Let’s start at the beginning. What is yoga? Yes, it is based on an ancient Indian text; instructions on how to channel the mind, increase concentration moving towards meditation. The first line in the book Patanjali's yoga sutras defines yoga as a union of body and mind.
When I first started yoga decades ago, it was in its simplest form – plain, simple Hatha yoga. Jump in, jump out. Make shapes. Breathe. But as I got into my twenties, I realised something was missing. If I was pushed into making a shape which my muscles were not ready for, I’d pull something and injure myself. And if it was too easy, I’d drift off to la-la land dreaming or making to-do lists. Most importantly, it made me better where I was already good with no improvements in areas that I found difficult to work.
Notice the hyper extended elbow below. Years of yoga with no correction made and now I'm having to work even harder to correct the errors.
Once Iyengar yoga and I crossed paths the mindful action started. I can go on about how Iyengar yoga focuses on strength building not just pure stretching. It works on the correct alignment within your own body rather than making a generic shape. But I thought let me address that with a specific asana/ posture through this blog. And that's what we'll do over the coming weeks and months as and when time and life allows......
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