Oh savasana... that luxurious time at the close of yoga class when we get to enjoy stillness. No expectations about what comes next, no internal looping about what has past, but an actual moment of being in-the-moment.
And yet, too often we struggle in the very moments of stillness that we step onto our yoga mats to find. Is it FOMO? Guilt of doing "nothing"? Feelings of inadequacy that make us squirm when left alone with ourselves? Are we so uncontrollably excited to get into the next posture that we can't be still inside the current one for long enough to fully absorb the maximum benefits it offers? Do so many of us really have somewhere else to be within moments of yoga class ending that we need to rush out the door? Perhaps our collective attention spans really are less than that of a goldfish?
Each of our reasons probably falls somewhere slightly different along the spectrum mentioned above. But I can report with confidence that over my years of teaching, I've repeatedly observed an abundance of fidgeting, rushing, skipping, and pretty much every avoidance tactic around to sidestep the stillness that lies within the heart of yoga. We long for that quiet, meditative peace, whether it stems from a vigorous flow, slow yin yoga contemplation, or mindful breathing, yet we find immense difficulty to allow this visitor entry when it knocks on the door of our practice, and we hurry it along almost as soon as it settles in.
Today's blog examines the role of stillness in yoga, provides a viewpoint on why it matters and what nerves it can touch that makes us love to avoid it. Hopefully this can illuminate how to coexist within the peace and discomfort of quiet, and help us cultivate stillness for a heart-centered yoga practice.
Nurturing the Heart: A Fire Element Viewpoint
As previous blogs have introduced, the Fire element rules early summer and with it, the heart, both the physical organ and function, and the energetic heart center, with its emotional and energetic attributes.
The heart center is the meeting ground of individual and universal consciousness. It's where we experience the essence of our singular self and our potential to merge with the collective heartbeat of the world and beyond. Yoga is a tool to help us bridge the perceived gap between these worlds, to find unity, and with it, a feeling of returning home.
Because summer is when the heart is most receptive to nourishment, focusing on summer stillness can help purge excessive stimulation and provide a fresh reboot to carry us through the rest of the year. Inner stillness makes us aware of any overstimulation coursing through our systems. Constant movement tamps down awareness. Only through embracing stillness and allowing the excess to rise to the top of our consciousness can we set it free.
However, intense outer movement provides a gateway to access that illusive inner-stillness.
Don't we all feel better when we get moving? Movement is often the best prescription for burning out negativity and purging stress from the heart chakra. With summer season prime time for physical manifestation, embrace that dynamic yoga practice! Just set the intention to unpack those in-between moments tucked away even in the most vigorous flows.
Building Capacity for Quiet:
Cultivating Stillness for a Heart-Centered Yoga Practice
Stillness can bring so much discomfort because it disrupts our usual patterns. Much of our day is spent immersed in movement: looping thoughts, navigating tumultuous emotions, multitasking responsibilities, phone scrolling, and a general, but vague, "busy-ness."
An innate feeling that more space and mindfulness will relieve our stress and anxiety may hover around in our awareness, but the unfamiliarity of inner quiet makes it easy to brush aside. And once we find it, if we aren't conditioned to maintain it, we quickly revert back to our customary more chaotic ways of the mind. A guided yoga pracitce or mindful meditation is so helpful in these moments because a skilled teacher can talk us though the initial reaction to jump back into our old familiar patterns of chaos, clutter, and turmoil.
Over time, we learn to set the underlying peace of stillness as our natural state, even when we are fully occupied with the movement living life entails. Yoga conditions the mind, body, and soul to accept this paradigm shift and meet life's messy and unpredictable moments with peaceful clarity.
Steady practice helps build capacity for quiet. Holding a posture is a great start. We train the mind to focus, tune into the breath, and condition ourselves to endure the challenge of the moment, slowly building up our ability to remain in quiet discomfort for longer periods. In time, resistance releases or transforms into concentration, then quiet observation, and ultimately into a state of clarity borne from quiet. Once anxious thoughts settle down, the landscape of the mind clears. We can see deeply into ourselves or a situation, gaining new perspective and broader insight.
Practical Applications of the In-Between:
Fanning Flames of Stillness Within a Yoga Practice
Start Here
Take three deliberate breaths into your heart center, or find another ritual of quiet that is heart centered focused, before starting yoga practice. A teacher colleague of mine, Lilley, of Peacock Tree Yoga in York, England, calls this the non-negotiable "give everyone a moment" opening of class.
Next, whether as the yoga teacher or the yoga student, find the space within and between the postures. Certain yoga class styles have this already build in with a mountain pose or a short savasana between postures. But even within a vigorous vinyasa flow, a stillness between the movement and within the postures can always be found.
Summer is a great time to embrace a dynamic yoga practice. Seasonally, we are primed in summer to get the heart beat up and increase circulation, a Fire element physiological system. Sometimes more movement is the best prescription for burning out negativity and purging stress from the heart chakra. Don't we all feel better when we get moving? Intense outer movement nurtures inner stillness, so equally embrace movement and stillness this time of year! You'll maximize your results for a lasting recalibration.
My Taoist Master Teacher, Jason Campbell, who is also a musician, says the beauty of music lies in the space between the notes. The same is true for vinyasa yoga flows, breathing, and even the physical makeup of our bodies. The in-between space is where the mystery and the magic live.
Finish Here
And finally, regardless of how fast or slow the yoga pace, before getting up off of your mat, move slowly, with care. Find a way of honoring your pracitce, again focusing attention to your heart. Even if the teacher has officially closed the practice and dismissed the yoga class, find your own personal way to seal your practice before leaving your sacred mat space. Nurture the energetic stronghold that is your heart center.
Overtime, you'll release the resistance to stillness and let go of the constant need for stimulation. You'll increase your capacity for love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, and respect. Doing so will help you integrate these heightened states of being into your psyche until you embody these qualities on and off the mat.
In Closing: Honoring your Practice
An overarching point of yoga practice is to generate long-term sustainable change through an enduring shift in consciousness, not just a fleeting moment of "that was great" and now back to our old ways. Cultivate stillness for a heart-centric yoga practice this summer to naturally invite this metamorphosis into your body, mind, and soul.
Afterall, yoga is meant to make our lives better, to help us more fully immerse ourselves into all of the moments of living. The beauty of the in-between lies in its capacity to create space for so much more possibility in our lives.
Best wishes and thanks for reading! I appreciate when you comment and share.
Namaste,
Lara
This year's yoga retreat schedule is full! We are to excited to welcome West Wind yogis on Chakra Bliss Meditation and Yoga Retreat
and
Yoga Sanctuary Wisdom Retreat,
both happening this September.
2024 includes a return to the Oracle at Delphi.
Details to follow.
Comments