“Rituals are the formulas by which harmony is restored.”
– Terry Tempest Williams
Weekly Focus: Sadhana (spiritual practice, ritual)
Ritual and routine help to ground our daily life in service of balance and harmony. Sadhana is daily, deep spiritual practice that we commit to, to nourish our sankalpa or intentions.
Routine, when practiced intentionally, can be very beneficial. It creates a sense of structure and framework for our life, it may help us to find balance, and it can act as guardrails when utilized in service of our goals. When routine becomes ritual, it takes on the spiritual quality of Sadhana. Sadhana helps to hold us aligned with our yoga practice.
Here is where it gets interesting – Sadhana is not just one specific activity. Anything in life can become Sadhana, when practiced with intention and care, and when it contributes to your overall well-being. For many yoga pracitioners, this begins on the mat and then may expand to other aspects of life. Perhaps you add in a breathing practice, followed by daily a meditation practice. You then may notice this same intentionality coming into the workplace, the manner in which you eat, sleep or prepare for the day.
What’s important is that sadhana contibutes to your overall well-being, physically, mentally and spiritually. Having consistent routine and attention to a yoga practice is grounding and nourishing, helping to create a feeling of wholeness in the body. From this wholeness, the seeds of your intentions are encouraged to sprout and grow.
Passive Pose of the Week: Ardha Mandukasana (half frog pose)
Ardha Mandukasana creates a sense of grounding in the body by rooting the front of the body to the floor. This can serve as a place to reground between backbends or other flows as we build resets into the ritual of our practice.
- Begin lying on the floor on your belly.
- Stack one hand or forearm atop the other. Rest your forehead or one cheek on the arms.
- Slide your right knee along the groun until it comes almost in line with the hip, making about a 90 degree bend in the knee.
- Take long and slow breaths in and out. As you do, focus on the pressure of your belly on the floor, and try to soften the muscles of the legs.
- Stay here for 7 – 10 breathes before switching sides.
Ideally, ardha mandukasana should be a pose that we can comfortably hold for several minutes. This pose should be calming to the body and mind. That often means setting yourself up for success with proper support. Here are a few ways to make this pose even more luxurious:
- Add a blanket under the head for padding
- Add a blanket under the bent knee for padding
- Ensure that you are warm – cover up with a blanket or warm layers
- If available, place a sandbag or weighted blanket on the back of the body, especially at the low back across the hips
Active Pose of the Week: Deviasana (goddess squat)
Deviasana is also known as fierce angle pose (utkata konasana). This pose invites a strong, confident energy as it engages with our more feminine energy. Deviasana grounds us in a powerful way – with both feet rooted and the strength of the legs, we invite a sense of ownership into the body.
- Begin in a standing Mountain pose (tadasana), facing the long edge of your. mat.
- Step your feet 2 – 3 feet wide. Turn your toes out slightly.
- Drop your hips and bend your knees so that you are in a wide squat position.
- Lift your arms up, bending at the elbows. The arms will frame your face, creating a cactus or goal post shape.
- Begin to twist your torso to the right looking straight ahead over the right leg.
- Hold for 5 – 7 breaths before releasing. A wide leg forward fold may be nice to follow-up.
Goddess pose is named as such for the Hindu deity Kali – a fierce warrior goddess often depicted in battle victorious in her trademark squatting position. A sense of victory or accomplishment, or simply wholeness can often be experienced after the practice of Sadhana. The same is such with Goddess pose. This posture is challenging to hold, but there may be a feeling of energy and strength released once the pose has been practiced.
Join us in class this week to practice your sadhana. See the full schedule HERE.
