January POM & TOM: Sankalpa
January 2nd, 2015Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your holidays have been joyful and restorative. Welcome to January, our biggest month of the year!! It’s so exciting (and such an honor) to welcome so many yogis and yoginis to the mat during this month of powerful intentions. May the find their home, find themselves, and fall in love…
JANUARY POM & TOM
Our Theme of the Month is sankalpa, a powerful practice of resolve, an internal vow to align with our dharma, and the commitment to live out our intentions.
Many of you will remember this exploration from last January… it seemed to go so well (and be so fitting) that we decided to do it again!
Slow Flow – Natarajasana (Dancer Pose, aka Lord of the Dance or King Dancer Pose)
Deep Stretch – Ardha Dhanurasana (Half Bow, with variations prone, side-lying, from table, and with opposite arm and leg)
Pranayama: Please focus on Ujjayi Breath this month. Make sure everyone (beginners and otherwise) understand what it is, why we practice it, and how to do it!
Mudra: Abhaya Mudra (symbolizes courage, fearlessness, peace, or the expression “fear not”)
JANUARY POM & TOM
Our Theme of the Month is sankalpa, a powerful practice of resolve, an internal vow to align with our dharma, and the commitment to live out our intentions.
Many of you will remember this exploration from last January… it seemed to go so well (and be so fitting) that we decided to do it again!
This year, let’s focus on the transformative aspect of sankalpa, which can help us we transcend negative samskaras (patterns), more fully
live our dharma (duty), and call forth joy and abundance into our lives!
live our dharma (duty), and call forth joy and abundance into our lives!
This Yoga Journal article describes the pathway from samskara to intention, the “call to awakening” that sankalpa can be:
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/balance/stuck-rut/
Here’s an article from Elephant Journal, too, that talks about the difference between the resolve of sankalpa and New Year Resolutions:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/12/a-revolution-in-resolutions-six-steps-to-calling-your-deepest-desires-into-your-life/
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/balance/stuck-rut/
Here’s an article from Elephant Journal, too, that talks about the difference between the resolve of sankalpa and New Year Resolutions:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/12/a-revolution-in-resolutions-six-steps-to-calling-your-deepest-desires-into-your-life/
And from Swami Anandakumar Saraswati, how to practice sankalpa:
http://www.satyaliveyoga.com.au/2013/04/14/sankalpa-the-power-of-intention/
http://www.satyaliveyoga.com.au/2013/04/14/sankalpa-the-power-of-intention/
Our Poses of the Month
are dancer/half-bow variations. Please remember to teach hugging/toning to the midline, for core stability and balance, and length and strength in the core to help protect low backs. Also, since we just did a month of forward folds, please teach lots of good quad/psoas stretches and shoulder openers, to prepare for balanced practices with backbends as our focus! (Reminders: Bringing shins in while spreading toes does a lot to keep knees safe, while deepening quad stretches. Also, if students are feeling these poses in their low backs, they generally need more tone and lift in the low abdomen. Ask them to ease out of the backbend until they can access and maintain more core strength and steady their breath, before slowly deepening the pose.)
are dancer/half-bow variations. Please remember to teach hugging/toning to the midline, for core stability and balance, and length and strength in the core to help protect low backs. Also, since we just did a month of forward folds, please teach lots of good quad/psoas stretches and shoulder openers, to prepare for balanced practices with backbends as our focus! (Reminders: Bringing shins in while spreading toes does a lot to keep knees safe, while deepening quad stretches. Also, if students are feeling these poses in their low backs, they generally need more tone and lift in the low abdomen. Ask them to ease out of the backbend until they can access and maintain more core strength and steady their breath, before slowly deepening the pose.)
For those of you who appreciate mythology and storytelling, there is so much beautiful symbolism to the murti (statue/imagery) of Shiva Nataraja… the burning away of the old, the cosmic dance of bliss, the cycle of destruction and creation, the “fear not” mudra, the triumph (and constant reminder of the need for practice) over ignorance. Perhaps tell pieces of this story, relating the ring of fire to tapas, or the drum of creation to our impassioned intentions…
Read more about the symbolism of Shiva Nataraja here: http://natarajaarts.org/symbolism/
Asana:
Align & Flow – Natarajasana (Dancer Pose, aka Lord of the Dance or King Dancer Pose)
Vinyasa – Natarajasana (Dancer Pose, aka Lord of the Dance or King Dancer Pose)
Vinyasa – Natarajasana (Dancer Pose, aka Lord of the Dance or King Dancer Pose)
Slow Flow – Natarajasana (Dancer Pose, aka Lord of the Dance or King Dancer Pose)
Deep Stretch – Ardha Dhanurasana (Half Bow, with variations prone, side-lying, from table, and with opposite arm and leg)
Resources
Natarajasana: http://www.yogajournal.com/article/practice-section/joy-to-the-world/ <– also includes the symbolism of Shiva Nataraja!
Natarajasana: http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/lord-of-the-dance-pose/
Half Bow var. from table (aka Tiny Dancer): http://www.pocketyoga.com/Pose/bow_half
Half Bow, prone: http://www.yogapoint.com/yoga-poses/ardha-dhanurasana.htm
Pranayama: Please focus on Ujjayi Breath this month. Make sure everyone (beginners and otherwise) understand what it is, why we practice it, and how to do it!
Here are some resources:
http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/conqueror-breath/ (I’ve also heard Ujjayi translated as “victoriously uprising”)
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/practice-section/what-is-ujjayi/
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5823/8-Reasons-Why-We-Use-Ujjayi-Breath-in-Yoga.html
http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/conqueror-breath/ (I’ve also heard Ujjayi translated as “victoriously uprising”)
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/practice-section/what-is-ujjayi/
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5823/8-Reasons-Why-We-Use-Ujjayi-Breath-in-Yoga.html
Mantra: Om/Aum. As with Ujjayi Breath, please make sure everyone (beginners and otherwise) understand what it is, why we practice it, and how to do it! Understanding Om… what a sweet way to welcome students to practice!
Here’s an article that covers many meanings: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kripalu/meaning-of-om_b_4177447.html
Mudra: Abhaya Mudra (symbolizes courage, fearlessness, peace, or the expression “fear not”)
“He holds a fourth hand palm-out, offering abhaya mudra, the sign
of fearlessness, inviting us to dare to engage in our own dance, our
own process of creativity.” – Susanna Harwood Rubin http://susannaharwoodrubin.com/category/abhaya-mudra/
of fearlessness, inviting us to dare to engage in our own dance, our
own process of creativity.” – Susanna Harwood Rubin http://susannaharwoodrubin.com/category/abhaya-mudra/
Thank
you! Please share your thoughts, inspirations, and any additional resources
you find on our Facebook Group page. Have a wonderful month!
With burning resolve,
Allison
you! Please share your thoughts, inspirations, and any additional resources
you find on our Facebook Group page. Have a wonderful month!
With burning resolve,
Allison
p.s. Here’s a bit more inspiration, from last year’s POM & TOM email:
Sankalpa means “will, purpose, or determination.”
“A sankalpa practice starts from the radical premise that you already are who you need to be to fulfill your life’s dharma.”
http://yogainternational.com/article/view/how-to-create-a-sankalpa
http://yogainternational.com/article/view/how-to-create-a-sankalpa
“When you say something with your whole being… it can transform the world.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
http://www.livingsattva.com/practice-notes/sankalpa-the-power-of-intention/“Once you make a decision the whole world conspires to make it happen.” ~ Emerson
“You are what your deep driving desire is,
As is your desire so is your intention.
As is your intention so is your will.
As is your will so is your deed.
As is your deed so is your destiny.”
