yoga

71

december 2018 / january 2019

yogajournal.com.sg

PHOTOS: DAVID MARTINEZ; MODEL: PEDRO FRANCO; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED

MASTER CLASS

nn t

lightness

of being

Shine awareness into dull and immobile

areas of your body to balance your body in

Headstand.

-BY MARLA APT

HAVE YOU EVER FELTawe watching a seasoned yogi practicing

Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand)—seeming to be both

light and steady, focused and solid? Or maybe you’ve been

surprised to hear that, well into his 9os, B.K.S. Iyengar often

began his morning yoga practice with a 3o-minute Sirsasana.

Yes, it takes many years to achieve this kind of mastery. But a

balanced, informed approach tohowyou practice is the key to

gradually building duration in any pose. It just might also bring

you more joy on and off the mat.

One way to cultivate a strong, steady, and safe Headstand is to

practice with an understanding of the threegunas: the qualities or

forces of nature known astamas, rajas,andsattva.

You might recognize the qualities of tamas as physical or

mental heaviness, inertia, and/or immobility; of rajas as effort,

firmness, vibration, and action; and of sattva as clarity, luminosity,

and balance. Although the three gunas are always present in

varying degrees, it’s common for tamas or rajas to take center

stage, masking the clarity and luminosity of sattva. When tamas

dominates your yoga practice, your body and mind will feel dull

and lethargic. And when rajas is predominant, you may find

yourself overheating and overworking and struggling through

every pose.

Thankfully, it’s possible to practice in a way that cultivates

the quality of sattva in your body and mind. While you practice

this sequence leading to Salamba Sirsasana, you’ll start to see

how activity and effort (rajas) help to pierce through sensations

of immobility and heaviness (tamas). You’ll be able to bring

intelligent movement (sattvic qualities) to your shoulders and

upper back in order to encourage a feeling of clarity and lightness

in each pose... and then transport them into your practice overall.

When this blending of the three gunas begins to happen, you

can safely increase the amount of time you spend in any pose,

including Headstand.

This practice has the added benefit of increasing the flexibility

in your shoulders and the strength in your upper back. Not only

will you learn how to stand tall in Headstand, but you’re also likely

to feel your posture improve, even with two feet firmly on the

ground.

Extend through your upper armsand legs in

Tadasana with arms in Gomukhasana.

2

3

4

1

In Bharadvajasana, your upper back moves

forward tocreate stabilityin the upper body.

Lengthen your arms andrelease your head and

neckdown in Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Lift your shouldersand stabilize your upper back in

Prasarita Padottanasana.

When you

can bring

clarity of

mind and

lightness to

each pose,

you can

increase the

amount of

time you

spend in

Headstand.