Turning Off Autopilot
/When you shut off auto pilot and open you mind, eyes and heart to the new discoveries waiting, you will be awed by the incredible inner landscape filled with endless possibilities. We are so used to knowing how we are, want to be, or should be that we leave little room to discover our fullest potential. Asana practice is the perfect place to learn to turn off auto-pilot and move into a more exploratory mode. For instance, we have certain beliefs about ourselves and our bodies, and how we will or won’t be able to do a pose. Or even, whether we can or can’t relax at a particular time. But in this knowing we might actually be misreading ourselves and even hindering ourselves. Perhaps we are capable of so much more than we think we are. As one of my favorite teachers, Erich Schiffmann says, “Know that you don’t know,”
Know You Don't Know
To help develop more open-mindedness, I like to use this technique in my vinyasa flow: Instead of synchronizing the breath exactly with the movement, I wait one or two mille-seconds for the breath to start and THEN initiate the movement. The 'waiting' becomes a mindful 'Pause', and sharpens my alertness throughout the vinyasa flow making it effortless to stay present. This is especially helpful when you do things so repetitively that it becomes hard to make them new.
Try It
Start with a simple flow like Cat pose. Get down on all fours in cat pose, pause for a moment and feel the ground under your hands and knees. Allow the inhale to begin, feel it inflating you then begin your movement, releasing the belly to the floor as you gaze up. Allow the exhale to begin, pause, and after you feel the breath releasing then round your back to the sky. Let the inhale begin before you initiate your flow back into the arch. Continue like this for 10-20 breaths. Relax, flow, stay interested in the breath, and feel what you are doing.
You can also enjoy 17 minutes of mindful Yoga flow with this ONLINE YOGA PRACTICE I created for Prevention Magazine.