Stillness of mind

Hatha Yoga is preparation for meditation. According to some sources, there are seven paths of Yoga. One path, Hatha Yoga, is physical Yoga. Regular practice produces physical, mental and emotional feelings of well being. It is quite extraordinary.

So what's going on here?

It's hard to say. Fitness levels increase from regular practice. Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins creating a feeling of well being. And in Yoga, compression of internal organs stimulate metabolism affecting, amongst other things, the endocrine system. The endocrine system regulates mood. There are many more physical dynamics as well.

But there is more.

In Bikram Yoga the teacher leads the class using verbal commands. Students can use the instructions, the commands as kind of a mantra, a focus point. When I practice I try to replace the chatter of my mind, my internal dialog, with the instructor's words turning them into physical responses. I do not have to think, just do.

When it all works well, I experience a connection with the teacher and the other students in the room. The connection, for lack of a better word, is a bit ethereal. But it is none the less powerful.

I was surprised and elated when I discovered as a new teacher that this connection with the others in the room was still present when teaching too. My consciousness of this connection varies from class to class. But when I am teaching, I am very aware that my state of being facilitates the group's experience.
Early in my teaching experience, I was teaching a 7AM class, and an amazing event occurred. There were only five students in the room. The light in the studio was beautiful with the rising sunlight creating a patchwork of shadows and morning light. In one of the final postures, Head to Knee with Stretching, the five students, all lined up in the front of the room, moved in unison from right to left in perfect timing with my instructions.

From my vantage point in the back of the room I suddenly felt as if I were dancing with all five of them. The experience was as if we were all part of a larger whole, like we were different elements of a larger organism. It was a breathtaking experience.

I used to associate a stillness of mind with attempting to quiet my thoughts. I do not know if it is possible to stop thinking all together. But focus facilitates quiet. One pointed focus stills the chatter.

Christine, a regular at Noho, is a rock climber. This past weekend Christine was climbing in Arcadia National Park. When I was talking with Christine about the subject of this post, focus, she described her experience repelling down and climbing back up a narrow space between two rock walls.

"All men die, some men never really live"

Despite the gender incorrectness, the quote conveys a certain truth. Climbing a cliff face wall will produce an awareness of life while demanding total attention and focus. One will not be thinking about what color the new curtains should be while choosing the next hand hold.

We can, with practice, find that same degree of focus safely in our Yoga practice. Just ask Christine.

Christine on solid ground doing a fine triangle.