YOGA PRACTICE TIPS
by Val Paape
"When practising asanas, go beyond thoughts of pleasure and pain." - B.K.S. Iyengar
There are many asanas that we like to do and many asanas that we avoid doing at home and dislike doing in class. Many of the asanas that are difficult for us and cause discomfort or even pain, are very important for us to practise because they directly affect our stiff, weak or problem areas. In this quote, Guriji is suggesting that we go beyond our likes and dislikes, pleasures and pains, in order to become healthy and balanced in all areas of our body and mind. Try this little exercise. Make a list of a few asanas that you really like to do and a few asanas that you regularly avoid. Choose two asanas that you avoid, and over the next week, practice them every day. At the end of the week, ask yourself if you still dislike them as much, if they are still as difficult as they were before. Chances are, you will have taken the edge off the dislike and are able to practice them with more equanimity. You may also find that your like or dislike of the various asanas begins to fade as an important criteria for your choice of what you do or do not practice.
In his statement, Iyengar is also referencing the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita and encouraging us to take our practice to a spiritual level. When the senses contact sense objects, a person experiences cold or heat, pleasure or pain. These experiences are fleeting; they come and go. Bear them patiently.
"Those who are not affected by these changes, who are the same in pleasure and pain, are truly wise." - The Bhagavad Gita