The Work behind the Work
"Without courage,
we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.
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We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
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--Maya Angelou
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Before practicing Anusara yoga, our teacher will often set a “heart theme” or an “intention” for the practice of that particular day.
Our work on the mat most assuredly settles our minds, but what our work on the mat accomplishes also translates into work performed off the mat as well. Salkalpa, is the Sanscrit word for our intention and is likened to planting a seed--the work behind the work.
An analogy that I think best describes this practice is that of the work of the farmer. At first, the physical labor (or work) of the farmer may be thought as tilling the soil and planting the seeds. The farmer knows this type of work so there is ease in his routine. With intelligence and forethought, the farmer has mixed his soil with organic material, bringing it to the right temperature, and setting the ideal foundation for a seed to send down its roots, then send up shoots toward the sun. This is the work behind the work: establishing the perfect environment for his crops, which will then go on to feed a community. With the completion of harvest, the cycle begins again with a turning toward the next spring’s preparation and planting.
In my yoga practice, I work to get my body to feel that it’s not work--in other words, to find the ease within each pose to align my body so that my body works together and not against itself. Yoga helps me become mindful; assisting me in placing my body, mind and spirit in a consciousness that allows me to do something about my intentions. Western civilization has the tradition of “powering” through the process, forcing an outcome to occur whether it be the intention or not. From the farmer’s perspective, this would be similar to planting a bean seed but insisting on seeing a watermelon pop out of the ground.
Shashumna is the process of removing the kinks from our line of breathing. When we breathe with efficiency and without effort, from top to bottom and then back again, we find ourselves moving prana (life force) through our body: heating our body, nurturing our body, allowing the energy from within to be extended and exerted outside our body, to the community. When this happens, we allow ourselves to get out of the way of the true work behind our intention. We find ourselves planting a bean and being perfectly content when a bean plant rises up from the ground.
Our work on the mat most assuredly settles our minds, but what our work on the mat accomplishes also translates into work performed off the mat as well. Salkalpa, is the Sanscrit word for our intention and is likened to planting a seed--the work behind the work.
An analogy that I think best describes this practice is that of the work of the farmer. At first, the physical labor (or work) of the farmer may be thought as tilling the soil and planting the seeds. The farmer knows this type of work so there is ease in his routine. With intelligence and forethought, the farmer has mixed his soil with organic material, bringing it to the right temperature, and setting the ideal foundation for a seed to send down its roots, then send up shoots toward the sun. This is the work behind the work: establishing the perfect environment for his crops, which will then go on to feed a community. With the completion of harvest, the cycle begins again with a turning toward the next spring’s preparation and planting.
In my yoga practice, I work to get my body to feel that it’s not work--in other words, to find the ease within each pose to align my body so that my body works together and not against itself. Yoga helps me become mindful; assisting me in placing my body, mind and spirit in a consciousness that allows me to do something about my intentions. Western civilization has the tradition of “powering” through the process, forcing an outcome to occur whether it be the intention or not. From the farmer’s perspective, this would be similar to planting a bean seed but insisting on seeing a watermelon pop out of the ground.
Shashumna is the process of removing the kinks from our line of breathing. When we breathe with efficiency and without effort, from top to bottom and then back again, we find ourselves moving prana (life force) through our body: heating our body, nurturing our body, allowing the energy from within to be extended and exerted outside our body, to the community. When this happens, we allow ourselves to get out of the way of the true work behind our intention. We find ourselves planting a bean and being perfectly content when a bean plant rises up from the ground.
