by Katie Hoener

YOGA COLUMN Namaste, Katie...

Whether you're a seasoned yogi or getting ready to roll out your mat for the first time, here you'll find a variety of useful tips from local yoga instructor, Katie Hoener.

Namaste Katie,

During the Pandemic, I made the leap to become a yoga teacher! I am thrilled to explore teaching and have been excited to share my journey. I have struggled with explaining to my friends and family the essence of yoga beyond the quieting of the mind, when so many only see the physical practice. Do you have any tips? Many thanks,

Tina, Chelsea

Congratulations! Welcome to the realm of yoga teachers. It is both a beautiful and overwhelming experience. You are absolutely right in your feelings that so many in this country see yoga as entirely a physical (asana) practice. It takes time and patience to guide people into a deeper understanding if they are interested in learning.

One of the hearts of yoga is found in Yoga Sutra 1.12 which reflects that in order to participate in yoga we need practice, abhyasa, and non-attachment, vairagya. Yoga, in all its forms, with asana being one of the limbs, asks of us these two elements at its core. With these two key elements we are able to find that quiet peace that you describe, and we hope to teach this as instructors. Practice entails participating and practicing all the elements of the yogic path, yamas and niyamas (the ethical code), asana, pranayama (breathwork), pratyahara (sense withdrawal) dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (contemplation). Non-attachment is surrendering the outcome/results.

Even our desire to lead people to the essence of yoga has some trappings of results and outcomes. We want them to ‘get it’ to feel the way we do! (which is understandable). We can come into abhyasa and vairagya by offering our full practice of yoga whenever we get the chance and release the expectation of results. People will accept the parts that work for them, as we all hope to do. Enjoy the journey.

Namaste Katie,

I appreciate you addressing the extra sitting with alternative schedules that some of us are experiencing. Is there anything that may support both myself and my partner? I am sitting a great deal more, and my partner is spending more time than ever standing. As a result, we are both experiencing a great deal of stress on the low back. Is there a posture we can add into our evening routine? Matt, Ypsilanti

Hello Matt,

Wow are you on to something! Though not everyone has experienced a change in their routine, schedule, or work style, many have. These changes have a profound effect on the body. Last issue we discussed how we hold tension through the shoulders, and you’ve noted these sensations in your low back for you and your partner in different settings. One posture that addresses tightness in the hips and low back is Gomukhasana or Cow Faced Pose. This posture can be performed seated or reclined for a slightly different experience. The variations also allow for different accessibility and opportunities to discover where we are holding tension in the body. If one version feels right, stick with it, otherwise, try the other version.

In the seated variation, we cross the legs over one another, the top foot can stay planted, or knee can rest relatively over the other knee (as pictured). On an inhale, elongate through the spine. As pictured, for some of us, this is all the release that we need, as this posture targets the piriformis muscle, at times, intensely. If able, take a forward fold with the upper body in way that feels right. This can be walking the hands forward with the spine long or folding forward with a bend in the spine.

To come into the reclined version, lay on your back and let the legs float into the air. Cross one leg in front of the other and allow the legs to bend in toward the torso, to whatever degree feels good. The knees are near one another as they move toward the body. The feet can rest on a prop, they can travel up and relax, or they can swing out away from the body. If we rotate from the hips, we can take the feet in the hands and give them a little squeeze or massage. Feel free to spend more time on one side than the other, and to honor where you are from one moment to the next. Breathe deeply into the posture to see what feels right.

Namaste Katie,

Of late I have really struggled with my meditation practice. As someone who has practiced meditation for quite some time, I am at a little bit of a loss as to what to try. A friend suggested trying some chanting to ease back into it. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Mary, Ann Arbor

Dear Mary,

You are not alone in the challenges presented by stillness in the current environment. With social unrest, a pandemic, and too many global events to keep track of, finding that quiet of the mind can take effort and at times a change in approach. As in our discussion with Tina (above), giving some level of vairagya to all aspects of our practice can help us move forward.

Mantra, or chanting, is a wonderful, and powerful way to change course and see if it offers you some stillness. According to our Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali 1.27 OM is the sacred sound, and one of the most impactful mantras. The commentary of Swami Satchidananda states OM contains all the vibrations, all the sounds of the universe, and is infinite. “To listen to that sound, you have to keep your mind quiet, stop the thinking process and dive within.” (The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidanananda.) The vibrations created by mantra have a soothing way of keeping the mind from leaping from topic to topic, and from being drawn away from the stillness. There are so many mantras, and this style of meditation is called japa meditation, the repetition of sounds, words, or song in an effort to tame that monkey mind. Though OM is the universal mantra according to the Sutras, find a mantra that you feel comfortable with, or if you are in a place to encounter a guru of significant yoga lineage, one can be blessed upon you. I often engage in japa meditation for a variety of reasons and applaud your friend for bringing it to your attention. If it works for you, fantastic, if it is not sitting well with you, there are other meditation practices, some of which we have described in this column. Try things out. Let them go if they do not work well for you!