Distraction and activity are easy. Focus and stillness are a challenge but calming your mind and tapping into your inner silence is worth the work. Yoga is one of the most powerful tools to quiet your mind––the ultimate achievement of a dedicated practice.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, considered the seminal text in yoga, provides a practical path to attain a calm, quiet mind. It all begins with Yoga Sutra 1.2: Chitta Vritti Nirodaha: Yoga is the ability to direct the mind without distraction or interruption. When you can achieve sustained attention, you are fully present and truly at the height of your personal power and light. Sounds fantastic, right?
But when your brain resembles a windowless room with a troop of wild monkeys bouncing off the walls, getting quiet can feel unattainable. But with commitment, patience, and discipline, you can tame that troop of wild monkeys. Yoga isn’t an easy path, but it can be simple if you allow it.
This week’s classes have been specifically selected to help you drown out the external disruptions and tap into your inner silence. If you’ve been feeling that your daily thoughts are repetitive and you’re unable to switch them off, these practices can help you. Or if life has felt more challenging than usual these days, a yoga practice themed around silence can help you center and clear your mind.
The way we breathe changes the way we feel. Pranayama techniques can heat you, energize you, and calm you. Even five minutes of dedicated breathwork will enable you to tune inward, breath-by-breath. The combination of specific asanas (physical postures), dedicated pranayama, and meditation will help you delve into your inner silence and give your mind a rest.
Check out the various techniques in this week’s classes and see how still you can get! Enjoy!
Channing Grivas - Embrace Your Inner Calm
Ali Duncan - Coherent Breath