This week Kathleen Pringle taught a pattern of prāṇāyāma based on something that Prashant Iyengar taught in a class at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute many years ago. It is a pattern that I have found myself wanting to practice more and more.
At Geeta Iyengar's Birthday Intensive back in December of last year, she teased us about our prāṇāyāma practice. She said we get it over with as quickly as we can so we can say, "I did my Ujjāyī. I did my Viloma."
Guilty.
Even though I have heard Geeta's voice in my head ever since her workshop, other chitta vrittis (again read chatter) would inevitably sneak in and make me wonder how I would have the time to fit everything in my day that I needed to. The thoughts actually got in the way of my practice. They shortened time. I couldn't stay present long.
This week, I could. The pattern Kathleen shared with us kept my attention and focus. Earlier in the class she talked about how BKS Iyengar explains in Light on Life that our vertical actions in āsana practice bring intelligence and our horizontal actions bring wisdom. She also spoke about atha, which she defined as the 'eternal now' as in the first sutra of Patañjali, 1:1 atha yogānuśāsanam, which BKS Iyengar translates as, "[...] now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga." Prashant's pattern of a breath seems to bring attention to the vertical and horizontal actions, and a peak at the eternal now.
His pattern is an inverted triangle pattern that Kathleen introduced during our Viloma I practice. Like an āsana practice, there are many different types of prāṇāyāma you can practice. Viloma means against the grain. Basically, it's three or more equal volumes of breath taken in sections along the trunk of the body and separated by equally timed pauses. Viloma I might go something like this: after a full exhalation, inhale and pause, inhale and pause, inhale and pause, a very small inhalation and slow, soft, smooth exhalation - all followed by a normal inhalation and exhalation as needed.
With this new triangle pattern to focus on during Viloma I, the concentration required on the vertical and horizontal actions seemed to bring about a deeper sensitivity to their differences. Last week, Kquvien DeWeese gave lessons on the direction and focus of our eyes during poses. When we look up or down, on the horizontal plane, hard focus, soft wide and expansive focus - all bring about different sensations in the mind and body. The pattern brought about a similar realization and yet my eyes were closed and my focus inward.
What's more, with my intense focus and concentration on this pattern, the Sutra 3:53 Kṣaṇa Tatkramayoḥ saṁayamāt vivekajaṁ jñānam came into play. This is a Sutra that Nancy shared during Spring Training last weekend. Nancy has talked about Kṣaṇa often in her Saturday classes. I kept saying to myself that I would remember the word and research it more, but by the end of class the word would escape me. I lost my focus; therefore, it didn't stick with me.
It did this time. I wrote it down. I looked it up and I could associate its meaning with glimpses of experiences in my āsana practice. I also got a glimpse of why Nancy shared it. And in Kathleen's prāṇāyāma classes this week, I got to be with its meaning a little more. Now I'm beginning to hold onto a bit of understanding.
BKS Iyengar translates this sutra in Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali as "by saṁayama on moment and on the continuous flow of moments, the yogi gains exalted knowledge, free from the limitations of time and space." Saṁayama literally means holding together, it's the integration of concentration, meditation, and self-realization. When I finally took the time to read the commentary on the translation, it opened me up to something much bigger that my teachers have been trying to teach. It turned on another light. We've all experienced time expanding. Unfortunately, it's usually only in a tragedy situation (read my blog Expanding Time in a Moment). However, the idea of learning how to sustain being that present all the time is pretty incredible. An infinitesimal moment, now that could put a new angle on our day. I know I've enjoyed the peek at the possibility. I am forever grateful for my teachers who care enough to keep learning and sharing their experiences.
Namaste.
#StillIyengar #StillLightingTheWay #StillwaterYoga #Stillit.
At Geeta Iyengar's Birthday Intensive back in December of last year, she teased us about our prāṇāyāma practice. She said we get it over with as quickly as we can so we can say, "I did my Ujjāyī. I did my Viloma."
Guilty.
Even though I have heard Geeta's voice in my head ever since her workshop, other chitta vrittis (again read chatter) would inevitably sneak in and make me wonder how I would have the time to fit everything in my day that I needed to. The thoughts actually got in the way of my practice. They shortened time. I couldn't stay present long.
This week, I could. The pattern Kathleen shared with us kept my attention and focus. Earlier in the class she talked about how BKS Iyengar explains in Light on Life that our vertical actions in āsana practice bring intelligence and our horizontal actions bring wisdom. She also spoke about atha, which she defined as the 'eternal now' as in the first sutra of Patañjali, 1:1 atha yogānuśāsanam, which BKS Iyengar translates as, "[...] now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga." Prashant's pattern of a breath seems to bring attention to the vertical and horizontal actions, and a peak at the eternal now.
His pattern is an inverted triangle pattern that Kathleen introduced during our Viloma I practice. Like an āsana practice, there are many different types of prāṇāyāma you can practice. Viloma means against the grain. Basically, it's three or more equal volumes of breath taken in sections along the trunk of the body and separated by equally timed pauses. Viloma I might go something like this: after a full exhalation, inhale and pause, inhale and pause, inhale and pause, a very small inhalation and slow, soft, smooth exhalation - all followed by a normal inhalation and exhalation as needed.
With this new triangle pattern to focus on during Viloma I, the concentration required on the vertical and horizontal actions seemed to bring about a deeper sensitivity to their differences. Last week, Kquvien DeWeese gave lessons on the direction and focus of our eyes during poses. When we look up or down, on the horizontal plane, hard focus, soft wide and expansive focus - all bring about different sensations in the mind and body. The pattern brought about a similar realization and yet my eyes were closed and my focus inward.
What's more, with my intense focus and concentration on this pattern, the Sutra 3:53 Kṣaṇa Tatkramayoḥ saṁayamāt vivekajaṁ jñānam came into play. This is a Sutra that Nancy shared during Spring Training last weekend. Nancy has talked about Kṣaṇa often in her Saturday classes. I kept saying to myself that I would remember the word and research it more, but by the end of class the word would escape me. I lost my focus; therefore, it didn't stick with me.
It did this time. I wrote it down. I looked it up and I could associate its meaning with glimpses of experiences in my āsana practice. I also got a glimpse of why Nancy shared it. And in Kathleen's prāṇāyāma classes this week, I got to be with its meaning a little more. Now I'm beginning to hold onto a bit of understanding.
BKS Iyengar translates this sutra in Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali as "by saṁayama on moment and on the continuous flow of moments, the yogi gains exalted knowledge, free from the limitations of time and space." Saṁayama literally means holding together, it's the integration of concentration, meditation, and self-realization. When I finally took the time to read the commentary on the translation, it opened me up to something much bigger that my teachers have been trying to teach. It turned on another light. We've all experienced time expanding. Unfortunately, it's usually only in a tragedy situation (read my blog Expanding Time in a Moment). However, the idea of learning how to sustain being that present all the time is pretty incredible. An infinitesimal moment, now that could put a new angle on our day. I know I've enjoyed the peek at the possibility. I am forever grateful for my teachers who care enough to keep learning and sharing their experiences.
Namaste.
#StillIyengar #StillLightingTheWay #StillwaterYoga #Stillit.
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