It’s been far too long, but I promise I have been away for good reasons (teaching classes, making lots of art– the works).
Onto the next yama, as described by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The third yama is asteya, or non-stealing. As soon as the yogi ceases covetting that which is not hers, everything comes right to her. At the heart of of asteya is the release of fear. Why do we steal? Why do we covet? We fear that we will not be provided for; we fear that we are not enough. And this couldn’t be further from the truth. Let go of your chokehold on life, and all that is wonderful will come to you. It may come in a different form than what you thought (i.e., that BMW might actually turn out to be a bike), but the results will bring far more joy!
Straight from the Sutras:
asteya pratisthayam sarva ratna upasthanam.
When non-stealing (asteya) is established, all jewels, or treasures present themselves, or are available to the Yogi.
YS, 2.37
Asana sequence:
Through this practice, let go of your expectations of what each pose *should* look like and mentally evaluate how the postures feel. Cultivate a sense of completeness– you are enough in each posture just as you are.
warm-up with sunflowers, wide-legged adho mukha svanasana, and heart like a wheel.
surya namaskar, modified.
surya namaskar, variation.
bhakasana. — really let go of your expectations for the pose. lean into your arms to that just your tippy-tippy toes remain on the floor. resist the temptation to push. when the time is right, your feet will lift off the floor. trust me.
sirsasana preparation– same principle… tippy-tippy toe. focus on keeping the spine long. most of the work falls on the forearms… NOT the top of the head.
viparita karani. sarvangasana. halasana. matsyasana. navasana. apanasana.
savasana.
pranayama: sipping breath.
breathe in through the mouth by taking numerous sips of air until the lungs have filled. breathe out gently through the nose.
sit. breathe normally. take as long as you like.
namaste.
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