Who are you?
For the last few days I've been inspired by Sally Kempton's meditation workshop, in particular the partner mediation we did. I wrote about it on the previous post- one person asks you over and over "who are you" while the other person continues to answer anything that comes to their mind.
And for me this incredible exercise showed how we tend to identify with the outside first, with the way we look, with our emotions, with our profession, etc. And then the deeper we go with the exercise, the identification starts to go to our basic essence. To use terms from Tantra, it is as if we start by identifying with the Sakti aspects of our selves and then we slowly find ourselves identifying with our Siva essence.
So I have been teaching using this as a springboard. Reminding students to welcome themselves, whatever they are brining to class, welcoming their tiredness, their challenges whether it be physical, emotional, mental. But also welcoming the idea that yoga says that your deepest essence is one of goodness and bliss. Is one of "being conscious bliss" (saccidananda).
Theme: Who are you? Connecting to our true nature which is auspiciousness.
Focus: Shoulders and Skull.
Sequence:
Down Dog
Lunges
Surya
Warrior 2, Parsvakonasana, Trikonasana (focusing on getting the head back, the upper palate back and opening the heart)
Half Moon, Chapasana
Pinca Mayurasana (with a partner cupping the back of the skull as you press against it)
Some shoulder stretches with a strap
Pigeon 1 prep with thigh stretch
Krounchasana into Bharadvajasana 2
Bridge
Urdhva
Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana
into
Headstand drop overs!!! So many people did this for the first time! It went really really well.
Agni stanmbasana
Ardha Matsyendrasana
Omega pose
Savasana
Anusara Poster Project Pose: Omega
A few more thoughts:
Been realizing that in class we imitate birds (krounchasana), we imitate sages (Bhardavaja), we imitate shapes (parsvakona), we imitate plants (lotus)... We imitate nature, prakriti, Sakti...
AND we also imitate and try to get in touch with a part of us that is always there, always observing, never changing, our Siva nature. Quite profound... Reading Mircea Eliade's "Yoga: Immortality and Freedom" has helped me realize this.
Have been feeling freer lately to share more philosophy in class as well as things I learn from my very varied readings. Feeling after 9 years of teaching at my most comfortable yet, in being myself... My Shakti and my Siva are collaborating!
Comments