“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Elliot
Weekly Focus: Sutra 1:1 atha yoga anusasanam (Now begins the practice of yoga)
Sutra 1:1 comes from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is generally considered the main authoritative source on Yoga by the Vedic Tradition. This sutra reminds us that yoga is a constant practice, with every moment the chance to start over and try again. No matter how old we get or where we end up in life, it is never too late to begin anew.
Spring is a season that invites us to awaken from the heavy slumbers of Winter. This season of renewal is an opportunity to begin fresh, to kickstart our plans, and to move from a space of reflection to action. Like the natural world around us, we are invited to stretch our wings, broaden our leaves, and to blossom.
Sutra 1:1 is exactly this notion. NOW is the time. NOW we begin. NOW it is yoga. Yoga is not just something that we practice on our mat for 45 – 60 minutes a day, 2 – 3 times a week. Yoga moves with us, it is constant. The essence of yoga is in the absolute intentionality, awareness and presence of every moment. This calls to mind a constant re-awakening as we realize it’s not about what we did yesterday or even one minute ago, but how we are engaging right now. Perhaps we said or did something just earlier in the day that was not a good representation of who we are – that’s OK, it happens. With the reminder that every chance is a moment to start anew, we can reflect on what happened, readjust, and choose how we want to acknowledge that moment now, act on those feelings, and be more aware for the future. It’s never too late to be involved in the present moment.
This sutra gives us hope and grace. We may have lapsed on our practice, but that doesn’t mean we failed, because yoga begins now, just as it began yesterday, and as it will begin tomorrow.
Here are a few simple practices in the power of now:
- Give yourself a short time out — feeling frustrated in your workday? Give yourself permission to take a time out. Leave your space, go outside, and simply close your eyes for a few minutes. Take some deep breaths, and allow yourself to re-enter leaving frustration at the door.
- Don’t give up on wayside goals — have any goals or habits that have fallen to the wayside? That’s OK. Remind yourself that progress is not linear, and simply pick it back up tomorrow.
- Take a deep breath — emotions leaving you overwhelmed? Back up from the situation you are in, breathe in deeply, and take a long slow sigh. This is a good tactic when you find yourself responding to quickly and without the intention you desire.
Passive Pose of the Week: Full Pranam (Lying Face Down)
This fully prone position is symbolic of honoring something outside of yourself. Take a moment to honor your intentions here, allowing yourself to rise up with a sense of freshness towards your purpose.
- Come to lie on your belly on the floor.
- Arms may reach overhead, or you might prop your head with the cross of your arms.
- Take 5 – 10 breaths and focus on the pressure of your belly on the floor as you breathe.
This pose is very simply but can be very impactful. We can use pranam to receive feedback from our breathing, from our floor, and to find respite. This trick is to stay mindful and not to fall asleep! You might try leading yourself through a body scan in this position. Start at the crown of your head, and slowly focus on moving your awareness through each part of the body. Notice what you observe and how your body reacts to this travelling awareness.
Active Pose of the Week: Bitiliasana Marjaryasana (Cat-Cow)
This posture is often used as a way to introduce movement into the body and to waken up the spine. It may serve as a signal to the mind that you are here, and it is time to begin the practice.
- Begin in a tabletop position on hands and knees.
- As you inhale, drop your belly to the floor, allow the chest to move forward and the hips to tilt up, creating an arch in the spine. This is cow pose.
- As you exhale, lift your belly up to the ceiling, let the head drop, and feel the whole spine arch upwards as you push away from the floor. This is cat pose.
- Move back and forth between these two positions, allowing the breath to intiate the movement.
- Continue to flow between for as many rounds as you like.
Cat-cow is a movement that we can often become automatic in. See if you can bring more awareness to these positions by engaging a push and pull feeling in the body. As you inhale to cow pose, imagine gripping the mat so that your pull your chest forward. As you exhale into cat pose, imagine pushing into the floor to help create more space in the body. You might observe how this creates new lines of tension or activation in the pose!
Join us in class this week to learn more about Sutra 1:1! See the full schedule HERE.
