 Often in the yoga world, we talk about things like "going deeper". Many talk about the desire to take their practice to a deeper level. Yet, often this all translates into deepening the postures. With so much discussion about depth, we don't often take the time to ask: What does depth really mean?
When it comes to asana the obvious answer seems to be trying to get yourself into the "deepest," or most advanced expression of the pose. But is this actually depth? Could the deepest version of a pose mean the most correct engagement? If so, the visual aspect of a pose could have very little to do with depth. Does deepest mean the most muscular engagement at one time? If so, then the deepest poses could be Peacock or Palmstand. Is depth even about physical performance? Is it awareness, subtlety? What do we actually mean by depth? This is a big topic and likely the answer changes with time. It's worth considering, what does depth mean to you? If the answer that arises remains vague, consider that the answer to that might not be in the body or physical postures.
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Here is the panel that Ida participated in on "Foregotten Foremothers". She spoke about the Ghosh yogi Reba Rakshit. She spoke alongside historian and author Sudhir Chandra. The conversation was moderated by Vikram Iyengar.
Enjoy!  When we deepen our physical practice there's a weird wall that appears in front of us. We spend time learning how the postures work and we get it. We know what we're doing and what part of our body is doing it. But then it seems like nothing is happening! Our body just doesn't make the position that is in our mind. Even though we understand it, our body needs time to put it together.
While this seems frustrating and is definitely a test of patience, it's also a really thrilling part of the practice. This is the time where we work the postures into our body. When we know them on a mental level, but can't yet execute them on the physical level, we get to build this deep and complex relationship with the postures. We learn what the process is, not just what the posture is. When we put in the time, we develop faith in the posture, our body and the practice as a whole. When we take the time to really work though the postures, the experience stays with us. While the postures may come and go as our bodies change, our time and effort is never lost. We always have the experience that our practice provides us. This is priceless. |
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Scott & Ida are Yoga Acharyas (Masters of Yoga). They are scholars as well as practitioners of yogic postures, breath control and meditation. They are the head teachers of Ghosh Yoga.
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