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Mindfulness off the Mat list)
This issue does not come up very often, but it does surface from time to
time. Before or after class, someone asks a question along the lines
of, “So what’s next?” or, “Now, will we be doing something different next
week?” (with a hopeful inflection to the voice) or even a concerned, “Now
where exactly am I supposed to feel the stretch?” There is certainly
nothing wrong with asking these questions—that’s part of the exploration of
yoga! But sometimes these questions carry the tone that suggests a
perception that what the person is experiencing is “not enough,” that
they’re looking for “more.” I can even recall one instance in which a
student commented, "I enjoy this; I'm just not sure if I understand the
point of it yet." She seemed almost disappointed that her 9-week
yoga experience thus far had not produced an epiphany of some sort, and I
got the distinct impression that she had signed up for yoga because she had
heard of its growing popularity, but other than that, did not really have a
concept as to why people do yoga.
This is not unusual, given that such a mindset is pretty much reinforced
virtually every second of the day by our popular culture, modern workplace,
and the media. We want instant results, instant understanding. We
become antsy if we don't "get it" right away, much preferring the idea of
someone holding our hands through that process rather than allowing
ourselves to figure it out on our own. We don't want the long story;
we want the tagline. We’re conditioned to push harder, overachieve,
and press ahead at rapid-pace; once we learn something, achieve something,
move past the novelty, we quickly feel edgy, bored, and ready to move on.
Our attention spans, it seems, continue to fracture at breakneck
speed................which is one reason we need the counterbalance provided
by yoga. Yoga, in its slow, meticulous, and painstakingly gradual pace,
helps us emerge with a renewed appreciation for subtlety, patience, and the
value of unspoken-for “down time.”
Still, the time may come when you find yourself fidgeting through
postures that “just don’t do it for you, anymore.” Poses that feel, perhaps,
like mere shadows of their former selves. You may just find that—gasp!--your
mind actually begins to wander while assuming what used to be a challenging
pose. Not to fret…it happens to the best of us! What to do? How to keep
improving once you’ve reached the presumed maximum version of a given
posture? Simple. You calm the mind in a similar fashion to that other “easy”
pose, Savasana. The end-of-class relaxation pose is the original “Now what?”
posture…chances are, when you first learned it, you felt a bit restless.
Over time, however, you (hopefully) found yourself looking forward to it,
approaching it with a sense of anticipation and appropriate expectation.
Likewise, an asana (posture) that no longer “does it” for you can become a
mini-Savasana, a chance to connect with that momentary deep sense of
relaxation and concentration.
Not surprisingly, this technique has its own name....well, names, as
there are actually two techniques here. One is dharana,
meaning, concentration of the mind; the other, dhyana, refers
to meditation. The idea is that you engage in these techniques in all
postures, not just the ending relaxation. And if you think you feel
great emerging from Savasana now, imagine the effects of using dhyana and
dharana throughout the entire length of the class or video!
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