This week we practiced heart openers with mantra. Mantra means a vehicle for the mind. It is a word or phrase that can soothe the mind and help the mind focus. The heart is usually associated with concepts of love, compassion & forgiveness. One definition of love is a universal identification with all beings, not just one. When you experience that kind of love … you’ve reached yoga :)
We did poses that opened the center of our hearts. Not just big backbends at the end of practice, but backbending shapes within standing, balancing and hip opening poses. Student picked a mantra that resonated with them. Usually one word or a phrase. Students were asked to think of an area where maybe their heart was closed off, and where did they want to open their heart? I offered up some suggestions:
I believe, I can, I will, I accept myself, I trust myself, I am enough, fearless, as ease, strong, ready.
We connected with our ujjayi breath and yogis chose a mantra. They were encouraged to pick something even if it morphed into a different mantra later in class or later in the day. I wanted them to have the experience in this class of working with mantra and seeing how it helped or shifted them. Sometimes mantra has the powerful way of making space for insights, relaxation, peace.
Poses included anjenayasana, big goalpost arms in cresent, humble warrior 1, warrior 2, parsva konasana & triangle. We added a backbend in our tree pose at the end of a balancing sequence of eagle and dancer. In pigeon, we clasped our hands behind our head to open the chest space. The closing of practice included camel poses, purvotanasana and a second round of the beautiful, heart-opening anjenayasana. Some yogis chose the option to place a block under the bottom tips of their shoulder blades in savasana to continue with the gesture of heart opening. Thank you for a lovely practice …. namaste, Lynn
