Whole Living Daily

By nature, staying still is not my forte.  As a child, I was incredibly energetic and always on the go (and sometimes a handful for my parents).  As a student and young adult, I was a bit of an over achiever and often immerse myself in a plethora of projects at one time, spreading my focus and energy too thin.   Consequently, the quality of my work and overall well-being were affected.

Nothing has countered this ineptitude to slow down, sit still, and narrow my focus than yoga and meditative practices.  Both have nurtured the invaluable ability to perceive quiet not as a void, but as a space to learn and evolve from.  Likewise, with committed practice, these breath based practices constantly inspire the indispensable tool of honest self-investigation.

Of course, postural yoga is also defined by movement.  However, by eliminating arbitrary gestures, each pose becomes its own, breath supported seat.  In fact, the meaning of the Sanskrit word for pose, asana, is “seat.”  As Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar so beautifully sums up, yoga is “meditation in action.”

This week, challenge yourself towards mastering this “meditation in action” by observing your focus on the mat.

Ask yourself the follow questions and see how much new space your open up in breath, body, and mind. (For me, doing so has been transformative.)

1.     When do you move arbitrarily?

For example, was it essential to cater to that itch?  Do you fidget in poses like tadasana (mountain pose)?  Decreasing non-essential movement won’t make our asana practice rigid, but instead open up more space for the breath and mental awareness.  It will help us achieve what Mr. T.K.V. Desikachar calls one of the most basic principles of yoga: “To become fully involved with our action.”

2.     When do your eyes roam?

Drishti, or intentional focal point, is a key component of the yoga practice.  By boosting our visual focus, we automatically reduce external distractions.  For more about drishti, read my blog from a few months back.

3.     When is your breath disjointed?

Ideally, every movement should be initiated by the breath.  Lovingly observe when your breath is disjointed or jagged.  Work on smoothing it out.  Don’t worry if it’s a slow process—this doesn’t have to happen all at once!

4.     In longer or more physically sustainable poses, where does your mind go?

Notice if the mind wanders in longer holds/easily attained postures.

If it has a tendency to roam, increase your focus on the breath.  Increasing the pause between the inhalation and exhalation can be helpful.  As stated in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, one masters a pose when they can maintain it with out mentally or physically flinching for 2 hours.  Let’s start with 2 minutes! Hold a pose like seated spinal twist or a symmetrical forward bend.

5.     What is your face doing?

Think more about your facial expressions during the practice.  Ideally, the expression should be soft and unwavering.  I used to, for example, unknowingly bite my lip or tense my brow in certain poses.  Look out for things like this and try to smooth them out.

Good luck! What else helps you boost your attention on and off the mat? Please share.

Sophie Herbert is an alignment focused yoga teacher (and perpetual student), a singer-songwriter, and a visual artist. She has lived, studied, and volunteered extensively in India; teaches yoga in Brooklyn and Manhattan; and recently released her first full-length album, "Take a Clear Look." Please visit her website at SophieHerbert.com.