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Kripalu Yoga Meditation in Motion, the Flow of Energy
by Megha – Nancy Buttenheim
Senior Faculty: Kripalu Center
Director: Kripalu YogaDance Teacher Training
and Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training
Kripalu Yoga is the yoga of consciousness, not the yoga of perfection.
It is rooted in stillness, the deep inner stillness that arrives when the mind
is at peace, the body is free of stress, and the emotions are in harmony with
the needs of the moment. In Kripalu Yoga, postures combine with breathing
techniques and a compassionate attitude to bring the practitioner into the
present moment. Holding and sustaining the posture is used as a vehicle for
finding and releasing blocks of energy.
The underlying tensions, already present in the specific area of your body are
now held up to the light of consciousness.
Kripalu Yoga consists of three stages. The first stage deals with alignment,
anatomy, and structure. You learn body awareness, you begin to notice parts of
your body that are healthy, unhealthy, open or closed, strong and weak. You
learn in this stage about safety and good boundaries; you begin to learn what
asanas and stretches are appropriate for your own body. You learn how far to go
in the stretch and how long
to safely hold without injuring your body. In stage one, “you do yoga,” focusing
primarily on detail and precision.
In stage two, the practitioner begins to utilize breath and micro-movement while
holding the pose, thereby increasing sensations in the body and mind. In this
stage, “you do yoga and yoga does you.” Your vital life energy, known as prana,
begins to be felt more powerfully in this stage. As you sustain the posture
through breathing, relaxing, feeling, watching, and allowing, long held tensions
and blockages can be released. You begin to understand your habitual patterns by
observing your body and the sensations in a detached way. Through witnessing
without judging you can now study your body and mind, slowly understanding how
to move through your limitations. Through alternately instructing your body in
what to do and then just letting it be the
guide, you develop a healthy partnership with the body. Instinct and
instruction, body and mind, right and left brain hemispheres become balanced. By
attuning to the body’s own evolutionary signals you allow your intuitive
guidance to move your body from one position to another.
In stage 3, the prana is now free to take the mind of the practitioner to a very
deep state of “pratyahara,” the state of inner attunement in which you close the
doors and windows to the outside world. In this third stage of Kripalu Yoga,
dedicated to prana, the life force, “yoga does you.” In this stage you let go
and open to that mysterious vital life energy. With prana flowing, body and
spirit are free to lead the way, letting the controlling mind release its duties
as authority. Mind takes a back seat to prana; body flows in undirected
movements and postures. This is meditation in motion, a blissful, prayerful
state of being.
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