Boundless Yoga Teacher Training Program

August 2008

Soliloquy of a Yogini

Yoga Defined

Yoga is an intricate science and philosophy. Though defined in the most basic terms, yoga is our ability to create space in our bodies and minds. Yoga provides us with the tools we need, as B.K.S. Iyengar simply describes it, to “deal with the physical, moral, mental and spiritual well-being of man as a whole.” As practitioners, we are able to start and continue our exploration of this through yoga’s eight limbs, described as being: the codes of self-regulation or restraint; observances or practices of self-training; asana; expansion of breath; withdrawal of senses; concentration; meditation; and, concentration.

For students of yoga, these limbs or steps provide many different approaches to help us unify or yoke ourselves to a larger, universal one. Through these steps, we can increase our ability to identify and intensify our connection to this being. In my experience, and mostly through asana, yoga continues to refine my own awareness and attention. Refined attention has afforded me the ability to examine my own discomfort and behavior.

Aversion to an Inversion

Sarvangasana,

queen of asana

I hear of your

renowned

release,

but, instead,

I feel you

stuck

in my throat –

a large knot

inhale, exhale –

taught

and even with

my hips

running

the other way

there’s still no

new

- space -

my body’s not straight

my inner ears are blocked

my eyes, they’re popped

this torso too long

for my hands to contain

my mind is trapped

in my own

conceived reign

far from still,

though just

aware

of my training here.

+++++++++++++++++++++

I don’t remember much about the beginning of my practice, but when I think about an individual pose, and one that has always caused challenges for me, Salamba Sarvangasana (from here on, referred to only as Sarvangasana) stands out. Lack of awareness in the pose may have made it difficult in the beginning. But, even now after a year of intense yoga practice and study, I still find myself struggling to feel the ‘comfort and ease’ in the pose. To complete this assignment, I decided to delve further into the alignment and energy of Sarvangasana and map it out for myself in the hopes that I could work toward alleviating my perceived tension in this inversion.

Physical Boon

The fact that Sarvangasana is so widely heralded only adds anxiety to my discomfort in the pose. B.K.S. Iyengar writes, that “the importance of Sarvangasana cannot be over-emphasized. It is one of the greatest boons conferred to humanity by our ancient sages. Sarvangasana is the Mother of asanas. As a mother strives for harmony and happiness in the home, so this asana strives for the harmony and happiness in our human system. It is a panacea for most common ailments.” As such, Iyengar in Light on Yoga includes Sarvangasana in the set of asanas he prescribes to a beginner’s first week in his primary asana course. Iyengar states that “if a person regularly practices Sarvangasana he will feel new vigour and strength, and will be happy and confident. New life will flow into him, his mind will be at peace and he will feel the joy of life.” All, further reason to explore this particular pose and possibly gain some of its myriad benefits.

On a basic level, it is easy to conceptualize the benefits practitioners can receive from all inversions, including Sarvangasana. When the body is inverted, the daily effects that gravity produces have a chance to be counteracted. Upside down, blood is able to flow to the heart without strain and around and through the chest, heart, neck and head. In Sarvangasana in particular, the blood supply is increased in the thyroid and parathyroid gland in the neck. As one of the body’s biggest endocrine glands, the thyroid ‘controls how rapidly energy is burned in the body’ by producing hormones that control the body’s metabolism. Thus, applying pressure to the thyroid gland in Sarvangasana not only encourages circulation, but also helps to prevents blockages from forming in the gland.

Jalandhara Bandha

The pressure applied to the thyroid gland is produced by the Jalandhara Bandha, the lock of energy that is integral in creating the pose. This bandha is made by bringing the chest to the chin (and specifically, not the other way around). Though moving the chest toward the chin still requires a fair amount of flexion in the cervical spine. Full Jalandhara Bandha requires the chin to rest comfortably on the suprasternal notch of the chest -- the visible indentation below the neck where the clavicles meet the sternum. If done correctly, the bandha helps to root and build energy in the throat creating the momentum for the energy to lift through the spine, shooting upward in the body. The bandha is critical as it is responsible for creating the energetic base and the center of this symmetrical inverted pose.

Shoulders-Arms-Hands

It is important to remember that the balance and stability in Savangasana is, as its Sanskrit name implies, on the shoulders and not the other parts of the body that may be touching the ground, such as the head or possibly the back of the neck. Being able to connect with the base of the pose is extremely important; if you are not grounded, you will not be stable enough to then find the necessary lift in the pose. Particularly for me, and anyone else who has a good deal of ‘vatta’ in their ayurvedic make-up, any pose whether on your feet, hands, head, or shoulders needs to provide a strong foundation to counteract an already upward lifting constitution, and especially in poses like Savangasana that encourage further upward momentum.

In order to find one’s base and stand on the shoulders, the shoulder blades are drawn toward one another and the triceps are lengthened towards the elbows. The upper arms are parallel to one another pressing firmly into the floor or blanket. Pressing down through the elbows assists in lifting in the side waist. The upper arms squeeze toward one another, helping to keep the arms parallel. The triceps roll inward towards each other while the biceps rotate outward away from one another. (A familiar action in the upper arm as in Adho Mukha Svansana and other poses.)

The hands, including the whole palm, are placed on the mid-back. It is helpful to walk the hands down the back as far as possible providing greater leverage in bringing the torso perpendicular to the floor. (While making adjustments here, do not move the shoulders away from the ears, avoiding stain across the tops of the shoulders and on the trapezius muscle.) The hands play an important role in supporting the spine, and they should be actively facilitating the body’s forward and upward movement. In this pose, the hands fully support the back body; it is interesting to note that in the mother of all asana, we are holding, and maybe through our slight movement even cradling, the feminine side of our bodies.

