Final Thoughts: How Capitalism, Belief, and Practice Influence Western Yoga

16 journal entries later: here I am.

 

When I signed up to take this class, I anticipated a challenging semester, one that would test my preconceived notions and enrich my studies with the history and beliefs behind yoga, as well as better inform me about the practice as a whole. I knew about two types of physical yoga — Hatha and Ashtanga — only one of which I had ever knowingly practiced.

 

Even so, I did not realize the amount of work that could possibly go into researching, practicing, analyzing, and dissecting the vast amount of history, philosophy, and general information surrounding this practice. From the moment Dr. Greene emailed our class with an assignment linked to a podcast entitled “How White Women Killed Yoga,” I knew I was getting much more than I bargained for in the best way possible.

 

Beginning with the history of yoga, I was unaware that the physical practice as we know it is still fairly recent, under two centuries old. The actual origin of yoga, including the philosophical components, is truly unknown. The first few weeks of class, we learned about the physical culture movement which began at the end of the 19th century and flourished in the first few decades of the 20th century. This movement coincided with the development of postural yoga and influenced those who wanted to become strong and beautiful into adapting this form of physical activity.

 

This is just a snippet of Western Yoga History — in the East, the Brahmins were enforcing the Hindu caste system and insisting that those at the lowest levels live out their Dharma, believing that they are assigned a single purpose in life and must carry it out; for if done properly, they will be placed into a higher caste in their next life. As Gandhi worked to rid India of the caste system, his fellow Brahmins fought against him, enforcing the cycle of familial trauma that comes from having your entire life pre-determined from the minute you are born, literally.

 

The theory of embodiment, the eight limbs of yoga, and the interactions between mobility, disillusionment with established religious institutions and the growth of consumer culture were also topics we discussed in depth, and they all provoked thought on a deep level. How do we define yoga in the West? How is it defined in general? Is it a religion or not? On what level has yoga fallen into the capitalist pit trap that Western society feeds off of? These are all questions I find myself asking on a regular basis, and though I do not have all the answers, I am far more critical of ideas, theories, and practices I come across now than I was prior to taking this class.

 

One topic that had a profound impact on me was Tantric Yoga. We were introduced to the topic early on when we watched the film “Naked in Ashes.” The tantric yogis were eating flesh, living in cemeteries and shunned by a good deal of what should have otherwise been their community. Surprisingly, when I speak to people about tantra, they often assume I am talking about intercourse. While Tantric Sex is a sect of this body of yoga, I believe that the association with sex and sex alone is misguided, driven by the obsession Western society has with the topic.

 

The fact is that tantric yogis do everything in extremes because they believe that sensory experience is fundamental to their development. The idea is to go towards the feeling, whether it be pain or pleasure, and experience it fully. In other forms of yoga, the body is seen as an issue that needs to be overcome — one such example being Yoga: Discipline of Freedom, the Yoga Sutra attributed to Patanjali, which emphasizes the fact that we simply do not exist. In tantra, the body is essential, and the only way that enlightenment can be achieved is through this vessel.

 

Prior to discussing my takeaways from my asana practice, I want to highlight two points that I had not considered before. One is that “our mindset is our reality,” that we consider there to be bad emotions and good emotions, but at the end of the day there are just emotions, plain and simple. Likewise, there is no good or bad karma, there is just karma: action. This genuinely surprised me, as I have always thought about karma in the Western sense, perceiving it to be akin to good or bad luck that is distributed based on how one treats people.

 

In terms of my semester long asana practice, there are several major differences and similarities between my experience of yoga now as opposed to when I first began. Beginning with the differences, I have become critical of the commentary and knowledge of many instructors, questioning where they are pulling their speeches from and what they intend to accomplish with them. Dr. Greene said during one class that it was easy to make us, as both students and people, feel something. With authority, a foreign language, some fancy words and a universal message, it is not difficult to appeal to the masses and tug at the heartstrings of humans deprived of community.

 

Being social creatures, one can see how that desperation for community emerges, especially during a global pandemic such as the one we are currently experiencing. While I typically tend to be skeptical of people and organizations in general, I do find myself less likely to criticize something if I do not know much about it. Knowledge is power, and as I learn I become confident in my ability to assess and question situations.

