Mary Taylor (Richard Freemans wife -_-) replied to many comments on YogaGlo. Heres the collection of it. Yes, we find Ashtanga so peaceful. Yet by nature because there are the series that seem more and more impossible to master one can become caught by the mind into thinking that the point is to get the next pose rather than to go deeply into breath, gaze and movement as a meditative form. My experience with practices through which we cultivate a more calm mind state is that those that have focused attention do the trick. When we can tune into the breath, the gaze and a coordination of movement with these elements, the mind has time and space to rest during the practice. And that has a residual effect on the whole body and mind for a long time after the practice ends. On busy days when the mind MUST be on line, its very helpful to draw the mind in through some intensity and uninterrupted movement at the beginning of a practice and then watch as it starts letting go of discursive thought and trusting breath and movement. And at that point allowing the internal forms to take over and calm down the system. So a 30 minute practice usually is good to start of with something familiar (like some sun salutations), then do some grounding poses (a few standing postures)--moving through both sun salutations and standing smoothly without stopping to analyze too much--and then go into some simple finishing postures for the last 15 to 20 minutes. Taking time to really rely on the bodys ability to relax and restore naturally when the mind is alert yet calm. I found this one really calming and energizing at the same time and enjoyed the practice even if i personally get really bored with just a sun salutation. Just sun salutation can be boring sometimes, but as my teacher, Pattabhi Jois used to say--if you do 48 sun salutations, you dont feel crazy. So sometimes when there isnt too much time or when youre feeling a bit off kilter, it can be interesting to experiment with it as a solo form of practice. As we get older, we DO have to rely more on paying attention to the subtle aspects of form and alignment that translate into the joints. We love the Ashtanga form and sometimes slowing it down just a bit in a guided format can reveal the intelligence of stringing the postures together in a meditative flow for daily practice. We do SO many upward downward dogs as we practice, its sometimes easy to get into habitual patterns that then let us just slide along rather than wake up the pose. When we manage to integrate the internal forms of the practice--the breathing, movement and gaze then it can be very relaxing indeed. Its a form of practice we hope to be able to do--maybe not always as rigorously, but in terms of the vinyasa of the breath and movement--till the end. It IS possible to practice dristi with the eyes closed--internal dristi--but for asana practice (and often for meditation) having the eyes open allows for more of an integrative feel because we are able to focus on the external environment as well as the external environment simultaneously.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 12:32:33 +0000
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