Torso-Pelvis-Hips

Just as in Tadasana, in Savangasana the torso and legs are perpendicular to the floor. The tendency for me in this pose is for my hips to come back and the feet to come overhead. This may be pike position, but not shoulder stand. In Savangasana, the torso should be erect, the spine fully extended and not rounded. The hips are lifted so that they are balancing directly above the shoulders. The pelvis is lifted upward as well, to encourage further extension of the spine. To elongate the front of the torso, it helps me to think about lifting the public bone away from the sternum and in lengthening the back of the torso to concentrate on lifting out of the back ribs. To underscore the upward movement of the torso, the hips, and pelvis, consolidate the front and back of the torso along the spine-- focusing on the abdominal muscles in the front of the body and the erector spinae in the back of the body -- to lift up and create space between each vertebra.

Legs-Feet

As the pelvis reaches up, so do the legs, out of the pelvis and towards the ceiling. The muscles in the legs are not relaxed here, but actively engaging. For example, similar to Tadasana, the quadriceps lift (toward the pelvis), the inner thighs move back and the outer thighs wrap inward to assist in this action. The femur bones draw back, and the tailbone draws slightly forward. To help encourage even extension through the legs and feet, extend up through the inside of the feet and legs faster than the outside. The thighs, knees, lower leg and ankles are together and extending upward through the heels and the balls of the foot. The soles of the feet are broad and the toes are spread.

Head-Neck

The head is lengthened in this pose and the gaze is relaxed. The gaze can be on the abdomen or, if comfortable, lower on the chest. For those of us with a tendency toward low blood pressures the gaze should be kept on the feet, and I have found this small adjustment to be helpful in making me feel not as claustrophobic in the pose. While the gaze may move, the neck must remain stationary while in the pose to avoid unnecessary injury. Though the pose does not emphasize placing any unnecessary weight on the neck, some weight is still distributed on the cervical spine. (The natural curvature of the neck needs to be maintained here, and in order to do so multiple blankets under the shoulders may be used.) Because the neck is firmly flexed in Jalandhara Bandha, I find that Matsyasana is a good counterpose to extend the cervical spine and, for me, provides a much needed release in the front of my neck.

Fifth Chakra

Looking at the physical alignment of an asana is concrete; it is fairly straight forward to see that my long torso and weak abs add to my difficulty in Sarvangasana. Though, I’ve often wondered how my discomfort in Sarvangasana extends beyond the physical and whether or not my overarching tension and anxiety in the pose is caused by subtler vibrations in my emotional/spiritual body.

Correctly discussing energy of a pose and my probable energetic imbalance in this one is admittedly beyond my level of yogic study. But, given the fact that Sarvangasana integrates a bandha which creates, holds, and release energy out, it is nonetheless important to include even in a novice discussion like this one. And, though it may not take up as many words as the description of the physical alignment I provided, I believe that the energetic nature of a pose is equally, if not more important.

Jalandhara Bandha includes the fifth or visuddha chakra, located at the throat. Though the definition is not precisely defined, the essence of “visuddha” means pure. The element “akasha” or space associated with the fifth chakra is considered the subtlest of the five elements. Besides being the seat of our communication and self-expression, this chakra also relates to our ability to listen.

A better listener than communicator, I have never been particularly prolific. I often labor over what I say and when I say it, trying to use the right words to express exactly what and how I want to communicate. In doing so, I am quick to self criticize, stopping my own fluidity on the account of sounding jumbled, non-linear, and disorganized. Though I am not sure why I often feel this way, I know that it is my fifth chakra that is involved (and probably the other odd numbered chakras, including my ego center, chakra three.)

It’s hard not to think that feeling physically stuck in my throat in Sarvanagansa may somehow highlight or exasperate how I feel metaphorically about my own inability to communicate fully. But, if yoga is based on refining our use of energy, including our speech through the fifth chakra, than maybe I am just being hard on myself and ought to recognize that although laconic at times, it may not be such a bad thing.

Listening still requires a fair amount of energy, and a good listener creates space for whoever is speaking, aiding the speaker in the ability to be in the moment. In this respect, asana and meditation has helped me better tune into others and has guided me, through my body, to listen more closely to myself -- probably the more difficult of the two. Blocking out all the rest in order to create the space to hear one’s self is one of empowering benefit that yoga presents.

Out of Mind

Still, it is hard to sit with discomfort in the body and in the mind. It would have been much easier for me to focus on an aspect of asana or yoga that I thoroughly enjoy. But, yoga after all is about bringing awareness to our patterns of behavior and thereby helping us, if we so choose, to modify and change. My choice to examine Sarvangasana in this written space has undoubtedly held my attention here and helped me to examine the pose’s physical, emotional and mental overtones.

Into Body

Though practice cannot be replaced with any explanation that I have tried to offer myself, and in thinking about, and then writing this paper, I have often felt the urge to stop typing and just simply get my body into the shape in my head. The fact that I have a desire probably for the first time to actually feel this pose and some of things I have written down is likely the culminating point of this exercise for me.

In the spirit of honest self-expression, in conclusion, I’ll say this. At the outset, writing a ten-page paper on a topic related to yoga, nonetheless, seemed like the antithesis to my purpose for even doing physical asana in the first place. I simply enjoy asana because it requires me to get out of my mind and into my body and in doing so helps me quiet both. But, I see and feel the benefit of verbalizing my attachment to discomfort here. Though it may seem very rudimentary, I have organized its alignment and energy further in my own mind so now I hope to be better equipped to experience it in my own body.