Finding the Edge

The physical practice is meant to present a challenge. The problem is it's difficult to use our intelligence to distinguish where our edge lies. Once we outline our boundaries within which we are comfortable, we are free to play and push that edge further so we grow each time we return to the mat. A beautiful teacher offered a new way to look at this concept this morning by saying our edges should never be sharp.

We've all heard the arguments and articles claiming that Yoga is dangerous/harmful to the body. The harm, however, is never the asana. That is to say, the postures themselves are not the culprit, but rather the ego behind them. Ego wants to push the limits, so when a sharp edge presents itself, the ego recognizes nothing more than another time to push forward.

(Let's be clear here, while our western definition of ego tends to have a negative connotation, in a Yogic sense, this is not always so. Our egos are composed of all of the layers of the self we pile on from the moment we are born. Any answer to the standard, "Tell me about yourself," would do well in this category. So ego isn't the "I am better than you," but rather the "I am X". (Mother, brother, cousin, teacher, water boy, swag, etc.))

So when we say the ego is the real culprit here, we mean to say there's a void we're trying to fill by pushing our limits to the point that the body's condition worsens. Why push? We want so badly to be GOOD. To do the right pose. Here's the kicker: the perfect pose does not exist. Part of us already realizes this, too. Perfection is unattainable. It's human nature to want it even more knowing this. It does not serve to judge the desire to do yoga (and all other things in life) well. This is an instinct that allows for continual growth. With a little compassion, one can check the integrity of the posture by noting the breathing. An honest answer will present itself because the body is not the ego. The body continues while the mind fluxuates. Once the mind is still, the body can be seen in its true form. This being said, you are not your body. You are not your mind. You are consciousness. Your body is a divine metaphor that is yours for rent. It is a gift.

So long as you are breathing, you are in full control. When you are in full control, no one else can control you - this is the concept behind the Martial Arts.


You're already perfect.

"Heartbreak opens for even breaking is opening ... My spirit takes journey, my spirit takes flight, and I am not running. I am choosing. I am broken. I am broken open. Breaking is freeing. Broken is freedom. I am not broken; I am free." - Dee Rees Through the Character of Alike

Welcome to the newest Yoga Blog!

Here you can expect to find (in the VERY near future)posture-clinic-type posts, videos, podcasts (yes, free yoga classes!), and interviews with inspirational yogis.

The purpose of this blog is not to delve deeper into the practice of the blogger, but better yet, delve into YOUR practice. The internet is a great resource that we may dismiss because it doesn't quite scream, "transcendence". Who says we can't use YouTube to learn headstand?! No one's going to know...

Now For Thought: Our yoga mats serve as mirrors for our lives (PAUSE & Digest this idea if you haven't considered it ever or in a while); if we're in Dhanurasana and the yogi in front of us has a deeper backbend, how do our thoughts suddenly change? What if our backbend is deeper? Same thoughts? Probably not. The challenge of yoga is to stay present to the breath, allowing the ego to drift away, stilling the waves of the mind. There is no expectation to fill, so the yogi in front of us is truly just an expression of our own yoga. When we leave the mat to look at theirs, we're allowing the mind to get distracted, and often times this leads to a lack of compassion for our practice or the one in front of us. It's not worth it. A posture that is not present, that is to say one that is not being fueled with a conscious breath, is actually 10x less effective than one where we are using full inhales and exhales to anchor us to the present. The benefits lie in the breath. The secret lies within the silence.

Try this one: stand in Tadasana, mountain pose. Breathe deeply. Pull up on the kneecaps to engage the quads, tuck your tailbone and suck the navel in, engaging udiana banda, the abdominal lock. Shoulders fall heavy down the back so the collarbone can rise toward your chin, allowing the lungs to breathe larger. Close the eyes and watch your body move on its own. ((Those little sways are the body's intelligence leading us towards balance; the body is smart. Always trust your body, it has no ego, just truth. While our thoughts may drift, the body is present. It does not ignore a tight hamstring because we're low on toilet paper in the apartment and the girl next to us just let out a vegan fart.)) NOW, here's the fun part: still in tadasana with eyes closed or holding a blurry gaze, a drishti, lift up all 10 of your toes and feel the corners of your feet rooting down into the ground. Even out the pressure along the edges of your feet and on the ball of your foot, and one by one, drop down your pinky toes. Then the next toe drops, and the next etc. until you reach your big toe. Notice how the toes aren't gripping the ground angrily, but rather holding a strong connection. Now that the body is fully engaged, you are in the present. The purpose of an assana is to make a conscious choice about every part of the body, even the tiniest and seemingly most irrelevant extremeties, we are fully aware of NOW. The most powerful moment there is. There is no "I", no "out there" or "should be doing/have to do/not good enough to do..." there just is. This is freedom.

If you haven't found freedom in tadasana yet, you're far from being alone. This is much of why we all keep returning to the mat!

Drink lots of water and eat lots of kale "Once you've controlled your mouth, what [food] goes into it, what comes out of it (what you say), you've controlled much of the mind." - Scotty Schwartz

Here's a sneak preview of the fun videos to come!
How's Your Inversion Practice?