Satya is described in Light on the Yoga Sutras as Truth, Sincerity, Genuineness, Honesty. Sutra II.36 says, "When the sadhaka is firmly established in the practice of truth, his words become so potent that whatever he says comes to realization." I was struck by the last part of the description, " It is not our mind, but the inner voice of our cells which has the power to implement our intentions."
Being truthful and honest has been on my mind lately. Not only in the literal way, but in how we approach asana. Last night I was teaching forward bends working up to Paschimottanasana. It seems like a fairly straightforward pose, but if you have been practicing Iyengar Yoga you know that nothing is as straightforward as it seems. There are always many layers in preparation to any asana. In any class I teach, I try to go in with a beginners mind. Remember what it felt like to be doing the pose for the first time. This is not a hard feat with Pachimottanasana. It always feels so awkward at first, the gripping of my groins, the tightness of my back, and the creeping sensation of the old hamstring injuries I still fear to this day. Even in my demo, I stressed the importance of being honest with yourself and where you are at. I showed that at a certain point the spine does not want to cooperate, you have to coax the length by using the hands on the feet, by pulling and encouraging the spine to go in and forward. The moral: it's all in the preparation.
Urdvha Hastasana is one of the key poses in preparing for Pschimottansana. The way you use the arms to lift up and out of the pelvis is a perfect way to get the spine going in the right direction. Even in Craig's class Monday night he was teaching some of those same themes. He mentioned that in Geeta's new Intermediate gudelines she teaches many ways of using Urdvha Hastasana to lengthen the ribs, make space in the spine, and in general create strength and suppleness in the whole torso when preparing for seated poses like twists and forward extensions.
If you want to get some inspiration on doing Urdvha Hastasana here is a video of John Schumacher teaching it. Listen to the instructions on the shoulders, they will relate to when you are in any forward bend too!
I will leave you with one last quote from Tree of Yoga by BKS Iyengar
"You have to be completely absorbed, with devotion, dedication, and attention, while performing the pose. There should be honesty in approach and honesty in presentation. When performing a pose, you have to find out whether you body has accepted the challenge of the mind, or whether the mind has accepted the challenge of the body."
Being truthful and honest has been on my mind lately. Not only in the literal way, but in how we approach asana. Last night I was teaching forward bends working up to Paschimottanasana. It seems like a fairly straightforward pose, but if you have been practicing Iyengar Yoga you know that nothing is as straightforward as it seems. There are always many layers in preparation to any asana. In any class I teach, I try to go in with a beginners mind. Remember what it felt like to be doing the pose for the first time. This is not a hard feat with Pachimottanasana. It always feels so awkward at first, the gripping of my groins, the tightness of my back, and the creeping sensation of the old hamstring injuries I still fear to this day. Even in my demo, I stressed the importance of being honest with yourself and where you are at. I showed that at a certain point the spine does not want to cooperate, you have to coax the length by using the hands on the feet, by pulling and encouraging the spine to go in and forward. The moral: it's all in the preparation.
I will leave you with one last quote from Tree of Yoga by BKS Iyengar
"You have to be completely absorbed, with devotion, dedication, and attention, while performing the pose. There should be honesty in approach and honesty in presentation. When performing a pose, you have to find out whether you body has accepted the challenge of the mind, or whether the mind has accepted the challenge of the body."
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