Balance

Carol Dunaway, RYT500

It does seem like life continually tries to keep us off balance.  We all have many facets to our lives.  Children, jobs, spouses, extended family, our health, community, and social lives just to name a few.  When these areas of our lives are in balance, we feel in balance as well.  If just one area is out of balance, our whole life can feel out of balance.  For example, having a sick child can keep us from focusing at work, and having a boss notice our lack of focus can cause us to be worried about loosing our job, which in turn can cause stomach upset, or loss of sleep, which can influence our relationships with our spouses, etc, etc,….

How can yoga help?  Yoga is about working toward balance.  The key to being able to find equanimity in any balance pose is to understand that balance comes from being strong yet flexible on many different levels.

From the outside looking at someone balancing in yoga pose; it is obvious that you need to have a certain amount of physical strength to maintain the pose.  Indeed, you must have a strong foundation, so the feet and legs must be strong.  Less obvious is the fact that you must also have a strong torso or core, and even less obvious is the importance of being able to focus your attention and quiet your mind.  Perhaps the least obvious of all is the need to be mentally flexible enough to sway or fall out of a pose and get up and try it again, without judging yourself harshly.  (I should be able to do better than that!)

Let’s examine Tree pose, or Vrikasana.  I often start this pose by telling my students to feel as if they have roots.  As they shift their weight on to one leg, I tell them to imagine their lower leg is buried in the earth.  This helps them to contract the muscles around the leg joints to help stabilize them.  As they continue to move into the pose I tell them to feel as if they are growing upward like the tree.  This helps to contract the muscles of the torso, especially around the spine. I also remind them that a tree is flexible enough to sway in the wind.  This helps to become aware of any extra muscle tension that is not needed to maintain the position, for example across the tops of the shoulders.  As they visually focus on a steady point in front of them, I have them become aware of how they are breathing.   Focusing on the breath helps to maintain attention and focus the mind.  I can always tell when my students minds start to wander, one person will begin to sway, and then the others wobble too.

Tree pose is a wonderful way to begin to work on building balance.  It can be done any where any time.  If you are just beginning or you have difficulty with balance, start by standing close to a wall, or keep the toes of the lifted foot close to the floor.  Once you are in position tune into your breath.  Is it fast and shallow with effort?  Try to gently deepen the inhale and lengthen the exhale.  Notice if you are carrying any excess tension in you shoulders.  Exploring various arm positions can be fun, at first you may feel like a willow tree, but with practice you may feel like an oak!

The Eight Limbs of Yoga,

Of the “YOGA SUTRA-S”

 

The book The Yoga Sutra’s is divided into four chapters.  The first chapter is focused on why we practice yoga.  The second chapter is focused on how to practice.  The third chapter is focused on the results of practice.  The fourth chapter focus is the liberation or serenity that comes from practicing yoga.

 

The art and science of Yoga is systematically described in the eight (ashta) limbs, or steps (anga).  Thus, this section of The Yoga Sutra’s is also called Ashtanga Yoga.  It starts in the second chapter with section 2.29; this first list of eight items gives us the components of yoga practice.  Some commentaries say that the order is very important.  We start with how we treat others, and end being able to meditate with great focus and absorption.

 

1. Yama:  codes of restraint, abstinences, your actions in society.
2. Niyama:  observances, self-training, your actions toward yourself.
3. Asana:  physical posture.
4. Pranayama:  expansion of breath and prana.
5. Pratyahara:  withdrawal of the senses.
6. Dharana:  concentration, training your focus.
7. Dhyana:  meditation, full absorption.
8. Samadhi:  deep and complete absorption.

 

Yamas

1. Ahimsa:  non violence, non hurting.
2. Satya:  truthfulness, not misrepresenting.
3. Asteya:  non stealing, taking only what is truly due to you.
4. Brahmacharya:  conserving your vitality, creating balance.
5. Aparigraha:  non possessiveness, non attachment, not being greedy.

 

 

Niyamas

1. Saucha:  purity, cleanliness.
2. Santosha:  contentment.
3. Tapas:  training, work or literally heat.
4. Svadhyaya:  self study, looking within ourselves.
5. Ishvara Pranidhana:  surrender, something greater than self.

Why Should I Practice Yoga?  (Isn’t it just exercise?)

By Carol Dunaway, RYT500, Certified Stott Pilates

Yoga is an ancient system of self improvement.  It includes all dimensions of ourselves: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  Yoga is about balancing these to create a better whole person.

Here in the western part of the world yoga is mainly seen as a form of physical exercise.  This is certainly an important component of yoga; however, the yoga system also includes techniques and advice that deal with such issues as diet, self-care, relationships, and ethics.  Ancient yogis knew that creating a strong resilient physical body was important because the body is what “houses” the mind and the spirit.  The physical practices of yoga help to develop discipline, focus, concentration, strength and flexibility.  This creates balance and reduces the potential for injury and disease.

After practicing yoga for a while, a person is likely to become more aware of the interaction among physical, emotional, mental, and energetic systems.  Yoga’s holistic approach takes into account the way your state of mind affects your body as well as the way your body’s condition affects your mind.  It is very difficult to focus on meditation or even on your work when your back is aching, just as it is very difficult to achieve balance in class or even in life when your mind is scattered.

The type of yoga I teach is called Viniyoga.  In Viniyoga the practice is tailored for the individual.  In group classes, I offer modifications to each pose I teach.  This helps to ensure benefit and safety to all of my students, whatever their specific problems or level of skill.  If you were to look around the room, for example, you might see students doing the same basic pose, but differently!  This is the case even if they suffer from the same problem, such as back pain.  In fact, a recent study conducted by the National Institute for Health proved that Viniyoga was more successful in reducing back pain than regular exercise alone.

Yoga is good for much more than back pain, however.  Scientific  studies have also proven its effectiveness in reducing symptoms of arthritis, in improving range of motion and flexibility, in sharpening focus and concentration, in toning and strengthening muscles, in improving circulation, in increasing lung capacity and breathing ability, in normalizing blood pressure, in reducing back pain, in increasing body awareness, in enhancing wellness during pregnancy, in improving balance and coordination, in increasing efficiency of internal organs, in reducing anxiety and reactions to stress, in building relaxation skills, and even in alleviating  menopausal symptoms.

Clearly, yoga encompasses much more than exercise alone.  Yoga’s benefits come from combining all the tools of yogic science.  These include not only the physical postures but breath work, visual imagery, philosophy, and of course meditation.  As we age, techniques such as breath work, imagery and meditation become more and more important to our general well being.  Perhaps we can no longer touch our toes, but we can still improve our lives by breathing more optimally and enhancing our spirit with meditation.