Yoga Beyond Belief: Insights to Awaken and Deepen Your Practice

than we could build from any one principle alone. When performing any asana or pranayama, the benefits are increased by using and executing the proper form and technique (kriya), having knowledge about the technique and its function (jnana), and, finally, by using our will and focused intention (iccha) to enhance and direct the desired effects. Maintaining a balance of these principles becomes another form of conscious practice wherein we seek to stay present while directing the form and energy of the asana or pranayama.

Relaxation
    Modern life has unfortunately made scarcities of peace and freedom from tension. Many people come to yoga solely for its tension-relieving qualities. Stress is a major factor in aging and the degeneration of health. It has also been shown to cause dysfunction of the immune system and cancer. The body and mind need regular rest and relaxation, but true relaxation is more than merely resting. True relaxation involves balancing and restoring energies. Yoga excels in providing rejuvenating relaxation. Deep relaxation and restoration of equilibrium require the release of pent-up energy and stored blocks. Yoga asanas and breathing circulate life force and release blockages.
    Physical memories of emotional experiences and psychological trauma can be stored in the musculature. Our instincts cause us to tense our necks and hunch forward when fearful or frightened in order to protect our vital organs. Emotions affect the body and organs in myriad ways. The circulatory effects, deep stretching, and energetic releases experienced with asana practice can remove old, stored emotional blocks. Students very often experience an emotional and psychological catharsis from the postures. During practice it is not uncommon for someone actually to experience a release of pent-up anger or fear or to recall the experience that caused it. This process is an important factor in stress relief, whether or not we are conscious of our accumulated tensions. Even the small irritations we endure each day can cause neck, chest, or low back tensions that should be relieved each day.
    A simple experiment can demonstrate how storing tension affects consciousness. Tense your neck slightly while pushing your chin about an inch forward. Notice how this makes you feel. Hold that position for a few moments as though that tightness was permanently in your neck. When you release this position, you should notice a great relief. More profound shifts in attitude can be experienced when deeper, more unconsciously held tensions are eliminated.
    Relaxation balances activity and activity balances relaxation. Each creates a need for the other. I advise regularly taking a day off each week from your practice. This day off can be a fixed day of the week or a “circumstantial” day—when situation or obligation prevents practice. I know teachers who claim to practice every day without a rest for any reason. Rest is part of balanced living and a weekly day of rest is found in traditions all over the world. It is also important to have a period of rest after your practice session. The final posture in every practice session should be
Savasana
, the Corpse pose. What is more relaxed than a corpse? Savasana implies a special quality of conscious relaxation and the separation of awareness from the outer body. “Getting out of the way” by withdrawing from external awareness allows one’s inner somatic intelligence to put things in order. This self-directed process is very effective in restoring balance and energy in a short period of time. It may be very tempting to skip over Savasana but it is important to include it. Practice should be a means of self-healing. If we think of asana practice as a kind of
self-surgery
, final relaxation in Savasana is analogous to going into the recovery room after an operation to allow energy to circulate and the body to heal and balance itself.

Flow and Grace
    As we progress in asana practice, it is very beneficial to develop qualities of grace and flow in moving between the poses. In the same way that we compartmentalize our lives, we may tend to fragment our practice into a series of syncopated movements. We may focus on the goal of reaching the posture we are moving toward and pay less attention to interesting processes of transition. This static focus leads to mechanical movements and less graceful practice. You can bring a gracefulness and fluidity to your movements by making the journey between