Welcome to Jeweler's Row, Philadelphia, the home of Ashtanga Yoga School of Philadelphia!

David and I at his annual Britenbush Hotsprings retreat, 2009.

This is my first posting in my new blog; yes, I have jumped on the bandwagon and I feel compelled to share tales within my practice of yoga and of my journey here in Philadelphia!  It is my intention to share with you the exciting practice that I am learning, my favorite teaching stories, and some of my sweetest treasures that I have found.  And there is no better time to share information:  here in Philadelphia at the Ashtanga Yoga School, there is a whole lot of yoga happening and there is much to do to get it spiraling into it's fullest effect!

Joy mopping up the final touches for the opening practice, July 3, 2011.

On July 3, David Garrigues, extraordinary Certified Ashtanga Yoga Teacher, and musician-skate board-rocker, opened the Ashtanga Yoga School of Philadelphia.  This was a soft opening since there weren't any advertisements about the event - the main shala was finished but there was construction going on with the shower, the changing rooms, and within the smaller yoga studio outside of the main shala.  The construction is still going-on now and though the project is coming together slowly, the main shala is in full working form - it is a place of calmness. The shala itself is glorious - there is a radiance that needs no words to describe.  By the grand opening on August 28 (moon day, a Saturday), the Ashtanga Yoga School hopes to have most of it completed and in full function.

The shala is a spacious room on the third floor, with large windows and beautiful natural light.  The building is 175+ years old with crooks and creaks; when you roll your mat out onto the floor, the wood planks below you bend and give.  You feel as though this third floor room has been build for practice.  The colors of the walls are painted a muted- yet-bright orange and blue, and white clean lines perimeter the ceiling and trim.  Sounds from the vibrant city come into the ten-foot-plus floor windows and horns and people are heard from the street.  

My favorite piece to this is that it is located right on Jeweler's Row, what is said to be, 'America's Oldest Diamond District' just blocks from the Liberty Bell and Independence Square.  It makes clear sense to practice yoga in an old and historic place, and even more so, amongst some of the precious stones of the world:  we too are shining ourselves as we practice, peeling away layers to get to the deepest and clearest part for reflection. 

Students practicing in the morning glow.

Mysore classes have been happening daily taught by David G and myself from 6:15-9:15 am.  I have been teaching while he has been away.  Students devotedly practice six days a week, and the shala is filled with willing and enthusiastic practitioners.  

At first, I didn't know what it was going to be like to come into a studio and teach students I had never met before.  But, as practitioners of ashtanga know, the language of ashtanga is unspoken; teachers connect with students via adjustments and students connect with teachers by coming to practice with them.  The practice IS the language!  It is practical to travel around the world or visit an ashtanga yoga shala, roll out your mat and begin practice.  We don't necessarily need language to convey our needs, the practice is the voice. 

The first resolve I must share:  why I chose Philadelphia and to leave the beautiful blue skies and striking mountains of Idaho.  I came to learn the ashtanga third series from David and also to dive into a teaching apprenticeship with him.  I came to teach Mysore while he is away on retreats and workshops and I came to enjoy a new city with a flavorful grit.  Philadelphia is gritty and edgy!  There is nothing tame about Philadelphia - even my friend Kathie Stearns in Boise asked me, "What!  Philly!  Why are you moving to Philly!" 

Back in my days of pink pants: here I am doing a little "Supta Up!" and Marichy C up at Table Rock, in beautiful blue-skied Boise, Idaho. 2008.

The main reason:  the unique teachings of David G.  David always invigorates my practice in new ways that I don't know are possible.  He is methodical, precise, and always pushes my practice in new ways.  During our time together at Britenbush Hotsprings in Oregon,  here is a little story to convey how impactful he has been:

During an afternoon session of pranayama and exploration, David had us practicing Namaskar A and B blindfolded.  I had never been blindfolded during yogic practice.  To me, I thought:

“How ridiculous to let go of your drishti!  What!?”  

Here is me along the banks of the Ganga, from a boat.

