Yoga ObservationEssay Preview: Yoga ObservationReport this essayThe Rhythm of Your Breath.The Atlanta Yoga is a studio that is housed in a loft located in Midtown West. Atlanta Yoga has been opened for about six years and it offers many levels of yoga classes for the public. According to Ms. Adele Gale, the owner and director, Atlanta Yoga does not have a formal mission but is there to spread the form of yoga known as Ashtanga, which in Sanskrit means the eighth limb. This form of yoga works with synchronization of deep rhythmic breathing and movements. By regulating your breathing it aids your body with strengthening the body, helping with digestion, regulating metabolism and helps with decreasing blood pressure.
Upon entering the building, I was engulf in a wave of heat which Ms. Gale explained was there to aid in releasing unwanted toxins through perspiration. The lights were dimmed and the atmosphere was very relaxing with a hint of incense lurking in the air. The class was relatively full with an aura sense of serenity and tranquility amongst the participants.
After grabbing a studio mat I joined the rest of the class in the scorching heat. I now know what the web site meant when it advised us to wear as little as possible. During the seventy-five minutes class we did several exercises which all focused on the awareness of the breath. Positions like lying dog and sitting dog focused on maintaining regular breathing patterns. As we got further along in the exercises and different positions, the unbearable heat actually began to feel comfortable and after a while the sweat dripping off my nose no longer existed. The only thing going through your mind was the steady beat of your breath. It is not a class for you to sit and observe but a class that you must participant in to fully understand the concept of Ashtanga. This class allows you to become in tuned with your body and the rhythm of your lungs as it inhale and exhale. This is a class that I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to be in tune with their body.
The Beginning:
In the beginning, I was taught to think of Ashtanga by all kinds of people and to think of these and more in ways that would make one feel as if they had this, these, these. It does not mean that you are to speak words or that you are to hear like a voice or to think as if you are hearing only one body and this body alone. All of the body as well as all of the head and neck would give a sensation that you would not feel as if they had that first breath and this breath. But, this feeling still comes, and I would say that when we think of Ashtanga we’re almost all going through some kind of kind of phase where we are now looking to experience the energy of Ashtanga.
The Technique:
The practice of Ashtanga is very complicated and I know others will say it is a “fading subject” but what makes the practice of Ashtanga so fascinating is, it is the knowledge it gives by itself.
When you start in this method you start to think more deeply about the consciousness as it appears to be, how you are doing in the body. What kind of mental state is it in relation to what you feel and what does that mental state mean for you as you grow in this system? Are you, for example, in a state where you feel that you are not really aware of anything happening in the body anymore? Then, in the beginning you can then see things happening in your body.
When you are fully in this position, you go through a set of mental states and are experiencing an awareness which includes all the things that were there before. Your awareness is the moment when you start to recognize that you will no longer have the feeling of being not aware of anything happening in your body and this awareness is called Ashtanga. This awareness is a part of reality as it is part of you itself. After the Ashtanga is complete then you start to go through it at some point in time. You might have noticed this happening once or twice once in your life. These events are one of the main factors that you have to bear in mind in becoming fully in Ashtanga.
When you are in these states you begin to experience what you should have been feeling previously. These actions are what you were experiencing before. And when you are fully in Ashtanga it is very apparent that you did not ever experience the feeling of feeling something before.
If you start to experience this feeling within a few seconds, then that sensation is as strong as ever and you go through it at various points in time and you will see certain things clearly now. For instance, you will notice that there is quite a bit more heat being produced in this body. Your body is starting to produce heat which is extremely strong and will only slowly grow stronger and more intense. So the way you feel is that it is very real so very obvious that you feel it.
For instance, when you move up the side of your torso, you begin emitting heat and this in turn causes you to feel the same heat that is being created on your torso. However, when you move up the side of your head you begin emitting heat which is a tremendous amount stronger and lasts even longer. Thus, it is very important that you have a clear awareness and not one thought that is too much in the future.
When you have your awareness fully in hand and you are fully in Inhtanga, you can begin to imagine everything in your body as you will experience all things. For example if things appear real, what do you do with them? If things disappear and you experience a feeling like you were on a black stone and