Q:

What is one thing missing in the modern practice or understanding of Yoga?

A:

Pause, contemplative stillness! This needs to be cultivated and encouraged in the practitioners.

1. In everyday life, movement and quick movement is appreciated but in Yoga slowing down is revered
2. In everyday life, multitasking is considered a talent and in Yoga single pointed awareness and the practice of being completely present with one thing at a time is considered mark of progress
3. In everyday life, we encourage moving forward no matter what, in yoga we explore the depth and the roots of our own subconscious. Moving within while maintaining contact with external world is Yoga.
4. In modern Yoga, there is less emphasis, acknowledgment, reverence, importance given to the pause between two practices. One simply moves from one thing to another without any awareness of what the previous practice stirred or stilled within. Have you stilled the prana or stirred the apana?
5. If you have stilled the prana shakti how to further multiply it and if you have stirred the apana how to guide it down and out or in and up. These are conscious choices to be made
6. This pause is precious as it makes the practice filled with awareness. Those are moments you gather the pearls of Sadhna
7. Since there is no emphasis on kriya sandhi (the meeting/ transition place of two practices), one does not even know what to look for or to be aware of

Re-vision leads to Re-Wise! Pause leads to poise!

Assignment/Practice: Read about how to practice asana here and practice one asana of your choice with new awareness.

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