Little did I know that I would enjoy this invitation into a deeper inward reflection.  Then, before Led Primary class three days later, there were bandanas in the front of the room.  I have no idea why I chose to pick up one and blindfold myself.  It was through David’s encouragement to enter the unknown, where the endless possibilities happen during practice - if and only if, you research and get out of the box.  What always enfolds is a new way to dive deeper into the practice.  Even with a mysterious tabla player in the room, the practice became intimately joyful and quiet; it was a time of safe and timeless reflection.  I heard the "tic-ca-tica-ca...ta-ca-ca...ta-ca!" and of course, "Ekam...Dve....Trini!..." but mostly, I was carried to the banks of the Ganga where I was at the end of my trip to India in 2008, right there on the banks of the mighty Benares!  I was transported to this divine place of memory where all time and place left my mind, and I felt yoga, only yoga. 

Some of the mystery and intrigue of the goddess River Ganga.

Through practicing with David, I continue to get inspired to try something new, to expand my ideas of an asana, or to devote my meditations on the divine.  For his unique gift to teach me these things, I am always grateful.

Besides learning the third series from David, I assist him during Sunday Mysore classes from 9-11 am.  This is by far one of the highlights of my week:  I watch closely just how and why he adjusts someone.  Assisting underneath someone is a true art - you must be quiet at all times, you must be watching who he has helped and why, and I also am constantly panning the room to where I can be of assistance to the student, and to the greater whole of the group.  This also translates to a deeper understanding of my own practice under David.  I am diving into my practice in ways I haven't gone in a long time: 

Me:  I have lowered have way down in Karandavasana and then brought myself back up.  I am not sure I have another go.  I am doing all of second series, then the third series.  I know I also have to go into backbending too.  I know he will want to do it with me a few more times.  I don't know if I have more tries to give!

David:  "Sarah, let's do that one again."  Of course I do it another three or four times.

In non-yoga terms:  my practice is long, arduous, daily, and with very little room for distraction.  I was sharing with my friend, Maria, that it is just as though we were in Mysore; every day you get up to give every part of your being to the practice, and the rest of the day trying to remember it.  With my dog walking job (newly acquired - The Monster Minders - such badass dog walkers!) I am a little tired at the end of the day, but my mind is fixed on the morning's practice and meditation.  This is one of the reasons that we practice during this golden hour so early in the morning -  to place the stamp of inner reflection upon our day, early enough into the day, so that it can be remembered and captured the rest of the day.  If we do this, and do this continually with a steady rhythm and discipline - this is what allows us to find ease, calmness and and good temperament in the face of any interaction.  These are good things to have when you are living in a gritty city with angry taxi drivers, or working full-time, or being a parent, or having a difficult decision to make.  All of these obstacles and hardships make the reason to practice more and more inviting.  We don't stop our practice when things get difficult, we make more time for it.  The practice teaches how to tap in.

Also in this first post, I want to share with my new friends in Philadelphia pictures of some of my other teachers (besides David) who have taught me how to teach, how to practice, and how to love myself.  The art of adjusting is a pillar for our role as teachers.  Guruji taught many people without the use of his voice, he mostly taught the practice through his hands.  And to learn how to assist others in a posture that they are learning through the guidance of your hands is a true gift.  Nancy Gilgoff and Christine Hoar have taught me, and now David is teaching me.  (A great way to show this is in old videos of Guruji:  check out the video:  nowhere in this video is Guruji saying anything to distract the yogis.)

This is so important when most of us rely on a memory of a posture that we were put into or helped getting into in order for us to replicate it ourselves when our teacher is not with us.  I have also studied with Tim Miller and Sharath Ragaswami and of course with Guruji when I went to Mysore in 2008 and traveled to New York for the practices with Guruji in 2002, but it is these people here who I have spent hours and hours with, and they in return have placed a yogic imprint upon me from their touch.

Here are photos of Nancy Gilgoff and Christine Hoar who have taught me the art of adjusting.  Randa Chehab is also included here, the one who taught me how to commit to practicing at 5 am, who is also one of my first teachers.  Through their tutelage, I am grateful for the ability to teach you all here in Philadelphia. 

