I am super grateful to have met a sweet, dynamic yoga teacher on the island named Jo Youle. We met on Benirras Beach. She overheard me talking about yoga with a friend, and struck up a conversation with me.
I mentioned to her my desire to have an advanced asana practice for yoga teachers. I am new here and am embarrassed to admit that I haven't met the community much as I have only taken two classes here. My desire was to get in a great practice, learn new things and meet my peers.
Jo happened to have a timeslot available and a go-getters attitude. She started a facebook page, invited a few people and the next thing you know three days later I led the inaugural class of Yoga Tribe Ibiza.
I call it leading as opposed to teaching because I guided the direction of the practice, led the sequence and gave some variations but didn't ‘teach' how to do poses specifically unless I was asked to break something down or was demo-ing how to get into a pose.
So, what does an advanced asana (pose) yoga practice mean?
Body:
As a baseline, the physical definition of a yogi beginning to dip their toes into the intermediate/advanced asana practice is being able to hold Urdvha Dhanurasana, or Upward Facing Bow Pose with straight arms which is basically a full backbend and Urdhva Mukha Vriksasana, or handstand supported at the wall.
As you make the progression through the asana compendium from the beginning poses to the more advanced ones there begins to be themes. The themes are a leg or two behind the head (Eka Pada Sirsana), feet touching the head in a backbend or lotus pose (Padmasana) and these are often in an arm balance. Also, there is a linking of poses that happens, such as moving from Bakasana (crow pose) to Sirsana II (headstand) and back again, then jumping back to Chaturanga (low push-up)
Unless you have gymnastics or circus training, the path of asana is one of humility, commitment, patience, a delicate balance between letting go and perseverance, the occasional injury and the ever-so-fleeting satisfaction of achievement.
Mind:
Many beginning yogis get very frustrated and upset with themselves as they try to achieve poses time after time and fail. Interestingly, this is a very important stage in the practice. This is where the mind gets to practice how to stay focused, calm and determined despite frustration, anger and disappointment. As the saying goes, the reward of patience is patience.
The weirdest thing that happens is that you begin to appreciate the journey towards poses so much more than the achievement itself. As soon as you get a leg behind the head or hop up into a handstand for the first time, the mind is going to go, I kid you not, ‘Wow, that was cool. OK, what's next?'
As my one of my favourite teachers, Christina Sell, says, ‘I'll get this pose in this lifetime or the next' which means just practice, all is coming.
Soul:
Advanced yogis no longer compare ourselves to other yogis because we have been the person who can barely touch our toes. Sometimes you are that person again because you broke or tore something, just had a baby or are recovering from an illness and must slowly rehabilitate your practice.
There is something about the continuity of practice through thick and thin, through health and illness, through youth and age that brings peace, energy and contentment. In yoga the path to the spiritual is through the physical. All long-term yogis will tell you they practice yoga for the well-being of themselves and others. May the merits of my practice benefit all Beings.
Where and When
This class is a by donation (covering cost of studio rental only) weekly class for yoga teachers of Ibiza - a space for us to share our practice, expand our boundaries and learn with each other. Please include pranayama and meditation though I did not mention them here. So please come! Join the facebook group and volunteer to lead a class!
Maili Dinim is a Yoga Instructor and Natural Food Chef. She can be contacted via MailiDinim.com
