“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” – Marcus Aurelius
Weekly Focus: Pratikpaksha bhavana (cultivating the opposite)
Pratikpaksha bhavana is the yoga philosophy of cultivating positive thoughts to replace negative thoughts. Failure, struggles and challenges are an inevitable part of life. Yoga reminds us that when we accept these as part of our experience, we then have the availability to choose the way we manage our thoughts and emotions around these experiences.
Pratikpaksha means “opposite” and bhavana means “emotion” or “sentiment.” This is the practice of training the mind to recall positive thoughts to displace negative thoughts. With consistency and time, there is an ease that comes to promoting positive thoughts more naturally. The effort becomes easeful and effortless, as we settle into a more peaceful rhythm in life.
It may be easy to confuse Pratikpaksha Bhavana with optimism. However they are not the same. Optimism is maintaining a general belief that the future or future outcomes will turn out positively and in good favor, despite any struggles that arise. In some ways, optimism can be toxic, when we dismiss real struggle and promote that challenges are meant to exist for the benefit on the other side. This belief comes from an attachment to outcome and expectation, which is not Pratikpaksha Bhavana.
In Yoga, we release any expectations for the future or the results of our actions. We are reminded that challenge and struggle are an true, valid and inevitable parts of life that we cannot control. What we can control is the way we respond and engage with these challenges. Pratikpaksha Bhavana is just one tool in yoga to aid us. When we find ourselves with negative, untrue or sorrowful thoughts entering the mind, we pause to recognize those thoughts for what they are and to replace them with the opposite.
If you find yourself full of self doubt (I am a failure. I don’t know how to parent. No on knows how to drive!), replace those thoughts with the opposite: pride yourself on your abilities, reflect on the joyful faces of your children, imagine a peaceful space you enjoy such as the beach or a beautiful hike. The positive thoughts help to calm and bring ease to the negative thoughts so that you no longer linger and let them swell to unmanageable size. The more you practice Pratikpaksha Bhavana, the more habitual it becomes, so that you enjoy more positive thoughts than you do negative.
What are some common negative thoughts you experience? In what ways could you imagine replacing those with opposition?
Passive Pose of the Week: Constructive Rest
Constructive Rest is a slightly more active variation on Savasana. This is a reflective yoga pose where you can take time to slow down and reorganize the mind.
- Begin lying on the floor.
- Bend your knees and plant your feet on the floor.
- Widen your feet towards the edges of your mat. Let the knees knock in together like a tent.
- Arms can rest on your belly or out to the sides.
- Set a timer for 5 – 10 minutes and rest.
Constructive rest is a nice alternative to savasana for anyone who may feel some discomfort in the back while lying flat. Bending the knees creates some flexion in the hips that allows the low back to soften into the floor. If you feel the muscles of the legs working too hard in this position, you can also take a large bolster or couch cushion and prop the knees. If your feet dangle on the other side, try bringing yoga blocks beneath the feet so that the body feels supported from hips to toes.
Active Pose of the Week: Parsva Bakasana (side crow)
Parsva Bakasana may be a yoga pose that we automatically say “no way, I cannot do that” to. Can we keep an open mind to the posiblity of the pose? Perhaps other ways to explore or experience the pose even if it doesn’t mean finding the final “achievement” at the end?
- Begin in a standing Mountain pose (tadasana).
- Start to bend the knees and sink the hips into chair pose.
- Continue to drop into a low crouch. The heels may rise as you get low in the squat.
- Turn to your right and rotate the chest as far as you are able to.
- Place your hands on the floor in front of your legs about shoulders-width distance or slightly wider.
- Spread your fingers wide, bend your elbows and start to lean forward balancing the weight of your legs on the elbows.
- If it feels comfortable, start to float the feet.
There is a large element of self trust in side crow pose. The ability to drop your weight forward into the hands and believe that you will be OK doesn’t come naturally! An interesting practice to try can be to take a minute two meditate on yourself in the pose. Imagine yourself in the pose feeling strong, confident and able. How does that change your relationship to the pose?
Join us in class this week to practice pratikpaksha bhavana. See the full schedule HERE.
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