Yiengar on Asana Practice

Basic Principles:

STHIRA
firm, steadfast, enduring, lasting, serene, calm, composed

SUKHA
delight, comfort, alleviation, bliss

ASANA
Perfect firmness of body, steadiness of intelligence, benevolence of spirit
Necessary for pranayama and meditation
Reduce stress in the brain, rigidity of the lungs
Experiencing oneness with oneself
Awareness and intelligence must PERMEATE THE BODY.
The heart has to feel the posture.
AFTER ACTING, REFLECT
during action – reflect constantly, too
Action and silence have to go together
During asanas, mind is in full silence, watching yourself from the inside
Do things rhytmically, with a calm mind
Do asanas MEDITATIVELY, pranayama DEVOTIONALLY.
AWARENESS: Every pore of the skin has to become an eye.
use the “eyes” of the millions of cells, feel their position, know what is happening, know whether it is right or wrong, know how to correct it -> flow of intelligence
Listen to the body, what it can do, reflect, solutions will present themselves
PAUSE and REFLECT between each movement
Self-aware=being fully inside yourself, NOT looking at yourself from outside
BALANCE: give attention to your weaker side
Create equal strength, stability, intensity
To bring a part of the body in correct alignment, you have to work with the whole body.
Constantly recharge attention – rays of light of intelligence shining through the body
Dynamic extension: from the core of our being
Create room between the skin and the tissue under it.
After extending to the extreme: live in the asana, experience joy and freedom in it.
STRETCHING: create space, extend from the center
compression is bondage, expansion is freedom