My Shoulders Are Tight

or “Why Am I Wearing Lycra?”

I have mentioned the impact of clothing on one's sadhana before but never had such a dramatic example as I did this morming.  Because I will assist another teacher by demonstrating postures in about an hour, I put on close fitting lycra gym shorts and shirt before beginning my sadhana.  I thought nothing of this at the time but it was not long before I found issues created specifically by what I as wearing.  My armpits felt as if the hair there were being torn out and the skin being pinched.  Why?  The fabric of my shirt had bunch and twisted there during surya namaskar.  Thankfully, the shorts are not designed to fit the groin as tightly as the sleeves around my arms.

Another interesting aspect, sadhana became a workout.  My focus was on loosening up so I would be able to demonstrate effectively.  I was also focused on how my body looks in these clothes, the ripple of thighs—nice—the small bugle of the belly—not nice.  I was labelling what I could see, with my customary attire none of these things matter simply because I cannot see them.  The legs feel exactly the same when I hold them in padahastasana or paschimottanasana but the visual cues gave rise to strong ego:  Look at those legs!  YEAH!  My belly shows a narrow spare tire, approximately 19 pounds of “good reserve fat” with 16% body fat is what my latest body fat analysis calls it, and my ego screamed:  HORROR AND TERROR!  I can't let anyone see that today!  Nevermind that the science says this is a very good body composition (fit men should have 14-17% body fat with athletes ranging from 6-13%, fit women should have 21-24% with athletes in the 14-20% range) my ego would have none of it, “Suck that gut in!”

So, watch what you wear dear readers.  For most of us, what you wear will influence your practice.  I say most because there may well some of you that are beyond such trivialities or at least believe you are.  My challenge is for you to change what you wear for your next sadhana and discover for yourself what impact your attire has.

Jai Bhagwan!

This is my sadhana journal/blog.  Visit my blog at Yoga At Om for my thoughts and views on Yoga both on and off the mat.

Long or Short?

How long should sadhana last?  Is an hour enough?  What about 30 minutes?  Is it possible to spend too much time?  What about two hours or three?  Bapuji spent 10 hours a day, what good is my 30 minutes when compared with that?

So, how long should sadhana be?  It should be sufficient.  If you have only 30 minutes you can devote to your sadhana, then 30 minutes must be sufficient.  If you have five hours free, that does not mean you must devote five hours to sadhana; rather, devote sufficiient time to still the mind but do not forget that you must continue to live everyday life as well.

If you are devoted to sadhana then you will find the unimportant things make way that there is sufficient time for your sadhana.

Jai Bhagwan!

This is my sadhana journal/blog.  Visit my blog at Yoga At Om for my thoughts and views on Yoga both on and off the mat.

Morning or Evening?

When is the right time to practice?  As I begin sadhana each morning, the joints creak and the muscles are stiff and the creaking and stiffness remain throughout.  As I begin sadhana in the evenings, there is some stiffness but it quickly fades.  The body, without question, is more supple in the evening.

Why begin sadhana in the morning then?  Why rise hours before dawn in the cold of the day?  There are practical reasons, morning sadhana leaves time in the evening that I may eat a meal with my family.  It also means that the effect of sadhana carries throughout the day.  Both are excellent reasons, although one is more excellent than the other but neither is the reason for morning sadhana.

It is easy and pleasant and good to walk the gently rolling and sunlit foothills.  It is impossible to see what is beyond the mountains by walking among the foothills.

Jai Bhagwan!

This is my sadhana journal/blog.  Visit my blog at Yoga At Om for my thoughts and views on Yoga both on and off the mat.

Morning Sadhana

Today I returned to a morning sadhana instead of immediately before class begins.  Joints were very stiff, muscles were tight and time was short; however, the impact of that hour cotinues to be immense.  Be diligent in your study of Yoga, spend time every morning on your mat studying and spend the rest of the day practicing what you have studied.

Jai Bhagwan!

This is my sadhana journal/blog.  Visit my blog at Yoga At Om for my thoughts and views on Yoga both on and off the mat.

Return to Stillness

As I began my sadhana this morning, there came a great sense of peace and stillness from the moment I stepped onto the mat.  Time was short as I didn't want to wake my son who was sleeping on the couch—family sleep–over—yet the time I was on the mat felt as though it lasted for days.  Why?  Breath.  Breath has such a profound impact on every posture.

Jai Bhagwan!

This is my sadhana journal/blog.  Visit my blog at Yoga At Om for my thoughts and views on Yoga both on and off the mat.

Profound Stillness

Jai Bhagwan!

Every pose came without effort, there was such relaxation that the right knee slipped wrong during surya namaskar and there was a bit of muscle pain associated with it.  Tightened legs protected the knee.  Deep liquid heat ran down the outside of the right thigh and into the knee during prasarita padottanasana.  That knee has slowly been increasing in irritation, will have to listen to it carefully for the next few days.  There is no residual pain in that knee or leg.

Jana, one of the front desk ladies, asked if I was OK after I came downstairs.  She said I looked a bit sleepy.  There was no sleepiness, only an absolute and profound stillness.  There was also a torrent of Prana racing throughout and when the car door was finally closed, it errupted as flood of sound that left the sinuses humming.

Namasté

This is my sadhana journal/blog.  Visit my blog at Yoga At Om for my thoughts and views on Yoga both on and off the mat.

When Practice Feeds the Ego

Jai Bhagwan!

I am not a fan of changing from Standard to Daylight Savings and back again.  Usually, however, it is the change to Daylight Savings that causes me problems.  Here in the US, we returned to Standard Time early Sunday morning.  Since Sunday, I have felt more and more tired and each morning as my alarm sounds at 03:40 so I can begin my morning sadhana, the little voice that says, “Stay in bed this morning.” has been just a little louder.  Each morning, the little voice is brushed aside, sadhana begins and this morning was no different, at first.  That little voice was quite loud as I moved into the first round of warm-up breathing and during the second half of that first round, that little voice fairly screamed, “GO TO BED!”  “No,” came the firm reply, “I am remarkable and being remarkable, I will push through this and continue!”

At that moment, awareness of the situation fully hit:  Mind—I'm tired—was arguing with Ego—I am remarkable!  Knowing that neither Mind nor Ego can be fully trusted, awareness turned inward again and listened to what the body had to say.  I have never felt such bone tiredness, such weeping exhaustion.  In short order, I returned to bed and Ego berated me the entire time, “Quitter.  You'll never manage to get up early enough for sadhana tomorrow if you give up today.”

The Mind loves to spin tales, to dream the days away and, for me, to sink into laziness.  It is the mind which whispers, “Sleep a little longer” when morning comes.  I know the voice of the Mind and, at times, I allow it to carry me on flights of fancy.  The voice of Ego is also well known to me and it is the more dangerous of the two.  The Mind would take the easy path at every opportunity but Ego wants to make things as difficult as possible to claim victory over the obstacles, to be able to say, “See!  See what I can do!”  Before long, I would begin believing that I am indeed remarkable and that, as a result, others should look to me as the Source, the One, Infallable and down that path lies a ruin that few who have been led there have escaped.  To paraphrase Epictetus, “If you do not wish to be prone to arrogance, do not feed the ego; give it nothing which may tend to its increase.”

Perhaps I am remarkable.  Perhaps I have gained knowledge, experience or understanding that is of value.  Perhaps I have skill in passing that knowledge, experience and understanding to others.  Am I the source of that knowledge or of even the skill in teaching?  No.  I am and nothing more.

Namasté

This is my sadhana journal/blog.  Visit my blog at Yoga At Om for my thoughts and views on Yoga both on and off the mat.