In ashtanga practice it is important to keep the flow moving. If you stop for too long between poses the mind will wander.
Asana Practice: I have slowed my ashtanga practice way down in order to focus on my breathing and find relaxation. Slowing down, does not mean stopping.
The teachers I am working with teach a very traditional ashtanga philosophy. They want you to move through the sequences without stopping. If you fatigue or need a break it suggests that you should move on to the finishing postures and stop.
I took this suggestion to keep moving to heart and noticed my tendency to rest in tadasana, not because I’m physically tired, but rather because my brain likes the time to wander. Prem was right, if you don’t keep in the flow, your focus wanes and the monkey mind creeps in.
I spent the remainder of the mysore session focused on my breath, guaranteeing that I didn’t take any extra breaths or breaks but rather continued with the flow. I found that this level of focus and flow increased my energy and got me deeper in to the practice.
Lesson Learned: Unless you are intentionally adding breaks to your practice based on the instruction of a teacher, remain true to the traditional breath sequences when practicing ashtanga yoga.
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