For the last several years I have been encouraging students learn and engage some essential yoga practices. These have been around much longer than the last several years. They are the 8 limbs of yoga, ashtanga, that Patanjali codified in the Yoga Sutras.
I have also promised over the past several weeks that I would blog the definitions for a few of these. These definitions are in no way intended to be the end of a conversation, but rather the beginning. It is my intention that students and others will not simply take what I say as gospel, but will dig deeper and come to their own conclusions about the best way to define and practice each of these.
Finally I would like to note that while some of these practices can be construed simply as philosophical concepts or as end points to be acheived, they are intended as processes of exploration and are best engaged actively.
Asana: posture; mindful physical action;
Pranayama: intentional breathing;
Pratyahara: turning the outer senses inward; inner reflection; deepened awareness;
Dharana: concentration; mental focus;
Dhyana: meditation; presence; openess to what is;
More to come next week.
Victor
Tags: 8 limbs of yoga, definition of practice, Yoga, yoga practices
It’s been so nice having Hillary’s work in the space. In many ways the modalities that we practice are art as much as science. Certainly as practitioners all of us are trained to understand the human body, albeit in slightly different ways.
Jocelyn is a master of metabolic function and physiology related to food consumption and elimination. But she is also an artist. While more than any of us she has the intellect and temperment of a scientist, she also has the eyes and ears of an artist. Like an artist must see each work as a unique expression of beauty, Jocelyn clearly sees each individual as a work in progress, a work of beauty that can craft itself with the food it chooses.
The massage practitioners, while extremely well versed in the topography of bodies, must treat each body uniquely. Each session is an organic dance between practitioner and client. Under the skilled hands of our massage therapists the muslces, skin, fat, and fascia are molded shaped and softened, so that each client can then better shape themselves.
Finally, our yoga teachers each have a unique artistic lens through which our classes are planned and our students are cared for. For me the sequencing of postures, integrated with the musical selection and the abilities of each student are all choreographed into a unique dance. And I’m certain that the other teachers have their own artistic approaches which I’d love them to share.
Anyway, having Hillary’s work in the space is like having mirrors, a beautiful expression of the work we are all engaged in.