Here is Christine Hoar, Authorized Teacher, dear friend and incredible Ayurvedic practitioner.  In this picture, Gracie is missing.  Gracie is her dog.  2008.  Find out about Christine at Bristol Yoga

A pillar of knowledge and joy; Certified teacher, Nancy Gilgoff.  I am always grateful for her knowledgeable adjustments and touch!  Nancy can be found at House of Yoga and Zen

Here is newly-Authorized teacher, Randa Chehab, Certified teacher, Lino Miele and I; Guruji too in the background at Lino's workshop in Bozeman, MT, 2008. Randa is at Down to Earth Yoga

Lastly, I end my first blog post with a shout out to all the Idaho ashtangis out there.  Practicing alongside you, teaching you, and getting to know you all has been such a wonderful experience!  I am thinking of you all as I am out here in this big city - and very much hope you are all practicing together and not skipping your vinyasas.  :)  Jen Boyd, I hope you are using that altar for your backbends!  

Here we all are at the old Ashtanga Yoga Boise shala, doing our Mysore thing, rock'in it.

 

The Fire of Daily Practice

Admist the rigor of daily ashtanga yoga practice, I am reminded of my favorite yoga metaphor: fire. 

Fire has been one of my greatest allies over the years. If the fire of practice is too big, it will burn out fast; but if it is small and controlled, it will last a very long time. 

Deep down I love watching fire. There is nothing more calming and soothing than sitting next to a campfire with friends. Fire is electric, soothing, and warming.

I didn't know that I would be so terrified and also awe-struck by fire when I became a wildland hotshot over ten years ago. This was about the same time when I first started practicing ashtanga.

My practice looked something like this for six months at a time: I would do Janusirsana A, Marichyasana A, and Ustrasana. I would do these three asanas each night before I lay down in the dirt, filthier than a coal miner, right there in the woods. Then every fourteen days or so, I would be allowed two days off and I would practice the primary and later, the intermediate series.

The other six months of the year I practiced daily. I would dive in and let the juices of daily practice simmer. I would relish their taste and their feeling the entire following summer.

This simple metaphor of fire brings me closer towards understanding how a serious, dedicated and daily ashtanga practice must be checked and balanced often so that we do not burn out, get injured, or lose our mojo in the complacency of daily practice.

I recently shared with David when I shortened my third series practice:

"Yesterday...very big fire. Today, very small fire." 

We both started laughing when I said this - he knew exactly what I was talking about! 

Here's a very big fire: a million acres that burned near the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Here is an example of a practice that will easily burn out. This fire was heading right towards a town, so we "backburned" fuel in the fire's path to steer it away from burning the town down. 2003. 

When students ask me about how hard or soft they should be practicing...my reply is almost always the same: less is more.

Especially during stressful times - make your practice smaller so you have energy to handle whatever else is going on outside of yoga. Sure you may have a day here in there where you have a very big practice, but remember there must be a sustaining element in your efforts: if you go big one day, you will probably be taking the same practice the next day so it is important to be wise with your energy that you use.

One trick that has worked for me to see if I am using too much unrequired energy is that I have videoed myself practicing. Watching yourself practice gives you insight into what you look like and how you approach your practice. This may not be something you want to do all of the time, just once in a while.

If you have found that you are becoming resentful and angry, or downright stumped by your practice - seek wisdom from the other limbs! Look towards the Surya Namaskars for guidance. Nama A and B are beautiful ashtanga practices in themselves: if you're cooked, just do those and finish up. 

Never underestimate the wisdom of the primary series: yoga chikitsa will restart your yogic battery, and recharge you with the flexibility, strength and stamina that are REQUIRED in order for the other series to take shape.

The rich, nourishing and developed palate of practice comes with a mature approach: when the obstacles to practice come flooding your way, instead of burning through them, think twice about the type of fire you want to burn.

What will your practice look like in ten years? Twenty?

Here's another fire somewhere in Montana - 2002. I probably did my Ustrasana the night before...

The Pressure Cooker of Third Series

This post comes directly from a journal entry that I wrote after practicing the third series under the guidance of David Garrigues at AYS Philadelphia.

This particular excerpt is after a Wednesday practice, the fourth day of practicing in a row. Wednesdays are often my most challenging practices. When David is home I practice under him alongside the other students in the room. When he is on the road, I teach at the shala and often do my third series at my home with Lexter the Cat (if I am lucky and he is visiting me). 

Lexter the Cat says, "Yoga...yoga everywhere!"

This is my first post about practicing the third series and sheds light to the gifted teachings of David Garrigues.

Today during my practice, I felt an intense pressure in the room. It was coming from everyone - the students, David, and myself. It was seismic. The pressure for me was mostly in my spine, moving through my pelvis and throughout my body. This pressure can be best described as warm, fluid, awakened, and alert.


