By Nancy Phillips
Yoga, Yoga, Yoga…It’s a yoga jungle out there and I am one tree teaching, not preaching. I just realized that those two words are so similar. Pause and breathe.
This is my first time writing on a blog, so a little lightness here. Imagine the feeling of a coiled rope being tied around you getting tighter and tighter and not being able to move. I experienced this sensation a long time ago and my pottery teacher told me this story that has stayed with me. While he was in college he had a severe motorcycle accident. He was unconscious and lost some of his mathematical side of his brain. He couldn’t speak at the time but he could write and he wrote, I am one…and then wrote his name. He inspired me to stop trying to be perfect and experience what I was doing right in the here and now. “Just for a flash,” he would say, “Throw the piece on the ground and create from there.” Ugh, I still have that piece somewhere and I love it.
“Do” is a word we use in Iyengar Yoga instead of, “try.” It is this type of approach that encourages our students to go beyond what they think they can do. It is a bold yoga practice, a strong balancing act just like life. Yes, we are bossy. We want you to do your best so alignment of the body and the mind is essential. No daydreaming here. Yoga isn’t about doing the poses right…its learning to be aware of what you are doing with your body and mind while your in the pose. Then taking that awareness into your everyday life.
Yoga has several definitions. One definition is a union of body mind and soul. Another is ceasing the fluctuations on the mind to be still and steady in both body and mind. It is an intense study of self, to tune into your authentic self.
Last week I read an article about joblessness and that you cannot afford to spend time in self-awareness kinds of practice. I disagree. If you look at things differently it may be that you now have more time to discover your unused potential and create a new part of yourself and get motivated. Then there are those that are too busy to practice and have an over-worked and over-whelmed feeling. It doesn’t have to be yoga. It can be sitting observing nature or watching a child at play. Being absorbed in your activity is yoga.
Do you have to be right? Do you want to be more aware of how you live your life? Do you notice the inner voice inside or ignore it? Are you someone who realizes that in order to face life with all its possibilities you need to steer yourself with dutiful action to create a difference in the world? I have answered yes to these questions. For me Iyengar Yoga is my helping hand.
The practice of yoga is unique to everyone. Sometimes we need a more energizing sequence to get us going and sometimes we need to calm ourselves down. The poses are tools that one can use to balance our energies. As I find myself continually facing challenges, each one gives me an understanding of each experience good or bad which makes me stronger for the next one. Facing ourselves head on and using our body and mind to transcend deeper into who we are is a lifelong event. If you are interested in practicing, come to class. For more information, please visit website www.theyogajungle.com Or email me at nancy.phillips@cox.net.