 

This is not to say that every instructor has a horrible ulterior motive or does not wish to help people; but rather that it is important to be aware of what we as people consume and absorb, and why certain messages appeal to us more than others.

 

I have also noticed that certain words and phrases have become irritating to me. “Intention,” “manifestation,” “heart’s prayer,” “feminine and masculine energy,” are all repeated throughout multiple practices. Though I appreciate setting an intention, I also would like to engage in a practice where I am simply being without constantly worrying if my intention is good enough or not. Furthermore, when I mentioned my studies to my friends, family, and acquaintances, a few of them told me I should catch sales and get licensed yoga clothing from brands like Adidas and Nike, or post more on social media to prove I was “actually doing yoga.” I found these responses lackluster and disappointing and began to tie them in to consumerism and capitalism. I am thankful that I had a small group of supportive people who engaged in conversation about the material I was learning and faithfully read every single post I wrote on this blog. However, the fact that anyone’s first response to me discussing the caste system or Diamond Dallas Page’s “Yoga for Regular Guys” was, “I know a great place you can get yoga pants!” is disappointing and reflective of the disregard humans can have for genuine conversation due to perpetuation of capitalist standards.

 

I detailed a few key asanas from each practice thoroughly, explaining what was supposed to be done, how they felt, and what made them memorable. As I mentioned in the beginning of this entry, I had minimal knowledge about different kinds of yoga, and I still have much to learn. However, having experienced Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Sivananda, Kundalini, and Yin Yoga, I am thrilled to be able to distinguish between differing types and excited to seek out more. My limited knowledge coming into this experience made me eager to detail and document every single movement, to remember the difficulty of placing my feet flat when doing Downward-Facing Dog in the beginning of the semester to the ease of launching myself in the air from that same position just a couple of weeks ago.

 

On the flipside, my use of the Sanskrit words for yoga has remained constant, as has my need to provide context, background, and quotes from my instructors whenever possible. My incorporation of the assigned themes from the syllabus has also remained constant, as I either place them in the opening or closing of my reflections, so as to make them the focal point of the practice. The online platform Gaia remained my main source of instruction, and my personal meditative process has remained intact as well.

 

Additionally, I want to make a note about a particular blog post I wrote entitled “ Yin and Yang: The Duality of Merging Into One.” This post focused on a practice instructed by Melina Meza, and during that practice Meza spoke frequently about Dharma. At this point we had not yet read The Bhagavad Gita, and though I had read it in the past I did not put two and two together until we went over it in class just a few weeks ago. Dharma is taken very seriously, and is a way of life for many people, an inescapable fate that must be accepted and fulfilled in order to one day jump off the Wheel of Karma and escape the pain and suffering that is life. The way Dharma was used in this practice made it seem like a simple, chosen purpose, one that is inside of us to find rather than assigned from the moment of our conception. This served as a clear example of what happens when an Eastern concept is brought into a conversation, without context, in a Westernized practice setting.

 

Yoga: East Meets West has been an amazing experience. The topics were challenging, the material interesting, and the assignments relevant and thought-provoking. The physical practice pushed my limits, testing my patience, belief, and flexibility. I can do things now that at the start of class I would not even have attempted, and am growing more confident with each additional practice I partake in. I am honored to have been able to take this class, and to have the tools necessary to critique yoga and those who practice it while also appreciating the beauty it has to offer. Having the opportunity to learn from guest teachers such as Dianne Polli and Andrew Eppler was one of the bright parts of having this class during a pandemic, and I am grateful to Dr. Greene for keeping the class engaged and offering us the tools we needed to succeed.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading these reflections as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

 

Signing off one last time,

Moujnir

The Art of Meditation and Salience of Being

Dr. Marcello Spinella, Professor of Psychology at Stockton University (and more specifically, neuropsychology) taught a meditation practice in our class on November 24th, 2020. Bringing his vast expertise to the table, Dr. Spinella explained what exactly happens in our brains when we meditate, and what it means to be in such a state.

 

Prior to speaking about the practice, I would like to go over what Dr. Spinella discussed and how it relates to meditation as a whole. Entitled “Mindfulness, Meditation & Yoga: Linking Brain & Mind,” Dr. Spinella presented a PowerPoint explaining what exactly the correlation is between these two topics. He opened by saying that Vipassana is a practice that allows one to “see clearly,” an insight meditation if you will. There are three parts that contribute to this, including:

 

1) Concentration, or Samadhi

2) Clarity, or Sati Sampajañña

3) Equanimity, or Upekkha.

