It has been beautiful to watch a few students in the Mysore room embarking on the Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. This series requires a very different kind of energy and strength than the Primary Series. This is most likely because the Primary Series focuses on realignment and detoxification, which is called Yoga Chikitsa (Therapy); whereas the Intermediate Series, called Nadi Shodana, is designed to purify our nervous system, and reaches much deeper into our body, and mind.
I still remember many years ago when i started practicing Intermediate, it was very tiring! The postures are difficult and need getting used to. But at the same time they unleashed a different kind of power within me, which was an amazing revelation. It felt foreign and exhilarating all at once. I was continuously surprised at what my body was capable of doing with regular practice and devotion, and how it made me feel.
As one slowly becomes more proficient in this sequence of postures, a change on an energetic level occurs gradually. Just as it was when learning Primary Series, in the Second Series (Intermediate) there are great challenges awaiting, and equally there will be sections in which you will feel confident and well prepared for. In any of the Ashtanga Series you will always find postures which will delight, uplift and empower, which you love and come back for; and at the same time there are parts of the sequence which are scary and challenging, and seemingly impossible to achieve. It all serves to assist you in coming closer to your true Self. Asanas are a necessary precursor to the higher states of consciousness. Therefore throughout the month of August, in all of our classes after the practice of some asanas, we are focusing on stillness and meditation.
This year’s ‘Winter Challenge’ has just begun and already quite a few students have signed up for a regular committed practice for four weeks. This is a good month to accelerate in your practice!
Join in and surprise yourself!
OM Shanti,
Angelika