Preparation - Why we Practice what we Do.

In my teacher trainings I had many A-ha moments.
One of the most mind blowing yet simple realizations
came with this teaching about preparation.

You practice breath awareness in your
asana (yoga postures) practice
to become better able to still the mind.
If you just sit to meditate
you may feel overwhelmed by all the chatter
that pervades the mind.
By practicing asana using breath awareness
you begin to quiet the mind.

Practicing breath awareness in asana prepares
the mind and the body
to sit for pranayama (breathing exercises).

By practicing pranayama you learn
to quiet the mind to sit in meditation.

I'm a 1-2-3 step by step kind of gal and
this simple explanation changed my understanding
of practice in a way that's allowed me
to be more aware of each practice
(whether it's asana, pranayama, meditation or
more lifestyle related self study & discipline)
and how it serves the whole-
the whole of my practice and
the whole of myself.

To be the best version of myself-
I practice asana to lead me to a deeper meditation practice.
I practice pranayama to lead me to a deeper self study practice.
Does that make sense?
How does that resonate with you?
Let me know- I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Rock Your Practice-
which ever piece you choose
to focus on!
^o^

Extension

Your use of extension in the spine-
as you breathe in your asana practice-
can give you a stronger or gentler practice
depending on how you utilize
this simple awareness.

In your full torso Yoga Breath-
your rib cage lifts naturally as you inhale
and the top of your head reaches towards the sky.
Maintaining that length, as you exhale,
you engage your core.

In my asana classes, I instruct my students
to decide how strong or gentle they need
their practice to be in that moment.
If a stronger practice is desired,
really emphasize every inhale and it's spinal extension.
When reaching the arms out to the sides
or from front to back really reach
through the fingertips emphasizing
your extension there.

When I was a dancer,
extension was something I was taught from
the get go.
For those who never took a dance class try this.
Reach your arms out to the sides and
notice the length from
your shoulders to your fingertips.
Now reach out through the fingers imagining
you can reach the walls in the room on each side of you,
notice how your arms get a little longer.

The more you emphasize this reach/ extension
the stronger your practice will be
as you move in and out of postures.
Spinal extension works the same way-
really emphasize the lift in the heart as you inhale,
imagine space coming in between each of your vertebrae
as the top of your head reaches up up up to the sky.

You can make your practice much stronger
by emphasizing this extension with your breath
or gentler by lessening the effort.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Rock Your Practice!
^o^