I often listen to music in my self practice, but this week I am attempting to rather listen to an internal ‘music’ in my body – it’s much more subtle but by tuning into it your yoga experience heightens and can become so full it creates an internal soaring symphony from the inside out.

Our mind or consciousness is the musician and our body the instrument it plays.  That way we find harmony between body and mind capturing that feeling of soaring freedom that listening to an exquisite piece of music can bring.

"In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches" 1
"Harmonia - to fit together, to join" 2 (Greek)

Harmony is the combining of two or more pitches to create a union and new fuller sound.  A skilful musician has to learn to listen deeply to respond in accordance to fellow musicians and notes, finding that perfect pitch. Yoga is often interpreted as ‘union’ or ‘yoking’. A skilful yogi has to truly listen to his body to respond in his practice mindfully, finding that union of yoga.

How often do we block out the shrieking hamstrings just so we can ‘push through’ and impress our teacher or fellow students?  (Who doesn’t give a damn really). By deeply listening to our body we learn to practice with integrity. Knowing how to respond, takes learning. And that is why we are always learning.

And after learning to listen then comes the discipline. So we develop skill as a yogi or musician – refining our practice and building knowledge until it can flow in perfect harmony.

Every string on Saraswati’s lute is perfectly pitched – finding that right balance between taut and slack so that it can vibrate with resonance in tune with all the other strings.  So every fibre of being, every muscle, bone and organ has potential to find that perfect pitch & alignment  – a balance of engagement (‘muscular energy’) and stretch (‘organic energy’) . So we fine-tune the body with integrity whilst experiencing and being aware of our inner harmony.

1 - William P. Malm Music Cultures of the Pacific, the Near East, & Asia.
2 -Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon"

I love this time of year, when we can make plans, set intentions and have a renewed vigour for looking after ourselves.  Everyone around us is doing the same and it gives us the impetus to try new things, let go of a few old habits.  Which yoga is pretty good for.  My inspiration for this month is Saraswati – the goddess of music, flow, voice, science and art.  Come to class to explore traditional poses and philosophies with a modern approach; hone and tone alignment allowing the body to be and find it’s natural harmony.

Jackson Pollock

Melt – to make what is solid liquid.  The heart – emotional epicentre of love and compassion.  I.e. Fill up with and spread the love!

On the mat:  explore this by playing with arm balances and working with the ‘melting of the heart’ key action, dedicate your practice to someone you love and notice how your body feels when you do so. 

The invocation is a dedication to the innate essence of being,  that which is intrinsically good. Shiva represents this essence found in yourself, your loved ones, nature, the world around you.  Sometimes the goodness is cloaked and harder to see but we Anusara yogis believe that this intrinsic goodness is running through everything. In basic terms, we ‘look for the good’. And the chant goes a little something like this…

Symbolic mythical figure of Shiva

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave (I honour Shiva, the essence of being, the guru, teacher within and without)

Saccidananda Murtaye (Truth, consciousness, bliss)

Nisprapancaya Shantaya (Omnipresent and peaceful)

Niralambaya Tejase (Ultimately free and luminiscent)

Om, Om, Om (universal sound connects us to the essence)

[An aside:  repeating Om Namah Shivaya alone is a powerful seed mantra used alot in yoga meditation.

A very soothing sound and concept to repeat to oneself.  Give it a bash if you dare stepping down the rabbit hole... see you on the other side!]

Instead of going into complete hibernation and turning into grumbling bears this Winter, come out to play! Embrace the season by doing some fiery heart-melting, hip-opening, resolve-strengthening yoga, with Bridget and Sarah.

Yoga Place, Bethnal Green, £30

Contact info@yogaplace.co.uk for info and to book.

Kindling the fire in the hips and hamstrings
Sat., 26 November 2011, 2.30pm – 5pm

Draw in and thaw out with some flowing, heat-building vinyasa, followed by hip openers and forward bends.
Accept where you are in space, time and place. Embrace it by drawing inwards to kindle your projects, ideas and dreams.  This flowing yoga workshop has a meditative focus, working the dense and tense area of the hips, hamstrings and lower body – using asana, breath-work and meditation to find and fuel yourself over the wintry months.

I’m going! Are you? Book here