Lots of people are out there talking about what modern yoga is. For me, Erich Schiffmann is still my main teacher because he doesnt go there and thats very refreshing. To him its all pretty clear, and wow is this fantastic when we allow for it. Basically Erich says (paraphrasing) that when were in an asana its a good place to start trusting our intuition. Does this feel good, or does that feel good? Is this right? Or is that right? Alignment helps us become aware and able to make these choices. Once we know how to pay attention to what something feels like, then we think less and simply trust more. Learning how to do this on the yoga mat is great because it primes us for doing the same thing in everyday life situations. We learn how to listen to our instincts and make decisions that intuitively feel authentic and clear. Or, as Krishnamurti says, there is the possibility of total action without regret, which is the only way that life takes on an extraordinary sense of beauty and meaning. (This last bit isnt Erich but my own conclusions). In my last few classes Ive been teaching that when doing yoga, we often come up against experiences that make us feel awkward or push us to experience new thresholds. Instead of our normal habit of tensing against these, resisting, or feeling frustrated, we have a great opportunity to figure out ways to encounter something challenging and then relax. Or as Chogyam Trungpa says, we can meet our edge, and soften. It always seems impossible until its done (to quote Margi Young, thanks Richard Mccarthy!).
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 19:39:40 +0000
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