 

Let us look closely at the components of the first part, concentration. Some people describe it as “being in the zone” or “flow,” a concept that our class had previously discussed in depth. Every sense is heightened; Dr. Spinella’s example being that after one meditation retreat, he ate a banana and the smell was so “ecstatic” that it heightened the taste to an exquisite level. Similarly, actions like sexual intercourse heighten as well — after all, who will enjoy the act more: the person focused on it in the moment, or the person thinking about a completely different action or memory entirely? People, overall, tend to be happier when focused.

 

Next, let us look at clarity. Clarity involves observing awareness — of emotions, thoughts, sensations, etcetera. Experiences become passing events rather than the focus of our identity in the moment.

 

Finally, we come to equanimity. Described as non-resistance towards experience, equanimity is about allowing things to happen to you and then letting them pass through you, without holding on to any resistance. Dr. Spinella put this in an interesting way, writing the following equation:

 

Suffering = Pain x Resistance

 

Expanding further, he stated that the amount of resistance one applies to a situation directly impacts the amount of suffering one experiences. He explained further:

 

S = P x R

100 = 10 x 10

60 = 10 x 6

20 = 10 x 2

0 = 10 x 0

 

As one can see, pain is a constant. One cannot move through life without experiencing some pain, but that does not mean one cannot alleviate the suffering by removing one’s own resistance. In the first numerical example, the pain holds a value of 10, and the resistance to that pain holds equal value. This causes the amount of suffering to increase exponentially in comparison to the pain initially caused. If one reduces their resistance by, say a value of 4 points, the reality of that suffering is reduced greatly too, even though the amount of pain has stayed the same. Going down the line, if one can get oneself to a place where there is no resistance, there will be no suffering. The pain will be there and will be experienced; but the suffering that typically accompanies it will no longer bring one down.

 

This is a very powerful visual, one I had never thought of. I loved the way Dr. Spinella explained it, how calmly he spoke even as he unveiled such a brilliant thought pattern. I have been using it recently to help with stressful situations, and I find that looking at it as if I am solving an equation has helped me significantly reduce daily life stressors.

 

Moving onwards to the technical terms, Dr. Spinella introduced three different networks responsible for differing aspects of the brain, as well as their cortex regions and overall roles in relation to this topic.

 

o   There is the Default Mode Network (DMN), which is responsible for mental narrative, thinking about oneself, and the mind wandering. Located in the medial prefrontal and medial parietal cortices, the DMN is, as previously stated, responsible for the mind wandering off into the nether.

 

o   The Salience Network (SN) is located in the anterior insula and anterior cingulate, and is responsible for salience and relevance, as well as catching oneself when one’s mind wanders.

 

o   The Central Executive Network (CEN) is located in the dorsolateral prefrontal and lateral parietal cortices, and sustains attention, mental focus, and the acts of refocusing and continuing to stay focused.

 

The DMN and CEN are inversely related, so when one is active, the other one becomes quiet. This is essential knowledge when meditating, as understanding the functions of the brain helps one to visualize their own meditative process and the changes that result from it.

 

Some other essential skills that are necessary for meditative practice to work are as follows:

 

• Curiosity (dhamma vicaya)

·  Anything examined closely enough begins to hold interest, in turn engaging your brain and making your mind want to focus rather than needing to.

• Compassion and Kindness (karuṇā , mettā,)

·  As Dr. Spinella says “you can’t criticize yourself to enlightenment,” something Dr. Greene says as well.

•  Positive emotion (piti, sukha)

·  Gradually noticed, not forced.

 

Meditation, ultimately, is a shift in awareness, reducing pain and the idea of separatism. It causes us to let go, stop resisting, and embrace the world as a whole. In terms of mental well-being, the DMN is overactive during suffering, or “running unchecked” and plays a part in mental and physical health issues such as depression, anxiety, rumination, traumatic stress, chronic pain, and ADHD.

