Asanas and ''difficulty'' level
Sometimes I check asanas online to find inspiration for starting new asanas. What I have observed is that many sites online present asanas on a difficulty scale. An asana is for 'beginners' or it is 'advanced'. This misses the purpose of an asana. The way I learned yoga is to stay in an asana for an prolonged period of time, to achieve meditation and discipline the mind. Once an asana becomes difficult you take deeper breaths and focus deeper inwards..
This means that any ''beginner pose'' can be as advanced as you make it. Asanas like trikonasana (triangle) and vriksasana (tree) are touted as beginners poses, however if you could stay in them for ten minutes and achieve meditation than you are not a beginner.. So if you are new to yoga, or you are a bit daunted at ''advanced'' asanas and skipping them because they are ''advanced'', don't be. You could do an 'advanced' pose for ten seconds or you could do a 'beginners' pose for ten minutes, but in the latter you may have achieved more.. |
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I've read that before and it has me puzzled. Achieving relaxation in savasana I find easier than any other asana since there's no pressure on any muscle nor the spine. And if being without thoughts is hard in savasana try doing it in any other asana! ;-) |
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In Shavasana - the corpse pose – isn’t this meditation the easiest - ever: https://vimeo.com/83752005 If not – why not? * |
I believe they say savasana is often the most challenging for those that have a hard time being still within their mind. In more difficult asanas held for longer periods of time, the breath helps you reach a point of total meditative focus where all else drops away. In savasana, you are completely still, entire body supported on the ground in complete surrender and it is easy to drift off into the randomness of thoughts that arise even if just for a short moment. You can also battle almost falling asleep lol. Some can also experience moments in this pose that can be startling from fear of the unknown having never let go so much before. It's not easy for most to tune in and let go 100% so to me, even with all my years of experience, can still be challenging even after the best practice that expelled major excess energy. At times in savasana, I feel like I am coming out of my body and it can be hard to not freak out about that lol. Need a good balance of self mastery.
And yes... any asana can be as easy or hard as you make it... modifications to everything. Sometimes it bothers me that people can be so scared and stand offish trying yoga because of this labeling |
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Yes.. that's why I made this thread in particular. To break those labels.. Any ''beginners'' pose can be very advanced! Trikonasana for long time both sides, get as deep as you can, keep hips straight. ''Easy and beginner'' asana.. Not quite! Savasana is so great, but it's important to have a peaceful mind, not too many worries. This is hard in the toxic, hectic world we have created.. God, I wished we could create a society where we could all be in peace and without all the pointless stress. I'm really yearning for a different society.. :icon_frown: |
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Yes, ‘they' do say that it is normal for the mind to try to resist this deep relaxation - "Savasana being the ultimate act of conscious surrender". https://chopra.com/sites/default/fil...bubbles_0.jpeg So how abnormal is it I wonder - to be so addicted to it as though it was opium (without the opium of course). * |
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