FREE WORKSHOP: Weaving the Yoga Sutras Into Daily Life

NOTES for Nov. 30th Forum:

Hi everyone. This month we will talk about Asana and the mind.

Asana practice is almost synonymous with modern day yoga. The yoga sutras only devote three verses to this third limb of yoga. But these three sutras can unpack a world of meaning. Sage Patanjali says asana is sthira (steady) and sukham (comfortable). This describes the state of mind as well as the physical experience. By lessening the natural tendency for restlessness and by meditating on the infinite, posture is mastered. Thereafter, one is not disturbed by dualities. While no asana names are mentioned in the sutras, Vyasa’s commentary mentions some. Asana in the Sutras, is often understood to be a means to stilling the body for meditation. Asana is understood as a seat in Sanskrit.

While asana practice helps our physical health, I think we all agree that asana practice – even if used as a gateway to yoga – helps us access much more than our body. It stimulates healing and understanding on many levels. It encourages us to practice acceptance, it teaches us to know our body and breath, it helps us unlock emotions. It helps us recognize our tendencies, our fears and our ego. It teaches us to challenge our boundaries.

We will talk about the striving for steadiness and comfort in any asana, the relation of the other limbs to asana, the observation of the breath, the different bhavas (feelings or attitudes) generated by the asanas. We will consider the words ‘meditating on the infinite’ in our modern practice.

Before we meet:

• What do you think of this? https://oneflowyoga.com/blog/asana-yoga
  Yoga succeeds because it is a postural practice. People see it as another form of exercise.
• How do we bring yoga back into modern asana practice classes?
• Is yoga more about the ego today?
• Next time you practice, observe shifts in emotional as well as physical energy. Notice how your practice, and each pose, make you feel.

Shubhada Wavikar

Originally from India, I see yoga as a way of life, as a philosophy for living. Yoga, to me, is an incredible – often transformative – blessing that should be accessible to everyone – to all bodies, minds and abilities. I started on the yoga instructor journey a few years ago to deepen my own practice, and to be able to humbly share this legacy with others. My students have ranged from 3 years old (kids’ yoga) to 100 years old (chair yoga). Each has taught me something, opened my mind to new experiences, new ways of thinking about yoga. And I hope they have felt, in one way or another, touched by the magic of yoga.

I am a registered yoga instructor, and received my 200 hour and 300 hour teacher training at The Yoga Studio in Millis, MA, and an additional 300 hour teacher training at Down Under Yoga, MA. I am currently enrolled in a part online teacher training program with an Institute in India. I am also trained in yoga nidra and kids’ yoga.

I am deeply interested in all of yoga’s teachings, its ideology and practices. This is such a vast field of knowledge, that one lifetime is too short to explore it. I am a keen student of yoga history, anatomy, Sanskrit, subtle body concepts like chakras, and of course, philosophical underpinnings from the Bhagwad Gita, the Yoga Sutras and Samkhya philosophy. When not on my mat, I love being outdoors, gardening and hiking. I’m also a voracious reader and a lover of murder mysteries 🙂