we focus on our feet, in yoga practice.
taking time to settle deeply into them. opening them wide. letting them see into the earth.
recently one student remarked on the prints left by her feet on the mat
how the print took a long time to fade – how grounded she felt…
and i was reminded of these remarkable images
no commentary required…
a woodland clearing
light streams down to the ground – soft grass at your feet
let each foot spread – slowly
breathe out – slowly
clearing from your head – down through your body
into the earth through your settling feet
wait… listen…
when an inhalation comes
it rises
free to travel up through your
legs, chest and neck to the crown of your head
feel how this moves you
the clearing expands
you are free
repeat repeat repeat
“i took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees” thoreau
amongst the many good lessons i gratefully learnt from paul over the years, one comes to mind particularly at the moment. his teaching of the chant ‘namastaraya’ was at the heart of this lesson – a chant for autumn, for transformation, for endings.
it is important to make good endings. cutting things cleanly allows a good beginning to follow. in the garden, a clean cut with secateurs allows healthy regrowth.
in all of its small endings then, the autumn is a good time for a new start. if you are a gardener, you know that half way through october, the attention tends to shift from doing all you can to eek out this season, to preparing well for spring.
if you study or teach, garden or farm – autumn is when you begin. and with the undeniable and appropriate dying back of the old, comes a rebirth and a hope for the future.
in yoga, we do well to begin by letting go.
exhaling – cleansing, clearing and dropping softly and deeply into the earth
inhaling – rising and expanding into a life renewing… welcoming a new beginning from a good ending.
“What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.” T S Eliot (Four Quartets – Little Gidding)
this week a friend taught me a chant which i hadn’t heard before and i was deeply touched by it. it reminded me of learning to chant with Paul Harvey over many years:- his teaching interwoven with sound work. i remember and practise the precious chants and sound techniques he taught me with deep gratitude.
on one level, sound can allow us to deepen our connection with the body’s resonance. this week, for example, we have used sound in some of the groups, to support the connection with the chest as we focused on the pause after the inhalation.
but it runs deeper than that.
the sound we produce and absorb is one way of connecting us profoundly, not only to ourselves, but also to others and the natural world. it reveals a more nebulous quality to the posture – form becomes less dominant and we can experience āsana differently. and after chanting – silence is richer. more empty. more still.
“to share chanting is to share an experience of silence through listening, a process of healing, and a link with nature, the deeper self and the divine.” – TKV Desikachar
a suggestion –
stand in samasthiti – or sit cross legged – settle with your breath
place your hands on your head – chant a long ah sound – several times
place your hands on your heart – chant a long ooo sound – several times
place your hands on your abdomen – chant a long mmmmm sound – several times
rest in the silence
photograph – the japanese garden – st. mawgan village – cornwall
as england’s great opening batsman, Alistair Cook, comes to the end of his record breaking career, i can’t help but draw parallels between the essential cricketing and life skills he has mastered over the years and those that patanjali lays down as the foundations for a yoga life under the subheading, kriya yoga – the yoga of action.
alistair cook shows that a good cricketer needs discipline, honest self-reflection and the grace to accept that he or she cannot control all aspects of the game. patanjali says “yogic action has three components – discipline, self study and orientation toward the ideal of pure awareness.” yoga sutra II 1 trans. hartranft.
this doesn’t need to be a heavy burden, but it is a project of a lifetime for most of us. it takes a moment to commit to regular and life changing practice, to roll out your mat and begin; then, do this again and again with dedication and respect for both the practice and yourself, be authentic and present and accept that you are not always in charge.
alistair cook’s example is a lesson to encourage those of us with limited talent to practise, practise, practise… with good grace…
“Nothing will work unless you do.” Maya Angelou
welcome back to a new term of yoga at the studio.
i hope you have all been enjoying your summer yoga. i’ve been developing some ideas which i’m looking forward to sharing with you all through the journal, in classes and in upcoming workshops.
group classes resume this week.
the next workshop ‘autumn grounding’ is on saturday 27 october and will explore the core scaravelli principle of working with gravity. do let me know if you would like to come – there are still a few spaces.
another interesting option – The British Hypertension Society are offering free blood pressure checks this wednesday 12 september 10.45-13.00 at Farrington Golf Club. this event has been organised by Cam Valley Rotary Club and they would be delighted for anyone who is interested to go along and take advantage of this free, quick health check.
The fundamental law of human beings is interdependence. A person is a person through other persons. Desmond Tutu
the yoga studio has been supporting the homelessness charity Crisis for a few years now, with donations from the sutra workshops, candlelit yoga at christmas and a collection box in the cloakroom.
i paid the contents of the collection box, £61.00, to Crisis today and thought you might like to see this video …
the essence of yoga is relationship – ‘you are therefore I am’ satish kumar
thank you x
People normally cut reality into compartments, and so are unable to see the interdependence of all phenomena. To see one in all and all in one is to break through the great barrier which narrows one’s perception of reality. thich nhat hanh
in her book, vanda scaravelli devoted several pages to the crucial role of the feet in “awakening the spine”.
well placed, animated feet ‘understand’ the body, awaken the spine and earth our scattered, fast paced lives. this week in class we have been using the bhavana of the gecko’s long toes and bouncy, mobile feet to help stimulate our relationship with our own feet.
let your feet yawn open
breathe out
rolling your feet loosely – ride up, roll back
breathe out
sole spring – pings open wide – foot spreads out-back
breathe out
palm spring – pings open wide – hands bounce out-back
breathe out
heels drop
deep drop
deeper
deep
breathe out
“… It is with the feet that we travel through the seasons and places of the world, and it is through the feet that we may start to refine our perceptions.” sandra sabatini
the heat of this summer invites us to slow down
take your practice into the shade of the garden or into a cool room
take your time – see how you feel
how does your body want to move?
stay attentive
pause with the breath
can you feel a little space around the edges?
let’s open our minds, hearts, windows and doors and let some air breathe into each movement, each moment
this creates some mental space – giving ourselves room for something fresh to arise
“Yoga also gives us the capacity to create space: between one action and another, between one breath and another, between one thought and another, allowing emptiness to inundate our minds…True creativity and alertness only arise when emptiness has seized the mind.” Vanda Scaravelli
śītalī is a breathing practice that means ‘cooling breath’
sit comfortably – turn your attention to your soft breath
curling your tongue like a straw…
sip the breath in slowly as you tip your head back.
the breath is almost silent
(if you find it difficult to roll your tongue into a straw shape, sip the breath in over the flat tongue instead)
now relax your tongue. notice the cool air.
breathe out slowly through your lips, as if you are blowing dandelion seeds. let your chin move towards your chest.
the breath is very soft
after several rounds – rest and watch your breath go free
“Smile. Breathe. And go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh
