 When we step on our yoga mat, we usually have multiple aims. Maintaining health We know we need to maintain our back health so that it isn't tweaky, or our knees need constant love (mine do). We might know that we need to unwind tension or relax our tight shoulders. We probably know that our nervous system is highly charged and could do with a reset, or that our energy is dissipated and needs refreshing. But at the same time as taking care of our bodies and minds, we are simultaneously stepping into a closer relationship with the present moment. Our practice invites us to leave behind the noise of the day. To step back from the constant demands of our to-do list and our relationships. And spend a closer moment in relationship with ourselves. Tuning out of the external demands, and tuning in to ourselves. Cultivating presence Presence is a word that is worth spending a moment with. This felt and immediate sense of every moment is always with us. It is here right now available to check in with. And it is easily and frequently overlooked. Life is full or distraction and noise. Being more fully present in our day allows us to enjoy the fruit of each moment more fully, to appreciate what a gift it is to take the breath we are taking, and to appreciate and get the most from the fleeting nature of the current stage of life that we are in. Don't miss it Before we wish the day away and want to get to the glass of wine at the end of the week, know that this moment, right now, is as good as when you finally sit down and enjoy your wine. The sip of wine isn't any better than the breath that you are taking now. Your frame of it is different. This moment is immediately here to notice as a fresh, spacious inspiration. The same awareness and presence is available now but is easily overlooked in preference for dreaming ahead or being busy with activity. When you get to Friday, you might be looking ahead again, or busily multi-tasking, and miss the sublime moment of wine in the glass. Worth being here Every time we get on our mat it is an invitation to be more present. To practice and cultivate paying closer attention to what is right in front of us, and allowing the other demands to drop away. I hope you find moments every day to practice this, as the more you spend time noticing the present moment, the sweeter life becomes.
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 Why in modern-day Bristol would we want to recite a mantra that is thousands of years old in an ancient and rarely spoken language?
Recently we have been learning the 'Sarva santhi' mantra. It is beautiful, ancient and in Sanskrit, the oldest language in existence. With precise rules around pronounciation, letter differentiation, pause, and rhythm the traditional repetition has lasted through the ages. Reciting it links us into a tradition of invoking peace into minds and hearts so that we can embody and encourage it. The chant asks for peace at all levels of existence, internally within ourselves and externally in the environment around us. Easing back ache increases peace In our yoga practice, we could view what what we are doing as strengthening internal peace in our bodies, our breath and our minds. Cultivating a state of steady, non-disturbance, reducing agitation, tension, pain and struggle. Less aching in our lower backs helps us discover more ease and peace in our minds. From a place of greater peace and clarity, we are better positioned to meet conflict, challenge, and to solve problems and engage in relationships. Ultimately this leads to better outcomes for everyone. Quiet warriors in a turbulent world. Embodying a calm demeanor with yourself, your body, your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues who will in turn become more regulated and calm and so the effect is amplified. A worthwhile pursuit. Here is a link to the chant sheet for 'Sarva santi'. Sarva Santi Chant Sheet > At first if will be hard to read. Feel free to print it out and bring it along to class and start to follow the words as you learn the sounds and rhythms of Sanskrit.  Postures are amazing for helping us gain whole body strength, mobility and stability - physically, mentally, emotionally and beyond.
We can do the postures in a technical way, follow the instructions, and we will get lots of wonderful benefits. So why refine beyond this? What does that even mean? Going further Further doesn't mean more extreme or complicated movements or harder postures. That can miss opportunities for a different kind of depth. See if these steps seem familiar to you: Step one When you first encounter a new posture, your body and awareness has to organise itself and figure it out, get engaged in exploring it, and find out how to do it, how it feels and how it effects you. That is an essential first step with the journey of yoga. Doing it, and feeling the benefits. Brilliant! But there's more if you care to explore ... Beyond this there is a depth to each posture than can remain untapped until we gain enough familiarity in what we are doing to allow more to happen and we get space to become curious in the many layers of yoga. Step two - familiarity Aspects of postures can start to come to the forefront more readily once we have experience taking them and know how to adapt them to suit us well. Our body has learned how to accomodate the challenges and find more stability in encountering them postively. In step 1, we are encountering the obvious challenges of 'doing the pose'. These challenges can become more subtle and more powerful with practice. Step three - beyond Beyond physical stability in the pose, we can start to noticing postural habits, perhaps blind spots come to the forefront as we discover how to let go or engage more effectively with our bodies. Placing the breath in the body in different ways, e.g. upper chest, or lower belly breathing, slowing the exhale, perhaps creating the ujjayi sound to accompany the physical challenge, there are lots of choices to create wonderful physical, energetic and psychological effects. Placing the attention to more subtle aspects and becoming more focused. Allowing our patterns to surface, and perhaps uncovering blind spots in our mental patterns that can come to the fore. Noticing emotional connections and levels of awareness that are beyond the everyday that allow a subtle yet powerful transformation of mental and physical patterns. You might not even notice it happening, but a year on you can look back and notice, wow, that is different. These layers and depths to our yoga continue to unfold as we become more grounded and established in what we are doing. And we invite the delight of postures and breath into us from top to toe. This of course requires regularity of practice to develop this. |
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Princes Place, Bishopston Just off Gloucester Road Bristol BS7 8NP |
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