 

Things that help reduce DMN activity and therefore its effects are:

 

1) Depression treatments

a) Psychotherapy

b) Meditation

2) Focus and Concentration

a) Flow/the zone/samadhi

3) Psychedelics

a)  Yes, LSD. This is being tested safely and has a profound calming effect on people suffering from aforementioned health issues.

4) Meditation

a)  Mindfulness

b) Loving-Kindness

 

*Fun side note: following this discussion, a couple of classes later we watched the documentary on the legendary Ram Dass, who infamously (or famously, depending on how you look at it) got fired from his job as a Harvard Professor for his experimentation with LSD and its impact on the mind. After losing his job, Ram Dass journeyed to India and found meditation to be a more suitable way to focus his mind, interesting considering the correlation between the two methods. *

 

Dr. Spinella describes meditation as many things, one of his favorite terms and my personal preference being “oceanic boundlessness.” Subsequent to this presentation, we gathered together and went through a guided meditation. I sat on my floor, cross legged with my butt planted on my feet, and listened to the instructions being given out. Dr. Spinella said that, rather than ignore the voices and sounds invading our senses, we should acknowledge them, focus on them, and then let them pass. This was extraordinarily helpful, as in my case I have a rambunctious household of people who oftentimes would not comprehend the definition of “peace and quiet” if it hit them in the face. Focusing on the loud noises interrupting my thoughts and the sounds enveloping me allowed me to home in on the singularity of the voices and accept them, rather than become irritated with myself and others for not having an empty mind or being distracting.

 

As I previously mentioned in my other meditative practices, I always start with a singular image of a metal ball the size of a penny floating around in my head. This one was no different, and as Dr. Spinella instructed all of us to focus on our individual selves, I pictured myself as this metal ball, even as I felt the twitch of my toes and the itch on my nose threating to knock my composure. The ache in my back came to the forefront of my mind but I ignored it, refocusing on that metal ball, becoming it once more. A sense of calm washed over me, and the process of focusing on that singular object as well as the voices that came and went became a repetitive but productive process, one that I was happy to oblige.

 

Dr. Spinella then instructed us, if we so chose, to imagine the objects in the room, and imagine how connected we were to everything around us. At first, that is exactly what I did; I pictured my bed behind me, the futon to my left and the yoga mat on my right, my bookshelf to the rear of my right side with The Perks of Being a Wallflower hanging by a thread on the top shelf.

 

Then I dug a little further, and I began to picture the beams of the house, the dirt beneath the foundation, the piece of the house that hits the air and the distance between that and the nearest cloud. It felt as if I was attempting to comprehend the fabric of my existence in relation to everything else, both inanimate and breathing. It was a surreal yet profound experience, and it changed my perception on meditation and the power it has to make one feel so deeply connected to everything.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this practice, and it has changed my habits and my ways of meditating in my own time. This being my favorite practice of the semester, I cannot think of a better note to end on.

 

Until my Final Reflection,

Moujnir

Spirituality, Medicine, and Asana: The Yoga Trinity

Yoga is, in many ways, taught, thought of, and marketed as a spiritual practice here in the West. In general, there is a debate as to whether or not yoga is a religious or spiritual practice, and there are several arguments that efficiently defend both sides. Yet, definitions can be general and rather superfluous; for the sake of clarity and simplicity, I am only going to discuss a few examples of how spiritually has been mentioned throughout my semester long practice, as well as expand on how this has impacted my experience of yoga as a whole.

 

In my recent post with instructor Mary Clare Sweet, I spoke about how she was guiding her students to manifest their own realities. This is arguably a call to spirituality, as Sweet is encouraging her students to get in touch with themselves, and then call out to a greater force in the universe, one which they are already a part of. A practice I did in October, called “The Attitude Makeover” and taught by Zain Saraswati Jamal, also called for inner peace and was brought on by the need to be in the present moment — again, the end goal being to connect to a space and a force outside oneself.

 

This theme of inner harmony was also found when Melina Meza discussed the importance of fulfilling one’s Dharma, a concept that I now know far more about than I did at the time of the practice. In the context of Meza’s practice, spirituality was about living one’s best life and fulfilling the reason one was placed on Earth in order to reach inner harmony and contribute to becoming one with the universe. Once more, this theme of finding oneself and unionizing with a force outside of that self was central, despite the difference in the types of yoga being taught and the instructors teaching them.  

