This morning I prepare for my Yoga practice. I tongue scrape, brush my teeth then unroll the mat in the garage. Just raising my arms above my head lets me know I’m not quite ready. 6am on a Sunday isn’t that early for me so I try Lara’s warm-up. Nope, still stiff and sore. The beach it is then! I walk down a rather slanted beach, gouged from the wind blown swell. The slant probably isn’t great for the hips but the ocean mist blowing against my bare skin is lovely, not quite exhilarating since the temperature is already in the high 20 degrees C but enough to wake the senses. I make fresh tracks which disappear behind me, I say hi to people & dogs and contemplate how I’m feeling & thinking and wonder…
40 minutes later, I’m back in the garage with the goal of doing 6 rounds of Surya Namaskar. I repeat Lara’s warm up just to be sure. Six rounds of Surya Namaskar later, I feel the need to stretch the sides of my body so I practice Trikonasana. I’m now in the flow so I press on. I vary Prasarita Pada Uttanasana in 3 directions, staying for 2 breaths in the centre to counter pose. I rest in Savasana. Six simple Jathara Parivrtti then Supta Baddha Konasana staying with 6 counts of AK (breath retention after inhale). I follow with Dvipada Pitham -> Upanasana -> Urdhva Prasrta Padasana with AK. I rest. Catuspadapitham followed by Purvatanasana and counter pose with simple Cakravakasana. I complete the practice Pranayama with Mantra.
I sign off each daily practice in the same way:
With hands in Namaskar I say, “My number 1 goal for the day is done”. I then bring hands to my…
Lips – “Speak the truth”,
Eyes and – “See the truth”,
Forehead – Know the truth”,
Stomach – “Feel the Truth”
Heart – “Act truthfully”.
I seek Isvara to connect with that which is outside, then purusa to connect with that which is inside.
This morning when contemplating purusa, Desikarchar’s words from ‘Religiousness in Yoga – Lectures on Theory and Practice’ appear,
“Our practice in yoga is to effect a change in the quality of the mind so that the observation of the purusa, which is through the mind, is not distorted.”
I instantly (and surprisingly) feel the mind clear for a good long moment… I laugh to myself and think, ‘well there you go Purusa, here’s a clear view of my garage!’
If you’re interested, I’ve attached the morning practice. Let me know how you get on 🙂
Disclaimer: You may or may not connect with Purusa.
Apologies for not showing correct Sanskrit annotation and the limited description of Purusa (something in the centre of us that sees and does not change). Pick up a copy of ‘Religiousness in Yoga’ sometime, it’s an insightful read.