Patanjali’s first teaching, atha yoga anushasanam, which means “now, the method of yoga exercise starts,” is easy to dismiss. Sutra I. 1 isn’t really something to skip over on your means to the good things, according to global yoga exercise teacher Lizzie Lasater. Right here Lasater discovers the significance of the first sutra and also supplies a house method to honor its wisdom.

Yoga Journal: What does Sutra I. 1 imply to you?
Lizzie Lasater: My mommy states that she likes to think about this sutra as “Now the method of yoga exercise is shared,” rather of “begins,” and also I assume that’s a truly good suggestion regarding yoga exercise. It is a straight hand-to-hand lineage, and it is always regarding sharing.

But when I first began reading the Sutra, I really did not take this verse that seriously. Now, the more time I have actually invested with the text, the more enamored I am. I assume it’s an extremely effective sutra and also it’s one of my faves. I like that it’s simply 3 words– it’s exceptionally easy to keep and also lends itself effortlessly to being chanted.

YJ: What is the significance of the very first word, atha?
LL: If we had to reduce the Yoga exercise Sutra to a single word, that’s the one I would certainly pick. Atha implies currently, which is fundamentally one of the inmost understandings of spiritual practice: To bring us very deeply right into the present minute. Atha is this type of phone call of action for us to awaken now. It can be a concept for everyday living that moves off the floor covering and also into our lives, bringing us back to what’s occurring now.

You can build a motif for a whole class or an entire technique around atha. Asana itself is fundamentally a set of foundation– these positions are made, in my point of view, to bring us into the currently. They are focusing strategies. When we focus on the breath and also on the feelings of the body, those are all happening in actual time. They are constantly taking place in the present.

YJ: Can you give us an instance of a practice based upon this Sutra?
LL: This is a home practice, which incorporates perfectly with this sutra. Technique is a room for remaining in fact with just what’s taking place now– in my body, in my day, in my life. I’ve done this method a great deal in my own life and also I find it to be fairly powerful.

Here’s what I suggest: Take your phone, put it on aircraft mode, and also established a timer for 15 tinies. Present your floor covering, relax, bend your knees and spread out the feet wide to the edges of the mat. Let your knees come carefully together, shut your eyes as well as bring your hands onto your tummy. Now, think of the idea of atha and looking it to yourself as an inquiry. What do I need right currently? Exactly what does my body desire today? Pay attention in stillness as well as silence for the response to arise.

The ‘worst’ trait that can happen is absolutely nothing– you exist there for 15 tinies or you straighten your legs and do Savasana (Remains Pose). That’s the threat, and for a lot of us that’s in fact really terrific considering exactly how loaded our days are. But every single time I’ve done this, something develops and I begin relocating and breathing intuitively. This is a much more responsive sort of practice compared to enforcing our concept of practice on the body.

This meeting has actually been gently modified for size and also clarity.