 

For that reason, I do believe that my yoga practices have been instructed through this lens of spirituality. One cannot live a fruitful life without knowing oneself — for to know oneself is to know all beings, because we are all one. That is the theme my instructors have followed in one sense or another, and it is how I have come to identify spirituality in this particular setting.

 

That said, my final physical practice post is on Viniyoga. Though much more “practical” and focused on healing methods and technical terms used in biology and medicine, Viniyoga has moments of spirituality as well, encouraging introspection while focusing on physical execution.

 

Briefly —before jumping into asana descriptions (three to be precise) from the hour long Viniyoga practice I completed — I would like to comment on the history of Viniyoga as well as give a bit of background about the man who popularized it.  

 

Gary Kraftsow is the man who essentially created Viniyoga. Learning from T.K.V. Desikachar and T. Krishnamacharya of Madras, India, Kraftsow brought Viniyoga to the United States and is the founder of The American Viniyoga Institute. Their official website states that Viniyoga is “an approach to Yoga that adapts practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of individuals and groups – giving practitioners the tools to individualize and actualize the process of self-discovery and personal transformation.”

 

“Self-discovery and personal transformation” can mean many things to different people. Some may see this as a call to enlightenment while others may see it as an avenue to end their ruminative thinking. Others might say there is no difference between the two. Viniyoga utilizes these differing aspects and adapts to whatever the consumer wants, making it desirable to those looking for a physical avenue that offers exactly what they need.

 

Furthermore, Kraftsow credits Desikachar for his interest and knowledge in medical studies, saying that when they first met, Kraftsow was a Religious Studies major and Desikachar said to him “you should study science.” Citing him as an almost prophetic guide, Kraftsow listened to Desikachar and now says that “more and more work that I do is with medical doctors, psychiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, etc.” Counting his professional career as a blessing, Kraftsow says there is a shift in medical studies looking to replace pharmaceutical methods with more natural alternatives. UCSF, Harvard, and other prestigious universities have enlisted him in their studies, shifting their gaze “from pharmaceutical centric care to patient centric care.”

 

Interestingly, Kraftsow says that his passion has always been the spiritual side of yoga, an interest that remains steady to this day. Citing the “uniquely nonsectarian orientation,” Kraftsow continues his studies on the Upanishads and is “doing more and more…. deeper work with more and more students who want to go into their own deeper inner work.” He works on this while simultaneously advancing medical studies, fulfilling both aspects of himself.

 

With this lens, I will now move on to describe three of the asanas that stood out to me during this practice.

First, we have Cakravakasana. This asana immediately reminded me of Cat-Cow Pose, one of my favorites. To enter this asana, I started on my hands and knees, my hips directly above them and my hands just a touch in front of my shoulders. Inhaling, I pulled my shoulder blades inward and stretched my spine, pulling my belly in and keeping my chin in line with my chest. Unlike Cat-Cow, there is no arch here — rather, the lower back must stay completely even. Exhaling, I contracted my abdomen and moved my hips back toward my heels while simultaneously placing my forehead and elbows on the ground, stretching my lower back. Inhaling, I returned to the starting position, and then repeated the process several times.

 

This asana is relaxing and helps immensely with back pain, something Kraftsow commented on multiple times, though his terms were more technical. For example, where I say, “the lower back must stay completely even,” he says, “[you should] flatten thoracic spine on inhale.”

 

The second asana that I found to be helpful was Bhujangasana, also known as Cobra Pose. Kraftsow referred to it as “butt muscle strengthening,” but I like to think of it as a way to both strengthen and relieve my lower back while simultaneously tightening my butt and upper thigh muscles.

 

To complete this asana, I simply began on my stomach, my feet hip-distance apart. With my hands beside my ribs, I extended my big toes back before pressing down with all of them, rotating my inner thighs to the sky and firming my ankles in line with my midriff. Pressing down into the earth, I raised my head and chest slowly, rolling my shoulders back and keeping my neck long, my gaze straight ahead. As my arms lengthened, I moved cautiously, my pelvis rooted into the ground as the forward pull of my chest propelled me upward, coiling my thoracic spine. Moving my shoulder blades in, I straightened my arms and kept my elbows just slightly bent, holding my position for several breaths before folding back into my starting position, feeling relieved and refreshed as my body once again united with the ground.

