My yoga practice, my sanctuary

November 5 2020 | Asana, Ashtanga yoga, Pranayama, Yoga philosophy

What do we do to make our yoga practice on the mat an oasis, a sanctuary? Where we replenish our energies, where we find insights, inspiration and connect with our innermost being…

For me the answer is simple.

• Intention
• Practice
• Perseverance

Intention is here to help us fly beyond the needs and demands of the body and mind. We aim higher than socio-economic stability, even higher than healing on all its levels. We aim to really see who we are beyond the concept of the body and mind. We aim to see how intricately we all are interconnected and interdependent. We cultivate higher purposes of acceptance, compassion, and kindness in our mind first. In yoga’s view, our body is a crystallisation of the mind, so it is not separate from the mind,  i.e. what’s in the mind will be inevitably manifested in our body and in our life.

And we practise. Ashtanga techniques are incredibly powerful and simple to follow. We learn vinyasa, connecting breath and movement into a synchronised dance, and bring meditation into the practice.

We listen to the sound of the Ujjayi breath, drawing awareness inward, becoming more and more connected within.

We use Drishti cultivating even more our inward focus. So our eyes, the mirror of our heart, can be both soft and sharp. Again bringing the practice to a more contemplative level. Nourishing our innate ability to know our true nature beyond body and mind.

We use Bandha to connect breath with awareness and movement. The final bond, sealing all dimensions of our being.

… And we keep practising. First on the mat and then practise goes beyond the mat. Simply because we want it to permeate our life and help us live with more integrity, more simplicity, transparency and inspiration.