Yoga for me

Yoga for me is a nakedness, a child-like state of fearlessness and curiosity, an innocence of being.

Being in a beginner’s class, we are learning how to move in standing asanas. The breaking down of various movements has taken the resistance out of standing asanas. I used to get frustrated at myself for not getting the required balance, openness and stability. These days they are a happy and active part of my home practice. I choose to keep it simple by just repeating what was done in class.

Vriksasana is a good pose to discover the groin. Doing it before virbhadrasana or parsvkonasana helps in better movement downwards and out. Trikonasana makes me feel like all my knots are melting away making the joints more fluid. Parsvottanasana is getting a little more stable and now I am playing with shifting my weight.

Another thing I learnt was using the thumb and index finger while pressing on the ground to get a better lift. The finger nails need to be really short , almost inside the nail bed, else it doesn’t happen. The teacher called the action, nailing the nail. She mentioned that this was a good way to get sensitive to the finger tips which would be essential in digital pranayama.

An interesting thing I noticed in some people who have been practising for a while is a typical shoulder structure, sort of like two elevated points or knobs. Is it an inherent body structure or an acquired one, I wonder.

I read something last night which stayed with me.

” Until the inner teacher opens, all outside teaching is in vain. It must lead to the opening of the book of the heart to have any value.” – Swami Vivekananda