Summer 2013 - The British Wheel of Yoga : South East Region

Yoga: Is It All
About the Asanas
– by Virginia Kempster –
Perhaps it is – particularly in the West and
for the newcomer. However, there does
come a time when, eventually, the real yoga
emerges. A true union when body, mind
and soul become one in stillness.
From time to time, various authors and
teachers emphasise the need to perfect
each pose before advancing to the higher
practices of yoga, such as pranayama and
meditation. I find it difficult to believe that
we are intended to separate the elements
of our practice. After all, we have to
breathe when in asana, we are in asana
when we are practising pranayama
techniques and we must concentrate
throughout, combining posture, breathing
“
There is
something rare and
unique about yoga which
ought not to be
smothered by the weight
of too many rules
“
and concentration to form a whole,
rounded and complete yoga.
Asana is a very powerful practice and
a vital aid in leading us to stillness. By
using the body as a tool to bring the mind
inwards we can eliminate the complexities
which emerge when trying to quieten the
thoughts. Here, on the mat, we begin to
practise intuition. Maybe a moment of
true meditation arises in the midst of
action
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES
On a yoga retreat for teachers some years
ago, I and my fellow students were drawn
deeper and deeper into a quiet, meditative
state by the subtlety of the practice until,
without effort and without any formal
asana or pranayama instruction as such,
our bodies freely flowed, breathing
rhythmically, into the shapes and forms of
yoga postures. A moment comes when the
pose ‘does itself ’, a fleeting instant of
connection between the mind and body
which we have to allow ourselves to find.
Interestingly, a few years later on a
similar retreat, one of the participating
students became almost angered by the
contemplative style of the practice and
constantly demanded that we ‘get on with
it’. She was unable to ‘understand’ the
12 NEWS SOUTH EAST SUMMER 2013