Dear Friends,
Namaste!
Where do we practise Yoga? The answer lies in a quote all of us would have heard many times over – “If you are not now and here, you are nowhere”. Likewise, if you are not practising Yoga now and here, you will not be able to practise Yoga anywhere!
Whilst this is true, as aspirants, we would invariably get influenced by the environment we are practising Yoga in. Only very advanced Yogis can practise Yoga anywhere, anytime. In fact, they practise Yoga everywhere all the time. But not everyone can do that, so it becomes relevant to discuss the environment that proves more conducive to better Yoga practice.
The most important Yogic principle to be followed in Yoga practice applies to choosing the environment and the place also. The principle is – moderation. As described by Buddha, it is “walking the middle path”. Any extremes in the environments must be avoided for a richer and fuller Yoga practice.
Specifically, the climate should be neither too cold, nor too hot. Neither too windy, nor without proper ventilation. Neither too brightly lit nor too dark. Neither too noisy, nor totally devoid of natural sounds. (We have seen that Yoga practice must be done neither during the day nor during the night but during the times in-between. In Yoga, the periods are known as “Sandhi-Kaal” or the periods when the day and night are “joining” or transitioning.) The place must not contain any strong smell and should be open as far as possible. Neither should our tongue carry any specific taste.
As we have seen, the best Yoga practice must start in the morning and as it progresses, the body should be exposed to the life-giving rays of the rising sun. This helps to create vitamin “D” within our body and it is precisely for this reason that we must always face east while practising Yoga!
The ground should be clean, hard and even. Actual practice must take place on a platform that is not too raised (lest we suffer from vertigo!) nor should it be flush with ground level (lest dust, insects come in the way!).
Our stomach must neither be too full nor too empty. Our bowels and bladder should be empty. Our mind should be fresh and serene. There should be some insulation between our body and the ground. This can be a simple mat that feels soft but is firm enough to hold its own when we are going through our postures routine. The insulation is important because we need to retain the heat generated during our exercise in order to use that heat to ‘mould and bake’ our body. Our attire must not be too tight or too baggy.
It is vitally important to perform Yoga practice at the same place and same time everyday. This helps us to quickly concentrate, ‘get into the mood’ and we can hit top-gear that much quicker. It is further advisable that apart from Yoga practice, not much activity is performed in that place; in other words, the place is preferably dedicated to Yoga practice alone.
If we are practising the “Antar-Anga” (“Dharana” - concentration and “Dhyan” – meditation), we must neither stand nor lie down. That is to say, we must sit in “Padma-Asana” (Lotus Posture) or some such comfortable sitting posture. Our back must be straight and the head erect with chin neither lifted nor sinking. This state of the torso is known as the “Sama-Kaya-Shiro-Greeva” position in Yogic jargon. Our eyes should neither be fully open nor fully closed. Our gaze must be pointed at the tip of our nose or between eyebrows. Our hands must rest naturally on the knees or in palms-on-top-of-each-other position. Our breathing must neither be too fast nor too slow. It should be as even as possible. It is preferable to perform “Ujjayi” breathing where we create an audible hissing sound through our throat upon each inhale and exhale. (We create such sound while whispering, however, it is important to keep our mouth naturally shut while doing “Ujjayi” breathing.) It is expected that our ears hear no other sound than the sound of our breathing during Yoga practice.
Last but not the least, the more natural the surroundings, the more conducive the environment for Yoga! For example, Yoga is much better practised in an open ground surrounded by trees (and a river flowing by) than on ceramic flooring of an air-conditioned gymnasium surrounded by concrete skyscrapers!
Admittedly, it may not be always practical for most of us to follow all guidelines mentioned above but more the better and half a loaf is better than no bread!
Let’s continue our journey by plunging deeper into Yoga-Shastra and figuring out why Yoga acts as the real saviour for mankind.
See you next Tuesday.
Till then...
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