David was scurrying around - talking to people, walking to and from one person to the next - in constant teaching mode. Like a child at Christmas, his energy was of pure excitement with what we were all doing.  What I witnessed today was just as he described Guruji doing; David told me once, "The room was never quiet when Guruji taught!"

I met David in 2007 at a workshop when he came to Boise. We always kept in touch and I was always fond of his teachings and his maverick approach on practice. Before moving to Philadelphia in July of last year, I had only studied with David during workshops. The intensity he shares during his workshops is the same energy he shares while teaching at the school here in Philly: he is always in workshop mode - even at home. 

It is easy to feel the energy of the shala that develops from others' and my own practice as we do our daily practice together. The room is heated, windows shut; outside noises from three stories below at the street are bustling from horns, people scurrying to work and commuting and an occasional loud truck or a sound that only you would hear in a vibrant city like Philadelphia. The sounds inside are much more subtle: focused and intense, talking is limited but when there is language it is sincere and laughable. This is the highlight of being able to practice at a shala with others and with the guidance of a trained teacher - there is an intensity that is coming from you the practitioner, the teacher, and others as well.


David sends us to the edge every single practice. And some of us - send ourselves to our edge during every practice. For me I find I can do this at the shala and at home. Often Lexter the Cat watches me do my third series practice at home - he is usually curious and often joins the show and gets interested, especially when I am in Shalabhasana!

The other day while David and I were working on drop-backs, I went into a bounded backbend higher than ever. The flexion in my spine was mind-blowing and I had a surprisingly strong sense of ease since I felt as though I was skiing.

Yes you read that right, skiing.

To look at my feet in a planted hip-width position and being grounded and solid, I felt as though the same principles of skiing applied to advanced backbending. There was a foundational and solid earthly connection - having my feet (or imaginary boots) firmly planted I am able to fully move the spine in any direction because of it. Add to this, we then heat our bodies often enough that they become maleable - strong and flexible - so much so, like reeds or a bendable piece of wood or grass, we move easily once the channels are open.

We also begin to remember times and experiences from a former time in our lives when we were young, when we were happier, when we were sadder, or when we were at a place of peace. Here we can look through the watcher's eye and see ourselves as it was without emotional attachment; this is what Tim Miller calls being the "looking bird".

During this backbend, I was taken back to a time where I was most confident, most strong, most courageous. This was when I was a teenager and ski racing. 

Moments likes these are like weapons to combat the kleshas and the disturbances! Fear, instability, and of course lack of self worth...these are what hold us back from being able to reflect, see our true selves, go deeper, and be more observant. (You can find details about these here - sutras 1.30 and 11.3.)

I do not fully understand what is happening yet in my body as the surges of sensations come and go. I tell people that I am at a beginner's point in my practice and in my life. Every day the third series gets easier yet some days it is so challenging, that I find myself stalling to start the series staying in Parvritta Trikonasana (revolved triangle) for twenty breaths. "Not yet! Stay here!" 

One way I become more connected to myself before I begin the third series is that I always do five Namaskar A's and five or even sometimes, seven B's. I want to be solid in these nine and seventeen movements so that I am stable and confident in my breath and in my spine. These foundational places set the tone for everything that happens later in the practice to unfold in the correct way. Especially upward dog - working this asana alone will carve out a pathway into the backbending universe that is tangible.

Ask me in three years and I will maybe be able to share more about this practice. Right now it is all about getting to know it. With this said, I hope Lexter the Cat isn't jealous since I call my third series practice my new "bestie".

The pressure cooker will happen whether you are practicing primary, intermediate or third series. It is the intensity and wisdom YOU put in your practice every day, it isn't what you are practicing. It is an intimacy between you and the practice and how you are doing it, and with what type of intention. 

If you want to join a shala and bring your practice to another level, of course practicing at a shala will automatically offer this to you: the electricity of a gifted teacher like David, the students who will practice around you, and the lineage seeping into your being, will make your journey easier. 

Yet do not rely on any of these alone. You must find a way to seek practice for yourself and be able to create your own pressure cooker. If you can and have this type of bhakti for practice, you are bound to have a healthy practice that will sustain you for years and years - and you too will cook your way into greater self reflection.  


You may even have unusual epiphanies like mine and think your backbend is just like skiing.

