Namaste, Katie--Fall 2024

Namaste Katie,

My Aunt traveled to Southeast Asia years ago and is telling me that when she was there that a part of her yoga practice was fasting and cleansing. I am not comfortable with that as part of my practice. Is that something you are able to shed any light on?

Astrid, Ann Arbor

Dear Astrid,

Yoga consists of eight limbs, the first two being the Yamas and the Niyamas. These are often considered the code of conduct which guide the practice. Each of these limbs contains five directions to follow for a content life that moves us toward Samadhi, the bliss state, which is the final limb. Embedded in the Niyamas is Saucha, or Purity. If we look at the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, one of our foundational texts, we see a wide range of purification techniques. Most of these we would balk at today, and some are still in practice, such as fasting. 

I always come back to the core tenet of yoga—the quieting of the mind. If a practice does not move you in that direction, let it go. Not every aspect of the yoga tradition needs to be for every person. For some, reducing digestive distress and feeling lighter is a way to make sitting for meditation easier. For others it adds an additional burden to the practice. Saucha may look very different for you: it may be drinking enough water, moving the body, or dedicating time each day to your meditation practice. You get to determine the look of your journey. Enjoy!

Namaste Katie,

I have been to a class of late that offers a half split, and it scares me a bit. Other people in the class seem to be enjoying it, yet I am afraid to try it. Is there a way to sort of try it?

Rick, Ann Arbor

Dear Rick,

This is a wonderful question. There are postures that scare me too! Sometimes I look for modifications, and sometimes I do not, and say to myself, that posture is for other people. If you decide that Ardha Hanumanasana, Half Split, is for you, there is a way to explore the space, and a way to modify the posture to see if this is a posture for you to integrate into your practice. 

Recently we explored the posture Parsvottanasana, Pyramid pose, which is a standing forward fold where the feet are hips distance apart and stepped out short of Warrior One length. This fold forward can be done with hands on the body or hand on blocks. Pyramid can be a posture to explore the opening in the hamstrings. 

To explore Ardha Hanumanasana, we come to all fours and step one foot forward into a low lunge. The front knee can be at a 90-degree angle, or you may wish to lean forward into the lunge, keeping the hips facing the front of the mat. From Low Lunge, we are going to lift back into a neutral space and start to draw the hips toward the back of the mat, and just like with the low lunge, we want to keep the pelvis neutral. As we draw the pelvis back, the front leg can straighten as much as feels good. When I engage with this posture, I use at least one block, and some days two. This allows us to find the right amount of release through the back of the legs and glutes without forcing or overdoing it. See what level of support assists you in keeping the heart lifted. If these options do not make the posture feel safe, let it go. When your class practices this posture, shift to something that brings you joy. 

Namaste Katie,

This year I have felt myself rushing more and more. I have found it difficult to shift from work to my practice. My partner suggested I try practicing in the morning, and that is not feeling right. This feels like a basic question, yet here I am!

Mo, Ypsilanti

Hi Mo,

I can relate to that, and the idea of rushing our way into a yoga class is a very Western concept. Trying to squeeze in a practice and force in a little bit of relaxation is not the intention of yoga as the place to quiet the mind through its systematic process. Nowhere in the Yoga Sutras does it mention running from class to class!

All that to say, we have all likely had moments where our practice felt frenzied. One technique to settle into our space is to sit within the pauses. As we roll out our mats and sit down, or lay down, we can take a pause. If it feels safe, close your eyes and connect with the breath. Take note of the pauses between the breath, the space between the inhale and the exhale as well as the space between the space exhale and the inhale. See if those transition areas offer any room to quiet the mind and make the shift into practice space a little easier.

Another practice element that develops our focus on the pauses is Box Breathing. In this pranayama practice we breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breath out for four, hold for four, and start again. If the pauses, or holds, here cause distress, we shorten them up and build over time. As we grow accustomed to the pause, our hope is that we can transfer this feeling to other spaces in which we may be feeling rushed and start to slow down and take notice.

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