Often times in a yoga class your instructor, myself included will start class off with an intention or a dedication. Things like a quote, phrase, stanza from a poem, favorite song lyrics and mantras all make a very good intention or a dedication for your practice.
In a world where bigger is better, more is a necessity and if you can't multitask you aren't hirable, dedicating your practice to one idea is so hard! The chatter of the committee of the thoughts or the monkey brain is a real struggle. Mine goes something like this "Too long in one pose. Quiet down hamstring. My hair itches. Inhale. What time is it? Is my shirt bundled up? My mats dirty. Ew, time for a pedicure. Why do my toes point like that, they're not yogi toes. Audible exhale. Backbends? I really don't feel heart opening now. I need folds. I will do what I want. I'm feeling it, so I'm doing it. Stop looking at me, I know what I am doing. Unhale. Oh, they're out of wheel and into happy baby. Me likey."
I know, I am absolutely a 3 year old mind when I am practicing. This is usually why I have RBF going on so that I don't spill out something I am thinking!
Why do we need a dedication?!
Well, it's about FOCUS. This is something to focus on when your mind gets ahead of your body, or vice versa. If you approach every yoga class like the first one you went to, then you don't know where the instructor is going with the practice. This may give anxiety to practitioners and yogis. If you can focus on your own intention, then this allows the yogi to stay in the present moment without worry.
Focusing on the here and now, the present moment, is one of the hardest things for us westerner yogis and to help promote being in the present moment, we use our breath. Inhaling and exhaling audible, in an ujaii breath pattern is sometimes enough focus for the seasoned yogis. It's also a great way to get into the moment and to bring yourself back to it again. It is our true life force and what is more calming, powerful and all consuming than knowing you are breathing with purpose?
In the spaces between movement, you can bring your attention to your breath and your intention. The spaces in between are really the focus of the yoga class. It's not about how many seconds you can plank for or how many chaturangas you can successfully complete. It's about what you are doing when you get there and how did you get there, or out of it gracefully.
Grace - here is a great mantra and focus. Not everything about yoga can be graceful. Many times I have been twisted up like a pretzel and sometimes snap to unravel and there's nothing graceful about it. However, this is too simplistic. The steadiness of the breath while pretzeled up is the graceful part of the posture. The non-gripping, non-slipping, calming feeling when you seek stillness is the grace in difficult postures. "Grace over perfection" is a favorite quote of mine from a small business owner, Emily Ley.
So, how do you pick a mantra, intention or dedication? Well, truly, your guriji (your master yoga instructor) will give you one. You recite it and recite it until it becomes second nature to you and only that guru can give you another one. I have been given one! Yes, during my meditation teacher training in 2015 I was given "om namah shivaya" - there is a melody that it follows and it's quite relaxing I find now. When understood fully (and according to Shaivism), it means “I bow to the inner Self”. I do love this mantra and recite it to myself in traffic, during times of frustration, during times of contentment, when humming to myself out of boredom, etc.
If you are not inclined to choosing a mantra with Sanskrit roots you can opt for something more simple that fits your mood and life at the moment. Another favorite of mine was given to me in a mala that I wear to my classes. It's very simple and incorporates all of the major focuses. It's "Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on." Sometimes I will change move on to let go depending on the circumstances of life at the moment.
If you have lost a loved one, they travel often or maybe you are just missing someone in your life, dedicating your energy, breath and practice to them is the best energetic gift one can receive. If someone is sick, dedicating a healing practice with self love can really encourage them to get on the path to health and wellness again. If someone you know just had shoulder surgery, doing one more chaturanga for them makes those shaking muscle calm down. It almost resets your thinking to the bigger and larger picture that this moment is so small in the whole scheme of things.
I will encourage "This too shall pass" in times of uncertainty, turmoil and those yogi moments where you wonder why you came to class in the first place. I have countless moments where I go into class with high expectations all to be let down thinking "I didn't even want this type of class to begin with!" --Jokes on me, all yoga is good for the mind, body and breath so even though it's not what I "wanted" it's probably exactly what I "needed". In those classes I would recite to myself "this too shall pass" and it's something that my late father used to tell me. In times of joyousness and excitement, this too shall pass. In times of sorrow and fear, this too shall pass. All moments are fleeting and they all will pass.
Dig deep to find a phrase or saying that you can adopt for life or just a month or so at a time. You probably already have something you tell a friend in need of advice but you actually don't use it - yeah, those are great starts! Make a list and brain storm some of your intentions and dedications and eventually you will have a to-go kit for any moment that strikes you.
As always, my heart huge your hearts.
namaste
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