Sustainable Asana: How To Practice With Wise Intention

Like maybe many Western practitioners I came to yoga through the physical practice. In the beginning, I thought I had to bend my body into funny shapes to “do” yoga. I overdid it, learned the hard way through injuring myself and feeling increasingly disconnected. Which was ironic because doesn’t yoga mean union? My injury was a blessing in disguise though reflecting back…I was forced to let go of the physical practice for almost 18 months…though it felt like a century for someone who was practicing 6 times a week for 3 hours…way too much! This was my medicine moment, and it slowed me right down.

I give much thanks to Ayurveda. My practice completely changed as I dove further into study. I learned to let go and be with my true self. Asana is meant to bring us into partnership with the source of the universe and our hearts. It is a tool for harmonizing and purifying our energy to live in greater connection with our innermost Self.

When we can sit with ourselves, we can live fully in peace and continued expansion. Eliminate striving and do not overpower your body as I did. It can breed resistance and disconnection. When we focus too outwardly in our practice we are more prone to injury and feeding the ego.

Here are some simple and heart-connected practice tips to support you on your journey of slowing down and getting real with yourself on the mat rather than running from yourself on the mat (spiritual escapism anyone? No shame, I’ve been there too!). Do savasana for at least 8 mins. I used to skip this part (which spoke to my pitta and vata imbalance at the time), corpse pose is where the magic happens (integration) and can help keep vata dosha cool, calm, and collected. There is no better antidote to stress than relaxation!

Tips for great alignment

Patterns of alignment in your body are learned and can be easily unlearned at any point in your life. Throughout the rest of the day, tune in to your body to see your tendencies. Do you lean into one hip? Do you slouch? Is your pelvis tilted forward? Do you walk with splayed feet? Once you identify your body’s learned patterns, you can begin to retrain yourself to work within your natural range of motion.

1. Respect the natural direction of your body. All parts of your body have different ranges of movement that should be respected in asana and in life. For instance, the way virabhadrasana B and trikonasana are commonly taught (with the feet perpendicular to each other and hips turned to the side of the room) places unnecessary strain on the knees and imbalance in the hips. Look beyond the modern approach and listen to your most honest teacher – your own body. And remember: asana should not cause pain in your body, during or after your practice.

2. Find your natural posture. Stand with your buttocks, backs of your shoulder blades and back of the biggest part of your head against a wall (your heels will be slightly out from the wall to account for the thickness of your buttocks). There should be natural curves in your spine. Pay particular attention to your lower back; it should be neither flat, nor excessively curved. Have someone check you from the side so that the pointed bone in the side of your ankle lines up with the middle of the side of your knee, hip and shoulder and with your ear lobe. You can check in with a wall anytime, anywhere. When you find your natural posture, breathe and relax into it.

3. Learn to feel without looking. Using mirrors or photos in asana may be helpful to identify patterns, but the more you focus on feeling alignment in your body without visual aids, the better your alignment will become. The asana will deepen as well. If you’re really not sure what alignment should look like, work with a well-trained Yoga teacher or consider a consultation.

4. Relearn how to sit down and stand up. In addition to improving strength and flexibility in the hips, a simple sit down/stand up practice retrains alignment in your ankles, knees, hips, and pelvis – all of which support a strong spine.

5. Find the floor. Over time, chairs and soft couches can weaken muscles and encourage tight hips. Sitting on the floor during meditation and meals (using as many pillows as necessary to feel comfortable) opens the hips and legs and strengthens muscles along the spine.

6. Grab a prop. Blocks, pillows, cushions and straps are all helpful tools during asana practice, but the ego can sometimes prevent us from using them. You’ll get much more out of a pose from using a block or a cushion to modify than you will from straining to find the full expression before you are ready. Using props will allow you to build a strong foundation and progress in a balanced manner.

Asana (physical yoga practice):

15-minute asana sequence

Begin ujjayi breath

Surya namaskar(sun salutation) x4, moving on every breath

Utkatasana (chair) x20 breaths

Choose one of the following inversions:

Head-stand prep x3 rounds

Legs up the wall x20 breaths (if on moontime)

Walk feet up the wall x20 breaths

Kick and float x 10 each side

Salabasana (locus pose) x2 rounds of 15 breaths

Marichyasana C (seated twist) x10 breaths each side

Savasana (corpse pose) x5 minutes

30-minute asana sequence:

Begin ujjayi breath

Downward dog x10 breaths

Sit down stand up x25 times

Surya namaskar (sun salutation) x4

Choose one of the following standing poses:

Pasasana x15 breaths

Warrior 1 x 20 breaths

Trikonasana (triangle) x 20 breaths

Warrior 2 x 20 breaths

Choose one of the following balance poses:

Vrksasana (tree pose) x15 breaths

Ardha chandrasana (half moon) x 15 breaths

Garudasana (eagle pose) x15 breaths

Natarajasana (dancers pose) x15 breaths

Choose one of the following inversions:

Head-stand prep x3 rounds

Legs up the wall x20 breaths (if on moontime)

Walk feet up the wall x20 breaths

Kick and float x 10 each side

Choose one of the following backbends and practice it twice:

Salabasana (locus) x15 breaths

Setu bandhasana (bridge) x20 breaths

Dhanurasana (bow pose) x20 breaths

Matsyasana (fish pose) x20 breaths

Ustrasana preparation (camel) x15 breaths

Urdhva dhanurasana (wheel) x15 breaths

Choose one of the following twists:

Jathara parivartanasana (easy twist) x10 breaths each side

Marichyasana C (seated twist) x10 breaths each side

Choose one of the following forward folds:

Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold) x20 breaths

Upavistha konasana (wide-legged forward fold) x15 breaths

Baddha konasana (butterfly) x20 breaths

Savasana (corpse) x8 minutes ***most important! Do not skip this guy hehe

When we use our bones and muscles the way they were intended, we can experience the true joy of existence – living without pain or discomfort for the rest of our lives. Focus on your alignment on and off the mat and you’ll understand the true essence of Yoga as a daily practice.

If you’d like to learn more about how to tailor your practice to your unique constitution and to start practicing with an inward focus to bring peace of mind, a pain-free body and spiritual connection I would love to share my learnings. Let go of self-criticism and be kind to yourself on your journey to feeling well.

Want to work with me?