Slow Down, Find The Moments In Between
We think of giving ourselves space and time as a bit of a luxury (think of holidays). Our bodies relax and drop stress, we can tune in to and feel connected to ourselves and our environment. But, you don’t have to wait until holidays to give yourself time and space.
When we are really in the moment time stands still, and the eternal opens up to us.
Most of the time though we don’t give this much consideration, spending most of our thoughts on what is next, or pondering what has gone by.
Yoga asana and our attention to the body sensations, alignment and breath bring us into the present moment, but still…..we get very good at racing through the bits that are hard or uncomfortable and, for that moment, we have lost awareness and become focused on the posture coming. By pausing where the discomfort is and looking at it with awareness and objectivity it loses its power.
It can be an affective tool to slow the practice right down and hold the positions between the postures for three to five breaths. I do this for myself when I am having difficulty focusing. Working like this draws my attention in and gives me time to feel all of my body before moving on. I will also use this if I’m working with an injury as stopping half way can reveal to me where my attention to my body has lapsed and even subtle readjustments can mean a big difference.
I find it useful for students too who I observe are not focused, or have lost connection to their breath or body in between and rush or push through the transitions.
Holding these in-between spaces for 3-5 breaths brings incredible heat to the body. I have used this with sun salutes and standing poses, but experiment and see for yourself.