When I took my first yoga class 19 years ago I literally was a mess. My body – stiff as a board, my mind – patterned and labeled, my soul pressured between the “do’s” and “don’t’s.” For a long time I couldn’t get the poses right and struggled in almost every stretch. But, a halo of devotion emanated from the practice and my dialogue with the soul was forever sparked. This dedication to a higher all encompassing source of divinity has led me through thick and thin and kept my practice alive for almost two decades now.
At first you are fascinated by the wonders the physical body is capable of performing. You arduously try to strike a pose in a sense of accomplishment and inner pride, assuming that it will take boost your moral and inspire you to go deeper. You’re too mesmerized by the outcome, somewhat unappreciative of the process. With time you start to realize there are no quantum leaps in Yoga – every step of this unchartered voyage is nurtured by a healthy balance of focus and surrender. It requires devotion and perseverance, but most of all patience in cultivating a consistent pathway to tapping the self. As you cherish each incremental step you cease to pursue poses and expect results. You suddenly find yourself peeling off all the extra layers that cloud the luminosity of your true nature. The physical is no longer the target. Instead, you begin to access the interpenetrating sheaths of the subtle fabric of being which the Hindus called the “Koshas.”
The koshas are the five envelopes that tunnel into the perspective of one’s presence, starting from the physical and transpiring into the energetic, mental, emotional, causal and higher intuitive realms of consciousness. As you commit to a daily practice, translated from Sanskrit as “Sadhana” you embark a journey of involution from the crude physical to your finest spiritual essence. Trough out the years I’ve experienced the most powerful insights on the yoga mat. You start the practice and as you focus on the breath, the mind stops wavering, it drifts you elsewhere. It’s a place of higher dimensional frequency of unconditional love and compassion, an elated state of gratitude and interconnectedness. You are no longer bound to the linear constrictions of time and freely release the societal labels and definitions that were imprinted upon you since birth. As an avid yogini I feel it’s important to stick to a daily practice, without being limited to the same flow. I am not an advocate of imposing a standard sequence and repeating it every day. In fact, my real breakthrough in asana was when I let my body guide me into own creative “train of thought,” orchestrating a “mala” of diverse connected asanas, that was unconventional yet coherent. I was amazed to find new creative ways to transition through different planes, levels and axial rotations and sustain a buoyant, yet anchored experience.
The secrets to a healthy life-long yoga practice are unarguably – loving patience, devotion and the ability to surrender to the immediacy of each moment. As you persevere day by day, consciously integrating breath and motion you allow life to move through you as your body transforms into a vessel of wisdom and divine resonance. It is as simple and as complex as that. Then all you have to do is be grateful and open to share it with the rest of the world.
I am thrilled to share this 30 min. segment of my home practice, which is fine-tuned every day, hoping it will inspire you to savor some Yoga “out of the box.”
Yoga Master Class demo: Challenge and Grow
This demo Yogea sequence is designed for yoga teachers or seasoned practitioners only. Please, do not attempt this master class unless you have had at least 5 years of prior advanced yoga experience. Make sure to take at least 5 rounds of Sun Salutations to warm up prior to starting the sequence. This fast paced asana sequencing composed of back and forward bends, twists, inversions and bound standing poses leads practitioners through a colorful string of asana variations. The non-orthodox structuring allows you to try a more unconventional way of transitioning as you cultivate a sense of strength, stability and resilience. Once conducted on one side the long uninterrupted flow is repeated on the other side. The idea is to refrain from holding too long in the poses and get a sense of fluid flow and smooth transitioning. Tuning to the breath and gliding through the sequence you will reap the detoxifying, immune enhancing, invigorating, relaxing and balancing benefits. A brief relaxation at the end facilitates deeper absorption of physical, mental and spiritual healing and sails you through the Universal current with veneration and compassion.
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