Elements of Yoga Practice // 7-12-2023 // Entrance Yoga Session with Jeffry Farrell

Some Principles of practice today.

I. Selected attention in the body.

“Shtira.” Shtira is the Sanskrit term for wholeness, unity, strength, alignment, balance with conscious breath, altogether. We aim to identify shtira in every posture, and to use breath in transitions of posture to carry into the next pose.

“Sukha” is the term for ease, for effortless effort. Using breath we set our intention for an isolated movement. Ease does not mean laziness, sloppiness, or weakness. Sukha is active. Using breath we enter into the depth of the new pose. We observe three planes ( see below) of opposition. We hold to clarify shtira in the new pose. We observe the exit of the posture, entering the next pose.

“Dukha” is the term for pain, limitation, restriction, obstruction. It is the experiential teacher.
It guides us to identify shtira, to be guided with sukha.

II. The body’s awareness arises in three planes. Movement with breath activates the awareness.

1. Twisting on the spinal axis — Transverse Plane.
2. Side bending with aligned ankles, hips, shoulders, and ears — Coronal or Frontal Plane.
3. Forward bends and back bends — Sagittal Plane.

III. Note regarding Names of poses and practices—
Names arise with particular teachers and lineage. The same work may have different names based on the sources / training / lineage of the teacher. Further, every posture has many variations.

Join Jeffry Farrell for the Elements of Practice yoga livestream each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9am, and Saturdays at 10am.*

*Join Jeff IN PERSON *OR* via livestream for the Saturday sessions! They are live-streamed on the shoreline of White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX, behind the Bath House Cultural Center.

**For updates such as inclement weather cancellations for the Saturday sessions, join Jeff's online community at http://yogamasalawithjeffryfarrell.locals.com. Updates will be posted there. While there is a paying membership level for the community, it is not necessary to join at that level in order to receive class updates.