Practicing with a gifted teacher like David is fully worth your time and energy. This summer, David will be teaching for the summer here at home in Philly. To study with him and find out more about what he can teach you about yoga, click here to learn about Davidji.

Here's David, getting ready for a Sunday talk and a KIRTAN!

Is Ashtanga Yoga a spiritual practice?

One of the dogs that I walk daily, The Bailers. He was wondering, "And Patanjali says what again about practice? Tell me, Sarah! Sadhana? Oooh, now what's that!? Walk!? When are we going? You wanna go NOW?"

There is much planning that goes on to maintain a daily ashtanga practice and many activities and hobbies are shifted or removed to keep your practice nourished. 'Practice' - if done daily and with effort over many years turns into what Vyasa would call a 'sadhana', or "one's specific daily spiritual practice" (Edwin Bryant).
  

Recently, a Philadelphia yoga friend of mine said, "ashtanga practice isn't a sadhana".

It may appear to someone who does not practice ashtanga vinyasa yoga that it may not be a 'spiritual practice' since the practice appears asana-based.

Practicing six days a week with the foundational elements of ashtanga: 

vinyasa (breath-movement system), 
breath (ujjayai), 
bandhas (internal locks), 
drishti (gaze), and 
dhyana (concentration) 

is a GIANT SPIRITUAL INVOCATION because each foundational element brings the practitioner INSIDE themselves, closer to their deeper selves. 

David Garrigues says, "Ashtanga yoga is an invocation. We are purposely doing this practice to look inside." He says this in his recent video on "Medium Breath". Check it out Here

Often in the beginning, coming to a daily ashtanga practice isn't a 'spiritual' decision to start. When or how one's ashtanga practice becomes a 'spiritual' practice varies from person to person. It is each person's specific relationship to their practice which makes it special and unique. Some people focus on the Divine during their entire practice, others the breath. Some people count through their practice, some people use one foundational element the entire time - like a specific bandha. Some people use all the foundational elements the entire time! All of these are strong tools that the ashtanga practitioner uses to sustain a concentrated state during their practice.

Whether you are sitting in a fixed meditation or jumping back on your mat via vinyasa, or invoking a mantra of health, stability and courage into your life through chanting and ritual - all these are rich and potent sadhanas worth practicing daily. And if done correctly with guidance from the proper teacher, these will potentially bring increased awareness about yourself and your life.
 

There is no correct sadhana, or spiritual practice that is better than others. The best practice is a daily practice over a long period of time, one that you cultivate a relationship with, and have faith in (Patanjali's prescription - see Sutra 1.14 Here).
 

You have to believe in your practice. This is the "specific spiritual practice" element Vyasa is describing. You must love it - and want to do it. There will be days where you will be tired and sore and your mind may be racing or attached to something that has drawn you away. But these are the days that you must practice and are more important than ever to remove tendencies and patterns which are hidden within you.
 

It does not and will not work if you fully and truly do not have faith in the system. Seek out trainings, workshops, and increase your study to learn more about practice. Dive into your relationship with your practice in a deeper way to encourage this to take form.
 

Then, with the guidelines suggested by Patanjali, you will have a sadhana because your daily practice will turn into something much richer than just an asana practice. It will develop into something very 'spiritual' because you will have developed a relationship with yourself. This is worth all the effort to get to know, as this bond will bring you closer and closer to the Divine which always surrounds you.
 

If you are in the Philadelphia area and want to increase the awareness within your practice - check out David Garrigues' in-depth study coming up - April 26-May 6. Learn more about it by clicking Here

Ten Mysore Tips for Newbies

Recently I taught a Beginner's course at AYS where I highlighted the foundational elements of ashtanga and introduced Mysore style of practice. I had such a fun time sharing my love of practice with others - especially beginners! These are often the students who are most willing to learn, listen, and try something new. Since David is in India, I am running the Mysore program at AYS and it is my goal to help beginners learn the practice. I am teaching another Beginner's Workshop on February 11 - do come!

I love teaching beginners - all I have to do is think about how much happiness my own practice gives me and share what I know to be true: ashtanga yoga is a spiritual practice that allows you to reflect and enter a meditative state in a practical way. The method is superb as well, there is a series and a plan to the glorious madness, and all you have to do is practice. Tune in. Breathe. And take more practice!

