Beyond Asana : Part 1

The yoga poses are just the tip of the iceberg

Hey It’s Jenny, your favorite Alaskan yoga teacher.

Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I share stories about my life, insights from my personal yoga practice and the best online resources, handpicked just for you.

Welcome to week three of our summer series: Personalizing Your Practice.

You can access the first two issues, and the entire Root&Rise library, in the “Monthly Theme Archive” located on the homepage of the newsletter. Here’s the link: Monthly Theme Archive.

“Many people think of yoga as just physical exercises—the asanas or postures that have gained widespread popularity in recent decades—but these are actually only the most superficial aspects of this profound science of unfolding the infinite potential of the human mind and soul”

Paramahansa Yogananda

My relationship with movement in my personal yoga practice has evolved a lot over the years. Initially, I saw yoga as purely physical, a tool for fitness and maintaining a slender physique. It took me a long time to understand that yoga is more than a sequence of physical poses performed on a sticky mat.

Through a lot of exploration, experimentation and direct experience, I’ve come to recognize asana - the physical yoga poses - as just the tip of the iceberg. Yoga extends far beyond exercise.

Many modern yoga practitioners miss out on the full benefits of their practice by focusing solely on asana. It’s like starting a car and expecting to magically arrive at a desired destination.

Unfortunately, In the Western world, all we’re given to work with is asana, and perhaps a brief savasana…if we're lucky. We get our car started but are left idling with no idea what to do next.

If someone who has never even ridden in a car before wants to drive, simply handing them the keys won't suffice. They need to learn how to shift into gear, press the accelerator and navigate the road.

It is the same with our yoga practice. To get the most out of it, we need to engage with more of it’s aspects, like turning the senses inward (Pratyahara), breathing (Pranayama) & Meditation (Dharana & Dhyana).

Thankfully, these essential components are readily available and easily accessible within the complete system of yoga.

Yoga is like a user manual for living a good life, an ancient system designed to promote peace, spark joy and nurture an overall sense of wellbeing. It has the power to create positive change, with its true purpose being personal evolution.

Just like driving, yoga requires a holistic understanding and integrated practice to reach our desired destination of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the in the next section…

“Practicing asana without meditation is like taking 90 minutes to prepare a delicious, nourishing, three-course meal—then throwing it in the trash without tasting it.”

Bianca Alexander

Over the next couple of weeks, i’ll be sharing classes to help you take your personal yoga practice beyond asana, with an invitation to focus on three specific elements:

Pratyahara is the practice of shifting focus from the external world to your inner experience, using the senses to cultivate inner awareness and concentration.

Pranayama refers to the regulation and control of the breath. It is integrated into asana practice emphasizing the connection between breath and movement. Pranayama can also be practiced independently through various traditional breathing techniques, like nadi shodhana pranayama, also known as alternate nostril breathing.

Meditation compliments and completes your asana practice. Consider viewing your asana practice as part of your meditation practice, rather than the other way around. More on that next week.

Yoga For Beginners | Start Your Day Off Right Morning Yoga and Meditation | Faith Hunter

16 Minutes | All Levels

This class has been on my morning playlist for a while now and it’s perfect for mornings when I want a well rounded class…but don’t have much time.

In just 16 minutes, Faith delivers a satisfying asana practice, pranayama (in the form of alternate nostril breathing) and a meditation. You really cannot beat that!!

Home - Day - Heal | 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene

27 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

This soft, slow, soulful class from Yoga with Adriene is a beautiful opportunity to take your focus from asana and place it on your breath.

Take the initiative to invite Pratyahara and meditation into your experience as you move through this class that truly does live up to its name, a beautiful opportunity to rest, relax and heal.

Cleanse Your Chakras: 25 Minute Kundalini Flow | Allie Van Fossen

25 Minutes | All Levels

If you are looking to add more depth to your personal yoga practice, Kundalini Yoga is a powerful way to do it. Kundalini incorporates Pratyahara & Pranayama into every movement. In addition, moments of meditation are sprinkled throughout the practice, as well as at the end.

This quick Kundalini class from Allie Van Fossen is challenging, but that is typical of a Kundalini class. Would you expect anything less from a practice that touts the motto “Poke, Provoke, Confront and Elevate”?

If that sounds intimidating, I understand. But it is totally doable, I promise!! The reason these practices are challenging, is to give you the opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone in a controlled environment - to feel discomfort and observe what arises. What stories do you tell yourself when things get tough? Do you quit immediately? Where are your limits…really? If you test them, what are you truly capable of?

One of my all time favorite Kundalini teachers, Guru Singh, says this about practicing Kundailin Yoga : Do what you can do and feel good about it!”

So, try this class with that as your mantra. If you cannot keep up with the pace Allie sets, slow down and move to your own rhythm. If she asks you to do 27 repetitions and you can only do 10, feel good about that! This is not about perfection or keeping up, it’s about experiencing new aspects of yourself.

Energy Sensing Yoga Nidra | Ally Boothroyd

50 Minutes | All Levels

BONUS : This Kundalini class focuses on the Chakras. if you enjoy working with the Chakras and want to explore them in another way, try this beautiful Yoga Nidra from Ally Boothroyd. It’s 50 minutes long and incredibly rejuvenating. I’ve practiced it multiple times this week. It’s a wonderful way to experience Pratyahara!

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I’ll be back next week with a more personal take on everything I lined out in this issue. Beyond Asana: Part 2 is the story of how I leveled up in my personal practice using all of the tools we explored today.

I can’t wait to share It with you!

Until then, you guys have a lovely week and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! We love you!

See you next Sunday.