Backdrops and Backbends 

I always feel they are the heart of my Ashtanga practice. If I do not have a lot of time I still always make sure I include them, somehow it feels this is where the deepest release happens. My friend and yoga teacher Erika recently quoted Swami Yogananda saying that 'God is in the spine'. It truly feels that the most direct way to awaken kundalini is through some nice sweet backbends!

                                          

                               .... feeling so blessed.....om shanti shanti shanti

                      Consistency in a yoga practice.

Ashtanga yoga is all about consistency and devotion. The Buddha describes the mind as a wild elephant, dangerous and sometimes harming itself and others. In the Bhagavad Gita the mind is seen as a chariot that is driven by two wild horses that when there is no charioteer rampage out of control and cause harm. The two horses are the senses and emotions (pain and pleasure) that govern the untamed mind.

The yoga practice is a tool to help discipline the mind and rather than being ruled by emotions, can then become a powerful ally. Sometimes in the Western world, yoga is mainly seen as a physical exercise. And it is true, the asana improve circulation and vitality of the body as well as strength inside and out. However, the main goal is to gain some control over the mind so that we can be more focused and consistent and consistently well.
The mind fluctuates by nature from fear to interest and back to fear. It is inconsistent and unreliable. 

Also, it is the nature of the ego mind to arise in the form of excuses in order to prevent us from emancipation. It is sometimes compared to the snake that lures Jesus in the desert. It offers Jesus all his riches if he resigns his quest for the truth and follows him instead.
Practising yoga in the morning without excuse is a way to override these deeply rooted tendencies. It is not important how ‘advanced’ the yoga practice is, this is simply an outer appearance. What matters is the inner disposition, the willingness to step on the mat no matter what. Important is the consistency of the practice and the quality rather than the quantity. And again, quality here is not measured by physical advancement but rather by the fluency of the breath, the inward focus of attention and a reverent humble attitude. A teacher then can help to encourage the student and to guide the practice and to invite them to be consistent.

In the West, students who take up the yoga practice often misunderstand it as a physical exercise and just practise when they feel up for it, have the money or time for it.

Ashtanga however, encourages you to step on the mat each day no matter what. It does not matter what excuses the mind comes up with. If the body feels weak the practise can be adapted. A short light practice is great and much better than no practice at all. What matters is to step on the mat and give it your best on that day. This is how inner strength is cultivated. We learn how to overcome the lurings of the mind which then can be used as a powerful tool in the struggles and challenges of life. It is easily seen how this can be taken off the mat.

Often students ask what do I need to do to advance? And often they mean to become more flexible. My answer would be to cultivate consistency, humility and devotion. When I travel around the globe to see my family in Europe and meet with other yogis I have almost no interruption to my daily yoga practice. I have practiced in multiple hotel rooms, alongside swimming pools, airport runways, in airplanes and airports all over the world. I practise the day before I leave and the day after i arrive on the other side. It doesn’t matter if time zones and weather changes dramatically from winter to summer and back from night to day. It doesn’t matter if I am tired or weak or hungry or short of time. One thing that never changes is my daily practise. I am not worried about space or temperature or time. I just step on my mat and see what will happen. What matter is that I take that step. It has always been rewarded. I rarely get sick, ill or stiff from days in the airplanes, the jetlag lasts a few days. I take up my normal routine of work and practice the day after land. There is no disruption because a daily yoga practice cultivates an inner strength that translates onto the body and the mind.

What does is mean to be one hundred percent free? Like the clouds in the sky and the bark on the trees? No thought that troubles the mind, nothing to think of at all.    Just being   

                                                

                                                   

This is Yoga

you can study you can learn but who will teach you this happiness? that does not come or go, does not need a reason to be there, does not require things to be beautiful

                                                                  Sutra 1.1: ATHA                                 YOGANUSASANAM: Now, instruction in Yoga

               

                                                             Sutra 1.2: 

         yogash chitta vritti nirodhah

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोध :Yoga is restraining the 

thought-streams natural to the mind

Sutra 1.3:

TADĀ DRASTUH SVARŪPE ‘VASTHĀNAM:

Then the Seer abides in His own nature

                                  

Then the Seer is Free

Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7

Tat Tvam Asi  तत् त्वम् असि or तत्त्वमसि
:You are That

                                You are That

The Sirsasana Sequence

In the last days the ‘seven deadly’ headstands have been my best companions. They finish off the intermediate Ashtanga yoga series. Usually at that point my body is rather exhausted and I can only think of food. In a way this is the perfect point for the headstand series because it invites you re-focus. Ashtanga is such a great practise because it is like a moving mediation. The constant flow of the breath and the counting of the vinyasa induce a highly introspect and meditative state.

Also, each asana requires such attention that the mind simply has no chance to come up with anything else but: “how to do this right now”.

There is only space for now in the Ashtanga practise.

So when I start to slow down in the practise towards the end and the mind really wants to jump to what to do next, the headstands bring the focus back to the centre. In every way. Because there are seven consecutive positions they cannot be done half way or half minded. If I lose the attention only one second I lose my balance and I am not properly prepared for the next variation. The system of Ashtanga is so cleverly devised that one asana builds onto the next and if you cheat or do one asana half way it will be felt in the next.

This is why Ashtanga is so strict. But in a loving way. It asks only the best of you every day and full attention. If you cheat you notice it immediately, there is no hiding.

I always loved that. I do not want to hide. I know I have some things to resolve still in this life. But I do not want to delay or hide more than I must before I am fully ready. So each day, Ashtanga gives me the opportunity to check in and see what is left in hiding. Why I just don’t lower padmasana all the way in Karandavasana.  Why I don’t jump up with both legs.

At the same time, when the question comes up like this during practise there is no judgement, one simply observes and lets go because there are only 5 breaths to contemplate each pose. There is no chance to get stuck in any asana. You try your best on the day and then let it go.

It is like zooming in on something particular very intensely for 5 breaths and then release it back into the universe.

There is also something about ‘really trying’. I find this in teaching but also in my own practise. Sometimes I practise an asana for years and it never changes. At some stage it comes to my attention and I realise that I simply never put sincere effort into the depth of it. 

All of these different strands and the infinite more that are revealed each day and that weave the pattern of asana are brought into some form of centrifugal concentration with the sirsasana variations at the end of the intermediate. Where is your mind? Where is your balance? Where is your concentration? Where is your sincere effort? Where is your strength? Where is your centre?

Thank you Ashtanga Guruji for this relentless pointing

HOME MADE HEALTHY SOUL FOOD…on a summer’s day...yuuuum

                                     

 Wholemeal spelt pizza.....

..wholemeal fresh pasta with chickpeas, avocado, paprika, tomatoe and basil

HAPPY PRACTISING 

IMPROVING BALANCE IN YOGA

People who are new to yoga, often struggle with balance.

There are some key points that might be useful to consider.

CALM MIND

I find that balancing poses are often a great mirror for our state of mind. If the mind is busy and distracted and already onto things that need be done after the class or other distracting thoughts, balancing becomes considerably harder.

In order for balance to occur the mind must quiet down. A helpful tool to calm the mind is to focus on the drishti or point of focus with the eyes. Usually for standing poses this is a point in front of you on the floor.

Focusing on the steady rhythm of breath, also helps to centre the attention.

Simply allow yourself to breathe and let go of thoughts.

STRONG FOUNDATION

Another useful reminder in any yoga pose is to work from a stable foundation. In standing balancing poses these are usually our feet.

Start by spreading the toes wide- yoga is all about enjoying the vast range of movement and space that the body naturally allows. Only that years of conditioning with tight clothes and shoes and hours of sitting in front of a desk has somewhat confined this. So let’s use these precious moments of yoga to reclaim the space that is naturally ours.

Spread the toes wide, even if using your hands to help it.

And then equally distribute the weight between the heels and the balls of the feet. In order to have a well-balanced foundation with your feet the arch should feel lifted and light. Keep the toes relaxed as you lift the arch. At the same time, press down the base of the big toe so that not too much weight is put onto the outer side of the foot.

PRACTICE

Last but not least the best way to improve balancing is practice.

Pattabhi Jois, the founder and Guruji of Ashtanga yoga always said that Ashtanga is 1% theory and 99% practise.

The more you practise the stronger the feet and legs become, the subtler is our awareness for the body and balance.

The primary series of Ashtanga yoga is called Yoga Cikitsā which can be translated as Yoga Therapy. It purifies and heals the body. The more we practise the more we will reap the benefits. Especially the standing poses are designed to practise equal balancing on the feet, lengthen the spine, open the chest and breathe properly.