Volume 4 Issue 3

March, 2003

THELMA and LOUISE

I have 2 dogs, Thelma and Louise, who have taught me quite a bit about discipline.  They are large but still behave like puppies, so we attended obedience training together.  There I learned how how to read with them (they already knew how to read and manipulate me), how to listen and communicate.  I had to use a choker chain as  a reminder when one or both were not paying attention.  Initially I was concerned about the chain.  However, they were the ones to ease my mind.  If Thelma does not want  to be involved, she lies down and will not get up.  She weighs over 70 pounds, so this adds quite a bit of weight to her argument.  If Louise wants out of a situation, she yelps and jumps.  Her “I’m getting out of here” jump is actually a hop, to the side.  It’s fun to watch, and, I believe, quite clever.  For things that particularly bother them they will stand ground and bark.  Louise especially has a problem with empty boxes.  She will stand and bark at a box for long periods of time before she decides its okay to leave the nasty box alone, that it knows its place.  She never is totally sure that the box could not renew its threat, but she is secure for the moment.  The chain never evoked any of these reactions from Thelma and Louise.

As yoga becomes more and more popular in this country there are more and more styles from which to choose.  When the name of the style is used to describe the Guru or the population that would best benefit from the class, I understand.  Anything else confuses me.  I understand Kundalini, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Viniyoga, yoga for teens, for older adults, for women, etc.  I do not understand what gentle and power yoga are.  There is nothing gentle about yoga practice and all yoga is empowering.  So, what do either of those terms tell me?  When I asked my students, “What is gentle yoga?” They said,  "Gentle yoga is not a backbend class, it is not Ashtanga or Bikram.”  But, they could not describe “gentle.” At times the term gentle is used alongside “nurturing.”  Nurturing is encouraging, cultivating, fostering.  We turn the soil to cultivate new life.  We encourage our children to try harder.  We foster growth.  None of these acts imply gentle.

Yoga practice is challenging.  It demands discipline.  Beyond the discipline of getting on the mat each day is the more daunting discipline of being in the practice each moment.  With hatha yoga we are embodying our spirit.  The act of bringing ourselves more into our bodies is not one that can be called gentle.  Giving birth is not gentle.  We are forced into leaving the womb of delusion and rhythmically moved toward reality.  The practice does not allow the luxury of denying pain and discomfort.  It is not a “no pain, no gain” practice, rather it is a practice “know pain, know gain.”  We are not asked to bring pain, however, we must real-ize that there is pain.

Thelma and Louise show me how mind works.  They each have different methods of getting their own way.  I say, “Thelma, down.”  She gets down off the couch and goes to the chair.  This is sort of a half—down.  She can live with it.  Can I?  Louise, on the other hand, will hop down quickly.  Then, she waits.  She creeps closer and closer, a little at a time, until she is back on the couch.  She must have the couch.  I see the same phenomena in yoga class when I watch students respond to instructions.  I say, “Lift the kneecaps.”  Some students sort of do that.  Their kneecaps are sort of lifted.  Will that do?  Some will lift their kneecaps quickly, and just as quickly forget.  Their minds are back where they were before the instruction.  The mind can give up and settle for something just as good.  Or, it may just wait until discipline is low and creep back to the couch, the place of laziness and forgetfulness.  We forget what we are doing.  We forget our intention. 

In Light on Pranayama Guruji Iyengar dedicates an entire chapter to savasana.  Many of us look forward to this part of our practice because we revel in the stillness there, usually with no effort on our part.  We often look like bags of laundry lying about on the floor, with just as little consciousness of what is happening.   This lack of consciousness can be seen throughout our entire practice.  How can we maintain our vigilance and keep a steady mind on our intention?  We must nurture our emerging awareness.  We must keep from falling asleep to our intention.  This is hard.  It’s not that we don’t seek ease in the pose, we do, the ease of equanimity.  Being at ease in yoga does not mean resting.  It means we are in balance.  To maintain this balance requires a mighty effort of both mind and body.  When the mind and body are working together with the same intention, we have ease.  We experience stillness.

There must be balance, otherwise the knowledge that there is pain will send our minds further from the truth.  Balance of the body and mind comes from effort.  Cease barking at the empty boxes of pain, suffering and delusion.  Observe them closely.  Don’t walk away, look and see that they are just empty boxes. 

It’s not what you call your yoga, it’s what you do, that counts.  Never forget your intention.  Do not be gentle.  There is no time.

Nurture your being.  

Be relentless in your practice. 

Accept your power.

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SURYA NAMASKAR

I have found the paradox that

 if I love until it hurts, then

 there is no hurt, only more

 love

- Mother Teresa

From the unreal to the real

From the darkness to light

From death to immortality

Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

- Sanskrit Prayer

Surya is sun. Namaskar is to name, to greet.  Surya Namaskar is Sun Salute.  This vinyasa is traditionally practiced in the morning before sunrise.  It is invigorating and good for digestion.  If the postures are done between jumpings “the fast movements and quick change in position ensure freedom of movement, creating agility and flexibility and improving blood circulation.  The dull brain becomes active and the brooding mind gets refreshed” (Preliminary Course, Geeta Iyengar).

The postures flow smoothly from one to the next and are performed in rhythm with the breath.  The postures should be precise and held for a minimal time.   Synchronize the movements of the arms, legs and trunk to reach the pose at the same time. 

Surya Namaskar should not be practiced by those with heart conditions, are pregnant or are menstruating.  There are other sequences that are more beneficial for these persons. 

For even one who treads the

 path, the stormy senses can

 sweep off the mind.

  - Bhagavad Gita

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