Yoga
Namaste all,
Yoga Monday 5th February click link to view reel.
Yoga this week is at the usual time of 11.15a.m. at Greasby Centre where we will begin working towards a new peak pose with of course the usual work on strength and flexibility.
The new peak pose for building strength will be the Virabhadrasana (Warrior pose) series, 1,2 and 3 which we will work separately building on holding the poses in preparation for V3 which is a standing balance pose requiring concentration, strength, and willpower.
The purpose of working towards stronger poses, (and being able to maintain them) in addition to building physical strength and flexibility, is to help build concentration, focus and willpower which in yogic terms are Pratyahara and Dharana.
Dharana and Dhyana are the practices which lead to the differing levels of Samadhi (Samadhi – the settled mind). Samadhi is a technical term that usually denotes higher levels of concentrated meditation, or dhyana and are, with Pratyahara, the four inner practices of the 8 limbs of yoga outlined by Patanjali.
Inner practices –
Pratyahara – retirement of the senses inwards
Dharana – steadiness of mind, concentration, willpower
Dhyana - deeper focussed concentration of the mind on a single point - the mind is still, and focus is steady (as in meditation)
“imagine a large reservoir of water used by farmers for watering their fields. There are channels leading away from the reservoir in different directions. If the farmer has dug all the channels the same depth, the water runs equally in all directions. But if one channel is deeper than the others, more water flows through it. This is what happens in dharana; we create the conditions for the mind to focus its attention in one direction instead of going out in many different directions. ”The Heart of Yoga, TVK Desikachar, pg 109
Of course, this all sounds wonderfully simple and an honourable goal to work towards but is in fact a continuous work in progress as we first of all have to get beyond the ego, the machinations of the mind and our conditioning!
Not an easy task but definitely worth continually working towards on a daily basis to create that deeper channel!
Remember however, it is not the arrival that is important!
But also consider the words of Paul Coelho:
Food for thought!
See you in class!
Shanti Om
Sue x
