focus : Focus focus focus, this is yoga teacher's favorite word. Just focus on your third eye. Yeah we need focus but not the kind that makes you pull your eyebrows together. Its how you look at someone you love, softly lovingly with slow breaths. When there is no pushing, pose creates itself.
Setting up posture : In my initial classes, all I cared about was getting into pose. Its so important to pay attention to setting up pose. It eliminates so many mistakes we make. Listen to setting up cues carefully. Supporting or staying in pose depends entirely on setting it up perfectly to your body's capabilities.
Coming out of posture : Yep skipped this one too. I see people barely holding up poses, as soon as she says come out they are down without any precautions. While coming out, never hurry, take it slow, release joints carefully.
Executing posture : Executing pose is just staying in it after setting it up. Lets try plane pose, so we moved from warrior 1, now in plane pose keep your chest lifted, leg lifted like a string connects to you a tight rope and you have no option but to be calm and lifted. With every breath, lift your chest lift your leg, with exhale relax into it. In triangle, you are twisting continuously but with controlled breaths. No matter what happens, if it makes you feel like a cardio race, come out of it gently and go for shavasana.
Breathing : Why do we do yoga? Why do we stay in poses for long time? Is it to lose weight or is it to be an acrobat? Nope its to gain control on our breathing, when we can control them and bring them to a slower pace even in a headstand, that is true yoga. That is the purpose. That is how we align our body energies. Every pose is about aligning body energy with breath. No puffing, no loud exhales like someone strangled you, this should be your natural state. That is the comfort you are looking for. That is the yoga we all should be doing.
Flexing of feet : Flexing of feet helps with lots of poses. When we flex, our calves touch ground and gives a solid base for standing poses and folds.
Practice alone : Usually my spot is in a corner where I see no one, just myself. It helps in many ways, of course there is no distraction of other people's practices, their breathing doesn't affect me, their restlessness doesn't get to me. If I could just practice in nature, it would be ultimate goal. That way my yoga will improve in folds. Sometimes I phase out teachers voices and follow my internal voice.
Namaste : Instructor says shavasana and we roll on mat like a cat. Before going on mat, bow to yourself, thank your body mind for this amazing support on mat, for not straying , for not failing you. Most of all, it is for you, by thanking you establish a gratefulness with yourself for showing up for practice. Everytime I smile and bow down, something in me glows.
Strength: Soft strong focus and strength that is not moved by mind's weak suggestions. Mind will say, lets rest for a while, its for us to see if we really need it or we can push further in our practice. Get this strength and determination in practice.
Grace : Last but not least, whatever you do in life, be yoga or cooking or waking, do it with grace and elegance. When you do yoga with grace, its like a dance where you move in coordinated soft flow. Your face starts showing it. Your body starts feeling it. Its magic, plain magic.
NAMASTE
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