Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?

So I'm just off of a weekend workshop with David Garrigues Hosted by Suzanne and Nikos at the Ashtanga Yoga Club Durham...DG5: Strength of an Elephant

The theme of the weekend was strength (obviously) and how and where to develop that strength within the Ashtanga practice.  Finding our foundation was a big part of the weekend as well...getting our strength from the ground.

Going into the weekend I was feeling strong...I've been practicing along, doing my thing and feeling pretty good about it..."This will be no problem!"  I thought...WHAT A FOOL I WAS!!!  Is should have known better!  I've been to workshops and intensives with David before.  He is a soulful, joyful and caring teacher...and also fearless and demanding!  There is no cheating in his class!  Especially this weekend, where the theme is strength, and many of us have become masters of dodging those opportunities in the practice to build it.  The Artful Dodger was banished this weekend!

We began Friday night with a break down of Surya Namaskara A - movement by movement, breath by breath - holding the beginning and ending points of every position, and every point in between.  We found our "Pillar of Light" in Samastith, shining our light from the pelvic floor up and out through the crown of our head.

Saturday we continued our quest for foundation and light-shining through the Standing Sequence and roughly half of the Seated Poses of Primary Series, pausing for a bit to cover the ever popular but elusive Jump Back and Jump Through...IT TOOK 4 HOURS...

I have to admit I found myself a little angry with David (HAHA!!) about half way through this adventure...but I got over it.  After all, I definitely found my foundation and pillar of light, and had a few revelations about teaching and adjusting.

And seeing how thoroughly I had my ass kicked (I'm still a little sore!) made me feel like a beginner again...and isn't that a GOOD THING?  Shouldn't we all continue to be beginners on our mat (an off for that matter!).  Shouldn't we always be looking for ways to go deeper, find more, experience more connection with ourselves, and our awareness?

All this also made me wonder if the fact that I mostly practice by myself at home, without a teacher watching is hindering my progress.  There is something about having eyes on me that makes me push little harder, transition a little cleaner between poses, and stay a longer in the poses themselves.  And doing that always results in a satisfaction that is unrivaled by getting to that breakfast a little sooner!

David says WE (teachers, ashtangis, what have you) don't MAKE the practice hard.  It IS hard.  And we go into that with pleasure, without dodging the bits that make us sore or tired or angry.  Working hard is a pleasure, not punishment.  This is TAPAS.

And the rewards are great!  We are developing a CAPACITY for WORK and STAYING...even (and especially) WHEN ITS HARD.

Through this repetition and reflection - going back to the mat every day and reflecting on our progress...trying and failing and trying again in a new way - we are developing a HABIT OF STRENGTH...

STRENGTH OF AN ELEPHANT!

Excerpt from "Saturday Practice" May 3rd 2014 - Momentum

David G posted a couple of weeks ago about "Saturday Practice" being a time to write down some thoughts about the week of practice and things that have come up (see his blog post here). So I thought I'd give it a try. I often have flashes of insight during or after practice, and sometimes I get them down on paper, but more often these insights come and go without having shared them with students or fellow yogis. Hopefully "Saturday Practice" will help me get some things written and shared more often. Here are a few of the things milling around in this brain of mine over the past week (this is unedited and pretty much unfiltered, so keep that in mind!)

Really loving the feeling of full vinyasa primary - definitely tiring in a new way but also energizing.  I believe it has something to do with momentum - maybe my theme for the month - the idea of using (harnessing?) the momentum from the vinyasa to carry through into next pose and on...even through the tough ones.  

Kind of like swinging on a swing set - it takes more effort to stop and start again than to keep going and riding with the momentum - almost effortless...and once you get going just a little more effort in pumping on the swing results in swinging higher and higher.

I have several students that I see losing momentum as they go through their practice - They stop and sit and rest before each new pose - saying they are “assessing their energy level” or “resting” or “saving energy for what’s coming up”

This could be a symptom of a few different things:

1 - I’ve given them too much of the series to work with and they are not ready for that much - either endurance-wise or mentally

*It’s hard to stay focused and moving and keep the momentum going that long at first - takes practice and training of mind and body

2 - There is a challenging pose somewhere in there that is really taking it out of them - again either physically or mentally (or both!)

3 - They are not convinced that energy breeds energy and are worried they will wear themselves out for the rest of the day or the rest of the practice.

Sections of the practice I feel require momentum to carry through:

1 - Primary Seated through Marichyasana  - I sometimes get bogged down in all the forward folds.  Vinyasa - especially FULL vinyasa keeps you focused and moving - this is where that feeling of riding the momentum of the playground swing comes into play.

2 - Intermediate Backbends - Shalabhasana to Kapotasana - Yes, Kapo may take some prep for many but maybe...just maybe...the previous poses ARE THE PREP!!  Do them with dispatch to the best of your ability and DO NOT STOP...and see what happens.  Yes, of course there will be modifications, but no prep or stopping!  Build these modifications and props into the flow as much as possible.

3 - Intermediate Gauntlet! - Pincha Mayurasana to Vatayanasana - this is a very energetically dense section requiring large muscle groups and big movements. Momentum is a MUST!!  Do not stop!  Stopping would be like dragging your feet on the swing set and then having to start pumping all over again to get started and up to speed!  Approaching the gauntlet should be like when you are swinging and going along at a nice pace, and then just kicking a little harder to go a little higher.  You can drag your feet a little in Parigrasana and on from there

I can’t really comment on Advanced A yet - still muddling through - which brings me to my final point:

Yes, there will be some muddling as we learn new poses and sequences and push past our barriers to learn what is possible in our bodies and minds.  BUT KEEP IN MIND that these are not just poses put in some arbitrary order - they are meant to be practiced “WITH VINYASA” meaning each pose is just one small bead on a Mala.  Eventually you are striving to put it all together into one long moving meditation without stopping.  This method that we practice, Ashtanga VINYASA Yoga should build you up...feed you energetically, mentally, physically...not tear you down and take you away from your life off the mat.

I suggest practicing this way on a regular basis.  It’s a way to check in and see what happens if you just move through without stopping to prep or rest or think...putting priority on the flow of the vinyasa rather than on the poses themselves.  Led classes can serve this purpose, but there is something very important about SELF-MANAGING those impulses to stop, rest, think, avoid, grasp, etc...be HONEST with yourself about what is appropriate for you to do - how far to go in the sequence, what pose to stop at, how many backbends to do…

All that said...OF COURSE research days are helpful, props can clarify things.  But remember:

“Oh Yogi, do not practice asana without vinyasa” ~Rishi Vamana