the basic notes of every practice
whether you are eric clapton or yo-yo ma . . . whether you play for the london symphony orchestra or your high school band . . . whether you are an experienced musician or taking your first lessons . . . you share one thing in common.
you play the scales. the basic foundational notes found in every piece of music.
and you play these scales every day. over and over. day after day. ad nauseam.
the purpose is to teach your fingers how to move in a certain way. so it doesn't require you to think - and over time, your fingers will "just know" how to play the music before you. since most music, even the most omplicated pieces, will follow - to a large degree - this key signature.
“it's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.” (johann sebastian bach)
yoga is no different:
my daughter has been bitten by the acro-yoga bug that's been going around. but it is the acrobatics she most adores.
"mom . . . i want to be able to do more arm balances and handstands," she frequently bemoans.
and yet, she knows what i will tell her, as i have, time and time again. in order to achieve those, she must practice her scales first. the basics. her body must first learn to move in a certain way . . . so it doesn't require her to think . . . and eventually her body will "just know" how to play the sequences before her. even complicated ones, such as the ones she aspires to learn.
<sigh> i guess that's just how we are today. we want the flashing lights, the startling, the breathtaking, all found in the uber-extraordinary. and we want to fast forward through all the boring stuff we must suffer through in order to get there.
i recall a line from b.k.s. iyengar - when asked how he found enlightenment - he laughed, "it took me 8 years just to get healthy! forget enlightenment - get healthy first. then worry about this illumination!"
one of my clients asked me the other day if i ever got weary of doing the same old sun a and sun b sequences, we traditionally begin our practice with time and time again.
sure. i guess it does seem a little repetitive. a tad mundane.
but i've also been unfortunate enough to experience practicing without - as my body struggles to find a rhythm, with unnecessary effort, and a progression that is difficult and awkward.
you see, it is through the repetitive motion that i find my pattern of movement. a pattern that will be repeated throughout my practice - even in my most complicated asana. allowing my mind to get out of my body's way . . . and the music to play itself.
admittedly, i absolutely adore going upside down . . . and work towards the day, i can with true ease and control. what's more, i simply love to play with the acrobatics of yoga . . . just like my daughter.
but like most things - there is the 80/20 rule. 80% of all i do is play my scale, the basic notes of my yoga practice.
for it is within that 80%, that 20% is even possible.
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speaking of which . . . join me saturday, october 24 - from 2:00 - 4:00 (down dog yoga, georgetown) for an uber-extraordinary workshop involving everyone's favorite 20%: handstands, headstands, fore-arm balances and other fancy-pants arm balances. (i recommend you have a regular yoga practice for at least 6 months in order to register)
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Posted by peg mulqueen at 10/15/2009 9:36 AM 
Categories: yoga, down dog yoga, acro yoga
Tags: sun a and sun b yoga basics learning arm balances the basic notes of a yoga practice
Categories: yoga, down dog yoga, acro yoga
Tags: sun a and sun b yoga basics learning arm balances the basic notes of a yoga practice
Recently, I was finally in the groove of something new I learned over months and then a mentor told me that I was ready to graduate and learn the next level. How strange that I wasn't excited, but rather yearned for the comfort in the results of the routine that I had practiced over and over. And now it was time for a new scale to learn. Although it took me a month to accomplish, I finally figured out that it can be done. Now I just need to practice it over and over until gradually, I'm ready for the next level.
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