|
Volume 3 Issue 3 March, 2002 |
|
|||||||||||
Practice Guide
Asana Tips ...the most important point is that you should feel comfortable and relaxed when practicing an asana. - B.K.S. Iyengar
question: Which is the last prop we give up?
answer: The floor.
|
The other day a friend of mine was complaining about her inability to do a certain yoga posture. She is a very flexible yogini. She could be a poster girl for many poses, but this one eludes her. She is frustrated. One of the marvels of yoga is that it is a pursuit that we become even better at as we get older, so she holds out hope. Still, time marches on and this posture is not getting any easier for her. A couple of years ago I found myself not wanting to work in my yoga practice. It had always been one of great physical and mental effort, but I found that I just didn’t have it in me to work so hard, mentally or physically. I was afraid I had lost my desire for practice altogether. I didn’t even enjoy restoratives, because they required too much mental effort to quiet the tornados of my mind. To overcome these physical and mental hurdles I changed my approach. After years of telling myself not to become attached to the outcomes, ie. the posture, I had finally become ambivalent. Though born of disinterest and languor, not from some disciplined, wise space, there it was. It didn’t matter to me anymore whether I did the best ever triangle or was able to get as deep into backbends as I had the year before. As I relaxed in my efforts to create gorgeous, feel-good postures, I actually became much more accomplished than I expected, and more comfortable. To gain in a yoga posture, we must let go. We must let go of ambition, of attachment to a successful outcome, and of inappropriate, nonproductive muscular tension. When I was young it was common to use alphabet blocks as an aid for learning. We also used counting sticks to learn math functions. As soon as we didn’t need these any more we were more learned, mature, wiser. We were big kids. We didn’t need those baby training wheels anymore. I was brought up to think that accomplishments made with little or no assistance were somehow more valuable than those with. Independent action was lauded as nearly God-like. It was the framework for all my aspirations and goals. Prop work in yoga is often looked at similarly. We believe props are only for beginners, the injured, ill, or less fit. While it is true that those populations can benefit from the use of props, they can provide much more. Props actually allow a student to open doors of discovery that are closed when too much effort is made. With a prop we can remain in a posture for a longer time, time which can be well spent on reflection and release. I may believe that I am resting in a brilliant yoga posture. I have attained excellent alignment. My face, hands, feet, shoulders, groins, armpits have become open and soft. As a matter of fact, I might believe this to be my personal best. My teacher walks up to me and points out adjustments that, once made, bring me to a brighter place, a new personal best. The fact that my teacher could identify shortcomings tells me that I am still muscling my way into postures. What I believed I had accomplished I had not. What was the difference? Resting in the confidence I have in my teacher I was able to relax even more, to open more, to move more into improved alignment not just musculoskeletal, but organic and energetic. While my teacher’s adjustment was beneficial, it is his support that makes the major difference. It is this difference that props give us. Their role is that of a supportive teacher. The way a prop supports or pushes or guides us teaches the directions the body must take to become truly free from agitation. The support of a prop gives us the confidence needed to truly rest, to abide in a posture. Though props do not use words, they speak loud and clear. We are creatures of habit. One of the pitfalls in our practice is our reliance on the success of our habits. Habits arise from necessity. They are strategies that keep us from being injured physically or emotionally. Holding the breath stabilizes the low back in backbends. Though that gives comfort, it limits the ability to relax and move deeper into a back-bending posture. How do we convince the diaphragm that the job it has done so well for so long is no longer required or desired? We must give it the opportunity to observe for itself the safety of the situation. Props allow us to hold our postures in a safe way for longer periods of time, thus convincing the body of its own safety. Once convinced the body, then the mind, relaxes. Props allow us to observe length and breadth in an area of the body. If the body and mind function as though the prop is indeed a body part, learning occurs. Our mental and physical intelligence expands. The posture becomes integrated and is no longer a gymnastic trick. It is yoga. |
|||||||||||
|
SALAMBA SARVANGASANA
Salamba Sarvangasana on a Chair
The yoga asana practiced with props is unique in that it is the only form of exercise which allows both action and relaxation simultaneously. - B.K.S. Iyengar |
In Sarvangasana (shoulderstand) the body’s inverted weight is supported by the shoulders. The upper back must move deeply into the body. The sternum lifts, the lower front ribs move towards the hips, the hips lift away from the waist. The body is light. This requires great flexion at the base of the neck (C6-7) and simultaneous extension of the neck from C6 to the base of the skull (C1). This is simply not possible for many of us. To adjust, the body tilts back away from the head. The hips are not aligned over the shoulders, the chest will not be open. The arms must work to support the weight of the leaning torso. 3-5 folded blankets beneath the shoulders and bent elbows with the head on the floor takes away the demand for such extreme flexion at C6-7. This provides a more vertical spine and the ability to move the upper back deeper into the body. Sarvangasana with the pelvis supported by a chair seat takes some of the weight off the shoulders and the upper back while aligning the spine. Holding onto the back legs of the chair further opens the chest and shoulders. The upper back moving into the body, the chest more open, the sternum lifting all bring lightness to the body. A more vertical Sarvangasana is the product. Sarvangasana is a relaxing posture. If you find yourself gasping for breath you know you are not relaxed. Let the props cradle you. Abide in Sarvangasana.
|
|||||||||||
