To start with, each yoga school of thought, including Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram and Viniyoga, has its own ideas about the proper pose sequencing. Bikram, for example, practices 26 poses, twice, in the same order every time.
Vrikshasana is a very accessible and powerful Yoga asana for centering and grounding your attention. This is a balancing standing Yoga...
In a Yoga class, the same pulsation of creation, sustenance and dissolution can be replicated through an artful sequencing of Yoga asanas.. Frequently, the krama or sequencing of Yoga asanas is geared towards a pinnacle pose during the practice. This is akin to climbing a mountain; there is so much preparation necessary for scaling a high peak. In order to ensure a successful ascent of the peak, we must prepare our both our bodies and minds for the journey ahead. In the same way, sequencing a series of Yoga asanas to ensure a safe, enjoyable and successful Yoga class is an art in and of itself.
To practice Natarajasana, or Dancer Pose, come to an equal standing position at the front of your Yoga mat. Before proceeding, find a gazing point or drishti two to three feet in front of you on the floor. If you hold this drishti point without wavering during your practice of Dancer Pose, your balance will become steadier and the fluctuations of your mind will begin to calm. With an inhale, shift your weight to your right foot and raise your left foot behind you. Grasp the top of your left foot with your left hand. Remember to keep your left foot in direct alignment with your left hip bone.
Dr. Sohail Ebady, M.D. has been a yoga teacher for 21 years and hypnotherapist for 20 years. As he recognized the need for these seemingly separate sciences to be intertwined he created the Patanjali Institute to impart Yoga Teacher Training in combination with Hypnotherapy training to students who wish to become effective healers.
When we work towards achieving our highest goals, frequently we must also change the way that we usually do things. If this is the case in your life, you may be experiencing an underlying resistance to doing things a new way. However, doing things in a different way will ultimately produce different results than you have experienced in the past.
Additionally, the nuance of balancing well in this Yoga posture by pulling your external focus and muscular energy into your core, will also help you to viscerally feel what it is to be aligned and grounded in the center of your own being. As you practice this Yoga posture, fine tuning your physical balance and centering your mental awareness will help you to strengthen your capacity to manifest your sankalpa, or divine purpose, in the coming months.
You will notice a considerable improvement in your mental focus and general athletic ability. After a short period of time, many yoga practitioners notice how their body posture and inherent ability to move increases.
No single book, video, website or Yoga instructor certification course can give you all the answers. So, what do we do? The answer is continuing education and research for life. At the very least, our minds will be sharp well into old age.
No matter how many years you teach, or how many yoga teacher certifications you have, beginners will have fresh viewpoints about this practice he value so deeply. Listen to them patiently and you will learn more about yourself as you master patience from within.