"Your light is to work only but never with its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, let you not be attached to inaction. Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty without attachment, remaining equal to success or failure. Such equanimity of mind is called yoga". (Bhagavad Gita 2:48)
As a yoga teacher, I create the arena for people to explore possibilities and discover their potential. It is "my yoga"... "my dharma"... to inspire, to guide and to nurture students along their yogic journey, to my best ability.
It takes a long time to get good at things.... a really, really, really long time. The late Pattabhi Jois said, "Practice.... and all is coming". Yeah, and being the wise yogi, he never mentioned 'exactly when all will be coming'. Module 3 of the Tripsichore Yoga TTC starts in exactly 3 weeks. Me and the Handstand version of the Tripsichore practice? Nope, the Handstand will definitely not be 'coming'.... not anytime soon... not in a Sthira Sukham Asanam way (Sadhana Pada 2:46)... not even when I wake up on Christmas morning and peer into my stocking! (and I've been a really good girl this year too!)
Life and yoga, is, but a work-in-progress. And like the Gita verse above, if we start caring less about the destination, and instead, enjoy the discoveries of the journey, and start looking at how far along we've come from Day One, we would have made peace with our practice.
Monday night's Vinyasa class for Intermediates had a few 'Brave New Entries'. The Brave New Entries were from my Beginner's class, making their debut in a 90-minute class. Not wanting to intimidate them, and yet trying to balance attainability with challenge (for the regulars), I backed off from long(er) holding postures, and instead had them breathing one breath per movement. Alignment was not so much the highlight of the evening, but body-mind-breath connection was.
Lining up 4 blocks against the wall, the new practitioners were kept busy with the baby steps to Sirsasana. Fascinated with learning what the 'older kids' were doing, thuds and giggles could be heard as they tried kicking up against the wall and staying up.
I then took the opportunity to wean some of the Regulars off doing the headstand against the wall. Letting the breath lead, and with the uddyana and mula engaged, the Regulars got into the Headstand Split, and stayed stable for 8 whole breaths. Those who could already hold a steady Headstand, were presented the challenge of different arm and leg variations in the pose.
Classical styles of Yoga always taught the Headstand with both legs straight up in the air - the final pose. But today's practitioners often find this very intimidating especially when they were to do the asana in the centre of the room after being so used to the crutch of wall support. But by getting them to do the Headstand Split first, the inversion suddenly becomes more accessible, they fight fear face on, actually get the feel of the inversion, thus getting the best of both worlds. Eventually, as their confidence increases with constant practice, the Headstand "will come".
In my personal yoga practice, the 'getting there' may be the icing on the cake, but mindful exploration on letting the breath lead to what works for my body and letting the practice naturally unfold, certainly is the cherry on top.
As a yoga teacher, I create the arena for people to explore possibilities and discover their potential. It is "my yoga"... "my dharma"... to inspire, to guide and to nurture students along their yogic journey, to my best ability.
It takes a long time to get good at things.... a really, really, really long time. The late Pattabhi Jois said, "Practice.... and all is coming". Yeah, and being the wise yogi, he never mentioned 'exactly when all will be coming'. Module 3 of the Tripsichore Yoga TTC starts in exactly 3 weeks. Me and the Handstand version of the Tripsichore practice? Nope, the Handstand will definitely not be 'coming'.... not anytime soon... not in a Sthira Sukham Asanam way (Sadhana Pada 2:46)... not even when I wake up on Christmas morning and peer into my stocking! (and I've been a really good girl this year too!)
Life and yoga, is, but a work-in-progress. And like the Gita verse above, if we start caring less about the destination, and instead, enjoy the discoveries of the journey, and start looking at how far along we've come from Day One, we would have made peace with our practice.
Monday night's Vinyasa class for Intermediates had a few 'Brave New Entries'. The Brave New Entries were from my Beginner's class, making their debut in a 90-minute class. Not wanting to intimidate them, and yet trying to balance attainability with challenge (for the regulars), I backed off from long(er) holding postures, and instead had them breathing one breath per movement. Alignment was not so much the highlight of the evening, but body-mind-breath connection was.
Lining up 4 blocks against the wall, the new practitioners were kept busy with the baby steps to Sirsasana. Fascinated with learning what the 'older kids' were doing, thuds and giggles could be heard as they tried kicking up against the wall and staying up.
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| Image from Essential Yoga |
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| Headstand Split, Tripsichore style |
Classical styles of Yoga always taught the Headstand with both legs straight up in the air - the final pose. But today's practitioners often find this very intimidating especially when they were to do the asana in the centre of the room after being so used to the crutch of wall support. But by getting them to do the Headstand Split first, the inversion suddenly becomes more accessible, they fight fear face on, actually get the feel of the inversion, thus getting the best of both worlds. Eventually, as their confidence increases with constant practice, the Headstand "will come".
In my personal yoga practice, the 'getting there' may be the icing on the cake, but mindful exploration on letting the breath lead to what works for my body and letting the practice naturally unfold, certainly is the cherry on top.
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