Courageous Beginners, snaps to you! May we all have a beginner's mind when we roll out our mats...and be able to listen to the subtle teachings that come from our own daily efforts. Some of the best lessons come from self inquiry. It takes guts - throw that ego out the door; allow yourself to be able to receive the information that comes to you, be willing to learn. Jai-ho!

I still feel as though I am a beginner. I learn more about myself with each practice. With recently completing the third series, I have become a brand-spankin' new beginner all over again. I have had to learn the proper vinyasa, the correct breath and the right dhyana (meditative state). A deep relationship to ourselves happens during yoga practice, but only once we have done it for a long time. So with this, ask me in five years how the third series is going - then I will be able to tell you more about it. After only doing it for six months, it is always a challenge, and each time I practice it, I am constantly learning. Take this information with you, beginner, to understand that this is a constant practice that is evolving.  You as a practitioner will always be learning, always evolving, always going inward and more deeper into the practice. 

Rumi says, "Dig, dig, keep digging. There is water there somewhere."

*****

As a beginner, the first asana is the hardest, and it is called, "get over it asana". This means to take that first step and get on your mat. What is holding you back from learning something new? Whatever that is, it has to go.

Here's a very short list of tips to get you tasting the possible glory of "Supta, Jump!" and begin a Mysore Ashtanga yoga practice. Please comment below if you wanna share your wisdom with others. There is also a great link to Claudia's blog and book below, so this is another glimpse of Mysore-beta.

Ten Mysore Tips for Newbies:

1. Set your practice time to the same time each time you practice; don't think that you are going to step onto your mat "when you feel like it". Do the practice rain or shine, at the same time each time you practice. This will build routine. If it is 5 pm because you're a working mom, so be it. Strive for a morning practice some day. 

2. You need to have your family and/or partner on board so that he or she will help you get your sleepy asana out of bed to make #1 possible. Also, he or she will help you carve out room in your day so that you CAN get onto the mat. You must be supported on this journey!

3. When you add a new practice to your life, you need energy! You must go to bed early. Especially adding an early morning daily practice to your life, you will be tired in the beginning. You have to prepare yourself physically for a whole new challenge. Good sleep is paramount.


4. Start planning out your meals so that you don't eat dinner after six or seven pm...you want a rested belly when you sleep for deeper relaxation, and also, a lighter tummy for the morning's asana practice. This goes hand in hand with #3. Combined with good rest, you also must have fuel: eat three healthy vegetarian meals a day; do not eat before your practice if you are practicing in the early hours.


5.  Commit to one teacher/school when you are first learning. When you start, practice three days a week for one month, progressing to five days a week after. Later, six days a week of continuous practice. 

6. Start doing your research. Learn the names of the postures and study them like you are taking an anatomy course. This will increase your awareness of your own body and influence you to make the positive changes in your life so that you can continue to do this practice and develop a healthy relationship with yourself.


7. Borrow a DVD from your teacher or another student at the yoga school so you can practice and learn at home if you do not go to the shala or a yoga school. This is a wise tool to use if you are doggin' it one day and miss your practice time, or have a hard time getting motivated. This is better than not practicing at all and skipping it altogether.


8. The first two weeks should be repetitive, your initial goal is to feel better and breathe. Move slowly in the practice - don't think you have to learn the primary series in a month! Sun Salutations. Work on these for three days to three weeks. This will give you foundations. Once you memorize the breath and the movements, these will be yours forever.


9. Focus on the basic movements of Surya Namaskar A and B, and learn the breath first. The other practice elements will come later. Especially if someone says to you, "bandha, drishti, vinyasa, dhyana, breath", and you are not sure, speak like an ashtangi and say, "Yes".


10. Take a beginner's series class to begin, or come to the next beginning class on February 11 - 9:30 am at the Ashtanga Yoga School of Philadelphia. Get yourself started on some foundations. Then, you can take practice. If you still can't get a chance to practice at a shala, do what you were taught during that class, 3x a week.


Happy practicing to you, and good luck on your ashtanga adventure.

Here is a great resource on how to start a yoga practice - Claudia's blog and book: SUPER HELPFUL!

http://earthyogi.blogspot.com/2011/04/32-suggestions-how-to-start-ashtanga.html

Garbha Pindasana - Rock and Roll, baby!

