“I am not this hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within.” – Rumi
Weekly Focus: Maya (illusion)
Maya is the veil of illusion which hides and distorts our true reality. Ultimately it is a part of our daily experience as we learn to navigate the world and all of its distractions.
Maya keeps us from seeing the world clearly. It is the lens that skews our perception of everyday experiences. This is the part of our composition that may contribute to the belief that we are separate from the world around us, keeping us from seeing our “oneness” with all things.
We experience Maya because of the assumptions, past experiences (call back to samskaras), conditioning and projections that we experience throughout life. All of this colors our interpretation of reality. It’s important to recognize that as individuals, we all hold these shrouding veils within our mind, impacting our daily lived experience.
Each of us holds within false narratives and limiting beliefs, that cloud our perceptions. Once these are recognized and brought to light however, we may more fully consider and process these illusions, to get to the understanding of how they are formed and hey they obscure our worldview. This allows us to lift the veil of illusion and to hopefully be open to more contentment and joy within our lives.
What limiting beliefs or false narratives do you hold? How do these impact the way that you see yourself in the world? How do these impact your relationship with yourself?
Passive Pose of the Week: Kapotasana (pigeon pose)
Kapotasana is often a pose of holding; we tend to grip and hold in this pose, either to the appearance of the posture or possibly tension within our bodies. This is a perfect place to practice the art of release and letting go – a metaphor to pulling back the illusionary veils around us.
- Begin on hands and knees,
- Slide the right knee forward towards the right wrist. Adjust the position of the right shin so that it is at a comfortable angle for your body; either with the foot closer to or further away from the left hip.
- Tuck your left toes and inch the leg further back, to any degree.
- Once you have found your position stay upright on your hands for a few breaths. settling into your hips. If you notice a lot of space between your right hip and the ground, try adding a support with a block, blanket, or bolster.
- Slowly lower your torso towards the floor, only going as low as is comfortable for you. Support the body with the elbows, a pillow, or a blanket.
So what do we mean by gripping and holding in kapotasana? Physically, gripping or holding can be felt as tension in the muscles of the body, a similar sensation to squeezing your muscles. Sometimes when we feel discomfort, tightness or apprehension in the body, we inadvertently hold this tension. You might notice the shoulders activated and lifted towards the ears, the glutes and hips squeezing, or the jaw clenching for example — this is holding tension. When we add props to support the pose, we invite our muscles to relax, eventually inviting more depth to the position. Emotionally, gripping or holding may be noticed as limiting beliefs or disturbing thoughts that arise while in the pose. These can appear from ideas we have been told about how our body should look or feel, or by comparing ourselves to those around us. You might notice judgements about your position, your body, or the sensations you are having arise; you may notice stories you are attaching to the way you feel, move or look — this is holding limiting beliefs. All of these are simply variations of Maya that lead us to believe 1. our body is our entire self and 2. we are not enough as we are. What thoughts do you notice arising in challenging Yoga postures?
Active Pose of the Week: Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward facing bow pose)
Urdhva Dhanurasana is both a backbend and an inversion, flipping our perspectives in a very interesting way. There are a lot of stories we might tell ourself about this pose — “I am not strong enough, flexible enough; I am too scared.” Luckily, Yoga provides us with a myriad of options to diversify, modify and adapt postures to suit a variety of individuals, no matter where we start from.
- Begin lying on your back.
- Bend your knees and plant your feet near your seat, about hips-width distance apart.
- Reach your arms overhead and place your hands on the floor behind the shoulders.
- Push into your hands and feet and start by placing just the crown of your head on the floor.
- If that is enough, stay here for a breath or two and come down, or…
- Strongly push into your hands and feet and lift your chest up towards the ceiling.
- If it feels comfortable, you can reach the right arm up to the ceiling.
- Hold for 3 – 5 breaths and slowly lower down first to the crown of the head, and then all the way to the floor.
For many of us, even if we have the strength to push up, we lack the mobility in the wrists. If you cannot fully push your hand into the floor, try taking wheel pose at the wall using blocks. Place two blocks at the wall in on the lowest setting about shoulders-width distance apart. Now, tilt the block against the wall, so that it is on a downward slant from the wall to the floor. As you set up for the pose, place the heels of your hands to the bottom edge of the block, reducing the amount of wrist flexion needed. Push into the blocks as your push off the floor. Even if you have the wrist flexion try it out, it feels incredibly supportive! You may find that you have a new preference.
Join us in class this week to practice your self-reflection and acknowledgment of the Kleshas. See the full schedule HERE.
To get weekly updates from our parent brand, Myriad Fitness + Yoga, follow our weekly podcast “For Time.”
