Journal Essay #2

Reaction to Class:

These past few weeks, I have truly progressed in my practice and as a Yogini in general. I have learned to alter my breath in order to adapt to each pose or challenge to my body. For example, although it is difficult to hold my body up, I have learned to focus on controlling my breathing, slowly in and out of my nose, while in plank position, instead of embracing the pain and being miserable. In addition, I have learned to let go, and open up my body more. In particular, while folded over in “Pigeon Pose”, I let gravity consume my body and pull my thigh and hips closer to the ground. In return, my body tenses and tries to resist the sensation.
To overcome this tension, I have altered my mindset to locate the specific areas of tension and slowly ease them as I breathe calmly and dive deeper into the stretch. As Schiffmann states in the article, “What Does It Feel Like” one should use the pose “both as a map and tool. You deliberately explore yourself, looking for tight, sore, or painful areas…so you can erase them.” Once I have done this, I slowly compress and stretch/release my muscles. I breathe into pose in order to ease away the tension and open the constricted areas of my body. Together, all of these motions help to lower the resistance of my body during the pose, and I find that afterwards, my entire being feels refreshed, open, and free.
Overall, each pose detoxifies the body in its own unique way, and helps to release tension in the body, which in return makes me feel good both physically and psychologically.

How to Use Your Body:

During the week, I usually notice that I am able to become more flexible with my body and open up more. I feel that the postures performed during class have contributed to my body appearing leaner. By stretching a little further each time and allowing my body to let gravity take over, I have gained strength, trust, and patience. As Schiffmann states in the article, “Listening For Guidance”, learning “to rely on inner guidance takes practice and the development of trust.” This truly inspires me to learn to listen to my body more closely and consistently.
This past week of class, the pose/posture I worked most on was “perfecting” my “Chaturanga”. To arrive in this pose, one can either come to a plank from “All Fours”, or from “Downward-Facing Dog”. Once in this plank position, I always check to make sure my shoulders are directly in line and over my wrists, and my body is straight from head to toe, and very strong and sturdy. Then, as I take a big inhale, I tip forward onto the top of my toes and I slowly lower all the way down to where my arms are at a 90 degree angle, parallel to the floor, and straight back down against my sides. I hold that position for about 5 seconds, and then lower to the floor completely. Following that large exhale of breath, I take another inhale as I raise my chest up towards the sky and open up my heart in “Cobra Pose”. Ultimately, the flow of this posture is cleansing and relaxing to both the mind and body. Overall, I have learned throughout the past few weeks of practicing yoga, that ultimately just listening to your body and what it needs is key. Schiffmann tells us, “Desire and silent listening are the keys. Make the practice one of listening, listening, listening.” All in all, I interpret this as listening to your body on AND off your mat, and adapting to meet its needs, and not ever over-doing it. I believe if I follow this advice, I can truly come to peace with myself, and become the real Yogini I want to be.

Anatomy: