As I was reading this article in the New York Times, "The Joy of Quiet," I realized that for many people finding some space and time for silence is considered a luxury:
At Detroit Yoga, we offer a space to practice in virtual silence, with nothing to listen to but the sound of our breath (and cues from the teacher). If you are not used to silence, it can perhaps feel uncomfortable at first - as a society, we've become so addicted to distractions to keep us from our own selves. As Blaise Pascal stated, "Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries, and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries."
Our aim in yoga, through the physical asanas and meditation, is to still the mind. By eliminating the surface distractions that just give us temporary pleasure, we are working to create a deeper level of peace and stillness, something long-lasting.
For me personally, when I spend too much time on the computer or in front of a screen, I feel empty and irritated. It's through the silence of my yoga and meditation practice that I feel healthy and whole again.
Jason has often said in class, “An advanced technique is a basic one that is mastered.”
While reading the blog post today from the author of Buddha’s Brian, Rick Hanson, Ph.D., I was reminded about how this is true for more than just your yoga practice. http://networkedblogs.com/qST8j?a=share&ref=nf
Let’s take it back to our yoga practice. To be the best we can be, we need to take a look at our foundations. For example, if you’ve ever practiced sun salutations for an extended period of time, you start to notice more subtleties within your body, and even though you may have done thousands of them, each one becomes new and slightly different. Your breath becomes smoother, your inward focus becomes deeper, your movements may start aligning more closely with your even breathing.
So remember, next time you practice, be on the lookout for times when you start to run on autopilot, especially when moving through familiar postures. Use that as an opportunity to master the basics – breath and posture.
I love this quote attributed to Mark Twain. “They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it.”
I recently viewed a video on YouTube of B.K.S. Iyengar from the 1970s:
He must have been around 60 years old.
It makes me realize that we really don’t know what our limits are. Yes, we will get older and “things” will come up, but do you resign yourself to the fact that you won’t or can’t do certain things as you age? I never would have guessed I’d start yoga at age 34 and end up teaching it. I’d never guessed that I’d be in the best shape in my life at 46, both physically and mentally.
Why set limits? It’s better to just to prepare yourself to work as hard as you can for as long as you can in order to be the best you that you can be instead of deciding that you can’t or that it’s too late.
Arthur C. Clarke, one of my favorite authors, once said, “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” Are you ready?
Injuries are a great teacher of patience. No matter what physical activity you pursue, at some time you may suffer from some injury. What I love about Ashtanga Yoga is that you can usually modify in some way in order to keep practicing. Certainly, there are cases when time off is much needed for healing, but with most minor injuries, you can modify your Ashtanga practice so that you can keep practicing to breathe, be attentive, patience, persistent, calm, and focused while still maintaining some strength and flexibility.
When I needed hand surgery to repair a cut tendon, all I could think about was losing my Yoga practice. Being persistent and committed to my practice though, I was able to still practice Ashtanga – even with a cast and a splint. For months, I had to modify sun salutations and all vinyasas until I could once again use my arm. Still, I had limited wrist movement, but I continued to practice a modified Ashtanga five days a week. Looking back now, those four months seemed like such a short time.
So if you are injured, don’t despair. Be patient as you heal. Remember the impermanence of the injury, and remember the importance of maintaining your practice.
The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.
I love books. As a former English teacher, books were what I did. Reading and writing about reading. Reading about what people were reading. So I read. I read lots of books at one time. I read some all the way through, and some I skip around in.
If you love books, too, then you might want to join my Goodreads page. I listed books I have read, some maybe not all the way through in order, but great reference books. I kept my list here limited to Yoga and related books:
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