This blog post is all about the glorious Garbha Pindasana (GP). If you too like or dislike this asana - please bring your comments to the blog - the more the merrier! 

After I finish my practice, I often reflect upon the posture that gave me the most grief, the most joy, and the most curiosity. When I am doing the primary series, it is always Garbha Pindasana that takes the cake: it fills the roll of all three. And in the intermediate series - it's a no brainer, of course it is Karandavasana. In the third series, it is Viranchasana B because of the knee intensity and my history of injuries from my days as a youth ski racer.

During my first practice in Mysore, I had a memorable experience with Garbha Pindasana. A woman next to me was attempting the asana at the same time, and we were both rolling at the same time. I stole out of the corner of my eye a smile from Sharath in wonderment of just how these two women were going to make nine rolls without having a bumper-car crash into each other or others around them. We didn't smash, but I'll never forget the focus it took to roll exactly when she did, and how much effort it took to link my breath with hers so that we could be collaborative in our efforts.

Garbha Pindasana is one of the most important postures for me to come back to often. I have a mild scoliosis in my thoracic spine and the unexpected relief I receive while rolling directly on my spine gives me a lightness through my back that I experience in no other way.  Also, I find that GP gives me a preparation for all of the deep leg-behind-the-head postures and backbending of the advanced series that are to come. 

I recently started taking this posture before I do my practice if I am not doing the primary series.  The intermediate and third series do not have a dynamic rolling posture anything close to this one, and I find that practicing GP before practicing intermediate or third series brings clarity and wisdom to my spine.

If you have any doubts about this posture, be sure to learn this posture from a trained teacher.  It is advised that you can do padamasana easily before attempting this asana as well as Marichyasana D. And don't just go start rolling around like a nimwit - be sure you are rolling directly on the spine and not on the side, or too fast or too slow.  Roll with the breath, deeply - exhaling on the roll down and inhaling on the roll up.

The rolling part is the most important part! The rounded shape you need to create in order to roll successfully gives the entire spine a kyphotic curve. By doing this, the spine gets massaged, relieved, and also, we emulated our earliest backbone's shape. 

Understanding more and more about your own body (it's strengths and weaknesses) is mandatory as you go deeper and deeper into your ashtanga practice. This may mean that you research which asanas give you relief and pain. There may be something hidden that you may only learn about through reflection and study.

In Gregory Maehl's book, "Ashtanga Yoga - the Intermediate Series", he offers insight into the spine's earliest shape that I am always tapping into.

"The sacrum has a kyphotic shape. It is part of the primary curvature that the infant acquires in the womb, where the entire spine in curved in this direction.  The thoracic spine is the other area of the spine that has retained its primary curvature.  Two areas of the spine adapt to a lordotic (bent backward) curvature during the maturation process to produce the double S curve of the spine of the upright walking hominid.  The lordotic curve of the cervical spine begins to form during infancy with the constant effort of lifting the head while lying on the belly; it is necessary to support our heads in an upright position.  The lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine begins to form when we stand upright and start to bear weight in an upright position" (p. 66) 

If you struggle with lotus or have knee pain, have a flat or stiff back lower back, or have a thin mat and are skipping this asana, still do the asana with crossed legs by wrapping your arms around your legs and holding your hands together in front of you.  Put a blanket underneath you to soften the surface below you to make the rolling more comfortable. Hold this for five breaths and then roll. Then lift up in lolasana to mimick the Kukkutasana gesture for five breaths.

Seeing people smirk at this posture is a dire loss, as the breathing-inspired rolling sends us into a state of breathing bliss. Also, a relationship with uddiyana bandha ignites as we use the breath and the bandhas as a softening buffer to the lower back as we roll.  

As I venture further and further into the practice, this is the posture that continues to inspire me. It is also the most unusual asana of the primary series and you can work this asana into Kukkutasana to gain strength for all the arm balances ahead in the practice.

May you too discover which asanas are best for your body and spirit by paying attention, listening, observing and reflecting.  Above all, it is your duty to pay attention, yogi! When you DO have an "Oh yeah!" moment, you will be smart enough not to miss it.

Saraswati, with your knowledge and wisdom, may you teach us the ability to listen and study - may you guide us in our efforts towards higher thinking and intelligence. From Down to Earth Yoga Studio, Bozeman, Montana. Thank you, Randa.