And asana is meditation for people who can’t sit still.
“Yoga” means “to yoke.” Yogic practices, such as meditation, asana, service, etc, create integrity by…The yogic practice of asana (the shapes we make with our bodies) links our conscious mind to our physical embodiment. We learn to feel ourselves. That is the magic. We spend a lifetime shutting down our feelings. Asana has the power to wake ourselves back up.
In these classes, we will learn to feel what is going on with ourselves, and feel it with increasing precision. We will use meditation, chanting, and asana to explore (there will be no definitive answers): First, what have we brought to the mat with us today? And second, how do we use what we have to move in the direction we want to go? Whatever “shape” helps us answer those questions, whatever version of an asana, whether modified or full, is the version we will choose. Choosing the version that best suits the moment is also the yoga! Over time, we begin to notice patterns within ourselves, as we do in meditation.
Asana certainly increases strength, flexibility, and balance. Those are side effects, however, bonus gifts for signing up before midnight tonight. By linking our consciousness to our bodies and increasing physical sensation, we are able to perceive a greater range of the physical and energetic stimuli we swim in. They say “the teacher appears when the student is ready.” Increased embodiment is one way we get ready. The teacher is always there, and we recognize the teachings by learning to listen.
We can look at the tissues of the body as if they were the strings of an instrument. The strings resonate at full capacity when they are the perfect balance of tense and flexible. When the strings are well tuned, they resonate sounds played upon them, and will also resonate with sounds played nearby. As we use asana to tune our own tissues, our energies become more focused, more tuned. And we resonate better, becoming more responsive, picking up the energies of others more accurately.
Thank you for visiting! I look forward to practicing together : )