Yoga Beyond Belief: Insights to Awaken and Deepen Your Practice

practice as an opportunity instead of a chore. We can see our practice as a journey in which we are always learning and make the shift from saying, “I have to do my yoga” to “I get to do my yoga.”

Concentration and Attention
    Concentration means focusing awareness toward one point. A story about the great warrior-archer, Arjuna, tells how he and some fellow students were being taught how to shoot the bow to hit an apple on a post. The teacher asked the first student what he saw as he drew his bow. He described the mountain scene, the post, and the apple. The second student described the post and how the apple was sitting on it. Arjuna’s turn came and, as he drew his bow back and took aim, his teacher asked what he saw. “I only see the apple,” he replied as he let go of the arrow and sliced the target in half. That is concentration. Attention is different: it is broader, more inclusive, contextual, and not limited to one activity. Attention implies awareness of many things at once. A mother can be speaking on the phone and cooking a meal, but she is still aware of her baby’s every sound.
    In the early stages of Hatha practice we have difficulty staying aware of everything required in a posture. There is breathing, specific alignments, movement of musculature, and energy. Concentration by its very nature has to move from point to point. Students often find that as they concentrate on one point, they lose another. The legs are energized and aligned and the arms go limp, for example. After some practice and progress, concentration begins expanding into a more all-encompassing attention. Be careful, though: If attention is forced, it becomes concentration. During your asana practice, you should develop a quality of attention that is naturally aware of every part of your body, the flow of energy, your breathing, alignment, and even the room you are in. Students will learn to keep all parts of their body active, alive, and energized in the pose. Once this ability is developed, it is even possible to simultaneously concentrate on one area of the body without diminishing
attention
. This exercise in awareness and focus helps increase the powers of mind.

Using the Breath
    The breath, like attention and awareness, is central to your practice. The quality and manner of breathing have a great effect on the character of the practice. While the breath may be used many ways, the main point is to become aware of your breathing while you practice—watching the quality of breathing and endeavoring to keep it smooth, even, and rhythmic. This process will bring these same qualities to the postures and movements. Let breath flow freely while equalizing and creating a balance between inhalations and exhalations. Most of the time it is best to breathe through the nostrils instead of the mouth. The nasal passages filter and warm the air, absorb more pranic energy, and help balance the sun and moon energies of the body.
    Inhalation increases energy while tightening and strengthening, while exhalation releases energy, softening and lengthening. We can use this biomechanical understanding of the breath in the poses. For example, in a forward bend you can use the strengthening of inhalation to help lift the chest and elongate the spinal cord, and then use the softening of exhalation to stretch farther forward into the movement. The same thing would be done in the Spinal Twist, inhaling to lift the spine and sit up taller and exhaling to rotate deeper into the twist. Once you are holding the position, you can continue to use the breath this way but in a subtler manner. Generally, inhalation is used to lift out of a position and into movements that open, expand, and need strength. Exhalation is used to contract or to stretch and release deeper into postures.
    Learn to “move with the breath.” This subtle concept involves using the breath to regulate the pace and quality of movements. For example, if you are raising your arms over your head for the Sun Salutation, inhale to lift the chest, shoulders, and arms while keeping your movement and breath timed together. Raise the arms slowly and gracefully and make your inhalation slow and even. Pace breath and movementso that your lungs are full when the movement is complete. When doing a Forward Fold, bend, stretch, and exhale. Continue exhaling while stretching slowly into the pose, finishing the final subtle movements into the stretch at the same time your lungs reach empty. With