Breaking "IT" Down at Be Luminous by J. Politi
90 minutes. 53 postures. 11 sequences. 4 weeks. 1 new you. That is a lot of math for a yoga newsletter but I am a big fan of breaking things down. From figuring out what to wear in the morning, to trimming the 15 foot by 30 foot hedge of holly - OUCH - in my front yard, to Utthita Hasta Padangusthasnsa (say it with me: ew-tee-ta-ha-sta-pa-dan-goo-stas-ana; also known as extended hand to foot pose). Breaking whatever "it" is down piece by piece brings accessibility to what can at first sight seem completely insurmountable.
Maybe it is no big surprise then that I am so passionate about the Intro to Power Vinyasa series. Upon first sight and as a whole, a Power Vinyasa Yoga practice can instill a sense of intimidation ("Oh I cannot do that, I am not that flexible."). There might even be fear ("I will fall flat on my ass if I do that. No way!"). What gets lost in those summations is the reality of what you can do when you take each pose individually, pose by pose. That is the beauty of what Intro brings. We all have different body construction. Different strength. Different flexibility. Strength and flexibility are not the defining elements of a yoga practice though. Say what?! The foundation you establish for each pose. The intention you bring to each breath. The care you deliver through each transition. The modifications you make so each pose works for your strength, your flexibility. These are the elements which create a yoga practice and ultimately they are what define your practice. At the heart of Intro you will find a means of breaking down the Baptiste sequence so that in kind you can breakdown an ability to calm the mind, develop the body, and awaken the spirit. Sign me up for that!
Intro is for beginners though, right? Wrong. Intro holds great lessons for long time practitioners as well. A couple years ago I incurred a non-yoga related injury that kept me off my mat for a number of months. How did I manage to come back again? Class by class, sequence by sequence, pose by pose, and I used Intro to do it. Coming back from injuries aside, I would encourage any longtime practitioner to go through Intro. Maybe you have noticed this in your own practice - you move into Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose), breathe right into your full bind, and fly up into bird of paradise. This might very well be a natural progression for your practice but maybe, just maybe, it is an exit door. What if you held side angle? What if you worked the sweetness of the first expression of the pose and set the variations aside? Sometimes holding the original pose can be more work than the fullest of variations. Staying with foundation, breath, and holding the moment can bring a new set of eyes to a longtime practice. Proust wrote: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Coming back to the beginning, breaking down the fundamentals of the flow, brings us an opportunity to see the sequence as new again. You want to refresh your practice? Literally start fresh with a new Intro series.
Moving in stages, taking things as they come, not getting ahead of myself, pacing breath by breath through transition, making "it" mine. This is what Intro taught me and it serves me just as well on my mat as it does off my mat. Let it do the same for you. Sign up for Intro, learn to make each pose in each sequence what you need/want it to be. The tools you learn will be a means of breaking all of "it" down!