 

The third and final asana I will mention is the Supta Baddha Konasana Adaption. It’s a bound ankle pose, and it looks exactly like what it sounds like. Lying down, arms to the sides and my palms facing upwards, I placed the soles of my feet together causing both legs to fall to their individual sides, but not all the way to the ground. Inhaling gently, I focused on controlling my pranayama and then lifting my legs just slightly up towards the middle, about a third of the way there. Then, I lifted them back down again before coming almost all the way up. Throughout this process my pace was excruciatingly slow, my body trembling the whole way through, which according to Kraftsow was a completely natural reaction to have.

 

That said, we can now address Kraftsow’s teaching methods. He has a very monotone voice, an explains things in a technical, precise manner (Bueller, Bueller anyone?) The videos I learned from focused on back muscles, and the actual asanas themselves were carried out slowly, rarely in time with the verbal instructions that Kraftsow was giving. The environment reminded me of a study, or a rich, comfortable home — there was a hearth, and the colors were brown and red, earth tones with a touch of fire. Some of my classmates who did the same practice felt that it looked like a home, a safe space, or in some cases, a therapist’s office. Mainly, the thing that makes Viniyoga a form of yoga is essentially the language used — Sanskrit— and the usage of pranayama throughout the practices, which is very important.

 

This is my final physical reflection, and I am certain that I will continue this journey long after this class is over, both in physical practice and written word. I feel sad writing this, knowing that it is the last physical reflection of the semester; but I am also elated to have learned so much and gained insight into both my own spirit and the vast variety of instructors and styles the yoga world has to offer.

 

Until the Next Reflection,

Moujnir

Tantra, Pranayama, and The Allure of Manifestation

In class this week, we discussed the importance of one’s body in Tantric Yoga, as it is believed that the body is the vehicle through which one may become enlightened. This a different approach than the belief systems we have studied thus far, all of which deem the body to be a physical aspect of the world that must be overcome.

 

Furthermore, in Tantra, the only time one may become enlightened is in this mortal body, one that our souls are not fortunate enough to inhabit often. Hence, many careful steps are taken to ensure that the body slows down its decomposition, specifically through the use and restraint of pranayama.

 

Thinking about this topic, I wanted to focus on a practice that emphasized the ability to feel and be one with the self in a very physical manner. While Kundalini Yoga is my go-to for practices that emphasize breath control and its myriad of beneficial properties, I went with a Vinyasa practice that offered new challenges, as unfamiliar asanas present a difficulty in breath control that even Kundalini does not match.

 

For this reason, I chose to do a Gaia practice that was 1 hour and 2 minutes long entitled “Open Your Heart to You” with instructor Mary Clare Sweet. Focusing on opening one’s heart through backbends via the belly and back, the asanas and meditations were geared toward staying open, vulnerable, present, and at times, engaging in the art of manifestation.

 

Clare opened up with quote: “How many times have you been in a conversation, or maybe a work meeting or in a planning committee or something, and you have this great idea. And you’re about to say it and share it. But all of the sudden a little voice comes up and you deny it and you keep it in. Or you’re in a relationship and you want to speak your truth or speak your heart and you deny yourself your basic right, your birthright, to express how you feel.”

 

This is a meaningful, relatable quote to be certain, but what I find interesting about it is that it evokes the same kind of skepticism in me that certain people who claim to be psychics do. These feelings of inferiority, borderline imposter syndrome and emotional hesitance certainly resonate with some more than others, but they are also feelings that are universal, experienced at one point or another. In the same way that zodiac readings make people feel in tune with their astrological sign (as a Taurus, of course I am stubborn!) these kinds of comments can put people at ease and make them feel that the instructor is speaking directly to them.

 

While not necessarily a bad thing, it is interesting to see the power of language in action and to think about how that power impacts one’s view of certain practices, including that of yoga.

 

Returning to the practice itself, I am going to focus on a few core asanas and the ways they surprised and challenged me this week!

 

First off, pranayama in Child’s Pose with the alteration of having my head resting on a block instead of on the ground changed the feeling of the asana drastically. I found it more difficult to keep an even breath, and my mind was more focused on the strange sensation of my forehead against the block then the amount of time between my inhalation and exhalation. The difficulty of just remembering to breathe in this kind of asana is incredible; though it sounds ridiculous, it is a fundamental part of doing the asana properly.

