Today we begin our segment on “Satya” or non-falsehood. Satya is one of the 5 Yamas or restraints of a yoga student. On the other side of non-falsehood, Satya also means truthfulness.
Today, our focus will be on truthfulness of our alignment. How do we practice our asanas - our poses - in ways that are in integrity with the truth of our bodies?
After practicing for nearly a decade, I realized that I was cheating in some of the poses. I was so eager to get the deep bends and binds, that I relied on my natural flexibility to get into poses without having strong anchors to the floor, or keeping my muscles activated. After a decade of practice, I realized that my hips were weak and tight from lack of use - yes, even after all that yoga! - I somehow managed to practice for years, while avoiding activating my hips and core!
When I started grounding my feet, squaring hips, activating muscles - I was unable to get close to basic poses I thought I’d mastered.
But with time, practicing in integrity with my body, things slowly began to blossom and connect. I’d entered a new era of my personal practice.
For this reason, as a teacher, I aim to teach the intention of the pose. And help students figure out for themselves, which shapes are right for their body.
So let's get started with a short flow focusing on Warrior 1's.
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