Breath

We had class with Prashant last night. Capturing that experience is going to take a it longer than I have time for today, I fear. It was more of a lecture than an asana class, but it was inspiring none-the-less. His theme was really a call to entering into a deeper relationship with asana than simply doing the poses by rote. He suggested that we enter into our practice each time with what he called a diagnostic mind. We nee dot know: are we tired? are we tired physically? are we tired mentally? are these conditions justified or are they more imagined? Are we sharp? are we dull? are we excited. He said that even in a class setting we need to take the time to know our state. To know and understand our starting point.

Slowly, methodically he took us through a process of using the breath to diagnose one's pose and then to unify the body with the mind and the breath in diagnosis, treatment and execution.

At a certain point I realized that he was not going to come in and really pick our poses apart, that is wasn't going to be that kind of class and so I just relaxed, folowed his instructions and looked around inside my pose as best I could. I found the process captivating and inspiring. This angle on the breath is new to me. I have never heard this described quite this way.He said at each stage of the breath we might look at one part of the pose- are the beginning of the inhale, during the inhale, at the end of the inhale and so with the exhale. And while he described the process linearly and technically, it became clear to me that essentailly this is not a linear process. That as one is "diagnosing" they are really shining the light of awareness on their pose- interiorly and exteriorly- and that which is observed cannot remain the same and so even in diagnosis you begin treatment.

So again, what he was pointing to is kind of big to get down in a paragraph. But really he was on fire with inviting us to move into a relationship with our asana beyond, "do this, do that, do not do this, do not do that," etc. He said that as beginners "learning all of the points" is necessary and fine but as experienced practitioners one should want more and cultivate something deeper.

We had the Ladies Class with Geeta this morning but I do not have time to write about that. Back to the Institute for practice.