Yoga
is called a practice for a reason—no class is perfect.
To really reap the benefits of your
practice, they key is to remain acutely aware to present moment, rather than
letting the mind wander. When your focus is on your breathing and how it feels
to be in your body, that's when the magic of yoga begins to take shape.
A class can either be a great chance to
stretch or sweat or build strength, or serve as a transcendent experience as
the mind and body move as one. This is a beautiful synchronized dance between
conscious presence of the mind and an exploration of physical limitations, as
you stretch your possibilities and explore your boundaries.
I had a particuarly beautiful Savasana at
the end of a recent vinyasa class. When it came time for the final resting
pose, I was feeling great. I had noticed near the end of the practice in Pigeon
Pose, that I was feeling particularly open that day, in both the physical and
mental sense. I was relaxed and comfortable. I was warm and limber. I was
present and focused.
While in my Savasana, my usual thoughts
escaped me. It’s a difficult experience to try and put into words, but it was
just pure bliss. It made me realize what I love about Savasana at the end of a
truly conscious, present practice, is that the moment of rest allows my mind
and body to operate independently of one another.
The hour spent breathing and moving with
the mind and body engaged in a partnership, is what allows you to come to a
place of total relaxation. You surrender to the earth and it can feel as though
your body falls asleep, which is entirely different from the way you fall
asleep at the end of a long day. You physically relax into the ground, acutely
aware of the heavy pull of gravity and allowing that to hug you in even
closer.
That's when the strange, difficult to
describe bliss of Savasana starts to come in. It feels as though your body is
your mind has just sung your body a bedtime lullaby. As the body begins to
drift away to a blissful world of much deserved sleep, the mind remains awake.
Mind gently places the body into bed, slowly extricating itself so as to not
interrupt the body’s peaceful slumber. But instead of leaving the room, the
mind has a moment, gazing lovingly at the body while it's sleeping
peacefully––so vulnerable, yet beautiful. The mind takes in every curve, every
line, every small nook and cranny of the body, recognizing the beauty in their
connection as well as the body’s individual identity as separate from the mind.
While experiencing a particularly good
Savasana, this is an approximation of how I’m feeling. It’s not quite an out of
body experience, but I do notice an alertness in my mind as it begins an
exploration, all while the body is quite heavy with rest. I feel like my mind
is active, but that it couldn’t tell the body to move even if it wanted to.
Instead of that being a scary feeling, it feels almost like a mental reset––a
reminder of the separation between the two systems which work together to
provide us with the experience of being a living, breathing, thinking person.
When you begin to "wake" from Savasana, it's as though you're
starting over, and are re-teaching your mind to control your body’s motor
functions.
If you haven’t quite experienced what I’m
talking, I assure you it will come. Yoga is a practice, and its gifts are equal
to the care and presence you give to your practice. It is a reciprocal
action/reaction, and what I find truly awe-inspiring is that there is no
ceiling. Yoga will always be a practice, which means there is never-ending
opportunity to learn.
Source: http://yoganonymous.com/corpse-pose-breaking-down-the-magic-of-savasana
Also www.soyoga.com.sg
No comments:
Post a Comment