Nearly 2,000 years ago, Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras: a guide to understanding the relationship between yoga and real life. If you think of the word "suture", Sutras are themes or threads that run throughout the practice, linking the physical asanas with the mind and emotions to become aware of patterns in our thoughts and behavior. Playing with the Yoga Sutras in my classes has been a fun way for me to deepen the practice for myself and my students.
The Yoga Sutra Citta says that if we can control the mind we can master the practice.
We awake every morning in neutral. Our thoughts and judgments shape everything into our cans and cannots. What if we used our yoga practice to focus only on the breath? The breath is neither good nor bad. It's just the breath. What if we could stay neutral, like the breath, and remain a witness to all that unfolds?
Example: one of my yoga students approached me before class with a laundry list of can'ts. "I'm 82 years old. I can't sit cross-legged comfortably. I can't do any poses that open the hips because I'm so tight. I'm not stretchy like I used to be. I can't balance. I can't..."
I suggested she be gentle with herself during class and use props to make the poses more comfortable. She went on to say, "I can't use blocks. They're not comfortable. I can't..."
As the rest of the class came into the room and got settled, I revealed the focus for the class: Citta. I invited them to drop the judgments and BE the breath.
Guess what? That student was able to do everything as I instructed from balancing tree pose to hip opening pigeon. She was able to do it because she stopped thinking that she couldn't. I kept a close eye on her and offered modifications when necessary.
When you are the breath, there are no limitations. The breath is fluid. The breath is free. This is yoga.
The Yoga Sutra Citta says that if we can control the mind we can master the practice.
We awake every morning in neutral. Our thoughts and judgments shape everything into our cans and cannots. What if we used our yoga practice to focus only on the breath? The breath is neither good nor bad. It's just the breath. What if we could stay neutral, like the breath, and remain a witness to all that unfolds?
Example: one of my yoga students approached me before class with a laundry list of can'ts. "I'm 82 years old. I can't sit cross-legged comfortably. I can't do any poses that open the hips because I'm so tight. I'm not stretchy like I used to be. I can't balance. I can't..."
I suggested she be gentle with herself during class and use props to make the poses more comfortable. She went on to say, "I can't use blocks. They're not comfortable. I can't..."
As the rest of the class came into the room and got settled, I revealed the focus for the class: Citta. I invited them to drop the judgments and BE the breath.
Guess what? That student was able to do everything as I instructed from balancing tree pose to hip opening pigeon. She was able to do it because she stopped thinking that she couldn't. I kept a close eye on her and offered modifications when necessary.
When you are the breath, there are no limitations. The breath is fluid. The breath is free. This is yoga.
RSS Feed