High kneeling, as Clare calls it, was another challenging asana, though it seemed simplistic in nature. Placing a yoga block in-between my knees, I straightened my back, my legs firmly planted on the ground as I stared straight ahead. Taking a full breath in, I extended my arms out to my sides, placing my hands up and my shoulders down. (Side note, my sister refers to this part of the asana as “Stop Man!” and it is a term I have come to associate with the position as a whole. The idea of saying “stop” while being in a vulnerable position is multi-layered, because it could be an unconscious call to connect with your limitations while simultaneously being aware that you are purposely pushing past them.) Exhaling, I brought my elbows together at heart’s center, and rooted the center of my exhale through my pelvis. With every inhale, my heart thrust out as a signal for “radiating” and with each exhale, my pelvic floor tightened, a physical symbol for being rooted in the moment.

 

The next asana that challenged me was one that was enacted from Tabletop position. Lifting my right arm all the way up, I circled my wrist a few times while the rest of my body stayed in Tabletop position. Threading my right arm underneath my left arm, I allowed my right shoulder and the side of my head to touch the ground as my left shoulder blade pulled back towards the rear wall. Resuming the original position, I repeated the entire process on the opposite side of my body. Subsequently, I channeled prana energy, circulating it throughout my body. Once again I pulled my arms out to the sides (stop man, back again!) inhaling as I lifted up, exhaling as I moved back, using a block between my legs as a way to move my body back and forth in an upright position similar to High Kneeling.

Downward Facing Dog was utilized uniquely in this practice too, as instead of staying stationary in the asana, I pedaled my feet, lengthened the backs of my legs and lifted my heels, shifting forward as I bent my knees, pulling back and then going forward in a continuous motion. Similar to swimming, I engaged my muscles to move forward, carrying my momentum and then bringing it back with each exhale.

 Core Wheels was another favorite position of mine, as lying on my back, I took a block and placed it in-between my feet, flush against the soles. With my arms out to the sides and my palms facing upwards, I moved my lower body forward in a circular motion repeatedly, all the while keeping my back glued to the floor. It was a strange sensation, the stretching of my thighs expanding against the strain in my lower legs, my inner thighs feeling an impact from the soles of my feet gripping the block ever so tightly.

 

Subsequently, Clare’s Funky Skandasana worked my ability to stretch and move quickly from side to side, as I fully bent my left knee and slightly bent my right knee as I extended my right leg. My pelvis did a majority of the work here, mirroring its involvement from High Kneeling. Going from side to side in this asana worked out my lower back and inner thigh muscles as well, leaving no room for error or doubt, especially when I stopped placing my hands on the floor and instead placed more weight on my legs, leaving my hands in prayer at heart.

 

The final asana, and the one that was most meaningful to me, was when I stretched, standing with my legs wide, each foot spread to the sides of the mat. Folding forward, I stayed hovering above the ground for a second before sliding my hands up my legs to my hips, interlacing my fingers behind me with my “unpopular” thumb on top. Lifting the center of my chest up, I exhaled, lowering my hips downward and folding over my lower body, the crown of my head reaching down to the earth. This was the first time all semester that I was able to touch my head to my mat in such a position, and I felt a flood of pride and happiness at being able to do so. It was a big moment for me!

 

To wrap up my thoughts, I do think it is interesting how much Clare mentioned the Law of Attraction and the power of manifestation. I have quite a few people in my life who believe very strongly in these concepts and blame themselves quite harshly for not manifesting well enough when things go “wrong.” Seeing this idea used in yoga is interesting to me, as earlier in the semester Dr. Greene had mentioned how this relates to yoga by bringing up the book “The Secret,” and speaking as to how spirituality and manifestation can become hot topics in the same conversation. After this practice, I now clearly see how the two correlate, one such way being in the usage of language and what message the instructor is trying to convey — in this case, the power of one’s own thoughts on their daily life.

 

An interesting practice, I simultaneously look forward to and dread my final practice next week, as I am only just beginning to get comfortable with asanas, meditation, and observing the nuances that yoga provides.

Until the Next Reflection,

Moujnir