A friend can help to
verify some features
of your position of yoga (10)
1 This is a description of how a friend can
observe some external features of your physical position of remaining seated still and suggest what parts of your position you can improve to
experience a better position of your body, as they see it. This is a detailed
version of the part of chapter 1 titled A friend can help to verify some
features of your position of yoga.
This
chapter also describes how a friend can touch your back, shoulders, elbows and head to signal how you can adjust the position of your body.
The
benefit of your position of remaining seated still being observed by a friend is that you can improve some aspects of your physical position easily with the help of a friend. A friend can help you to remember aspects
of the method
that you might not remember and to correct faults of your position that you don't perceive.
Your
friend should read chapter 1 that
describes the method. And
read chapter 7 if you’ll be seated on a chair.
Your friend should read this
chapter to learn how they can help you and the order of concerns for them to
observe. The cooperation described here is easy for
you and a friend to learn and won’t distract your memory of the method of
simple yoga.
2 Mistakes
in maintaining your body in a beneficial position can occur happen when you’re maintaining the best position of your body that you can, and when
you're accustomed to remaining seated still to benefit from the position of
your body. Examples of mistakes of your physical position
that can be observed by a friend and that you can improve easily with the help
of a friend’s suggestions are listed following:
Your
posterior might not be supported
firmly, or might not be elevated higher than your knees, or the ends of your
shins at your knees might not be supported firmly, when you're seated in a
beginner's cross-legged position. If
the support beneath your posterior or beneath the ends of your shins at your
knees -is not firm, it’s possible that you won’t experience any benefit.
You might not curve your body forward far enough, so that the muscles beneath your
thighs and hips and at the back of all the levels of your body -exert more
effort or stretch, and your abdomen and chest –relax and your inhalations can
be effortless, or you might curve your body forward too far so that your breathing cannot be free.
You
might curve your body toward
the opposite side that you need to lean toward, to press the end of your shin
at your knee downward to avoid
discomfort and injury.
Mistaken
positions of your shoulders, neck and head can become uncomfortable or
diminish your awareness.
3 You need to be seated in the position of your
body that's as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can
experience comfortably in your present physical condition, to benefit reliably from a friend observing
your position of remaining
seated still. The position of your body
that a friend observes should be the most developed position of your body that you can
experience comfortably in your present physical condition.
Don't practice or demonstrate a position of yoga to influence another person, nor because
another person suggested it. Don't
exaggerate any aspect of your appearance to look like you're straightening your
backbone as well
as you can, or to look like your position is vital. Maintain the concerns that
straighten and integrate your body as well as
you can.
Don't
conform your physical position of remaining seated still to suggest courtesy
or cooperation with another person. If you conform the
position of
your body to show courtesy or cooperation with
another person, the energy in your body won't move
freely and you won't be able to perceive or control the position of your body as well
as you do ordinarily.
Another
person can perceive only the external appearance of your position. Another person cannot
know your experience of energy, muscular effort, tiring or rest, nor if your
breathing is free, nor if you're maintaining the best position of your body that you can.
Don't
rely on help from another person to remain
seated still to benefit from the position of your body, because that will
distract your attention from the inner concerns, energy won't move and rest
freely in your body and you won't be able to maintain a beneficial position.
Don't
talk any more than you need to about the
position of your body, when you talk with a friend about your position of
remaining seated still. Your understanding
of the method might become distracted
and confused if you talk unnecessarily about your position of remaining seated still.
4 The friend who will observe your position should agree with you that the
method of yoga that you practice is beneficial. You
and your friend need to agree that the method that you follow to maintain the
position of your body is beneficial.
The
friend needs to be confident that you'll maintain the best position of your
body that you can while they're observing your position.
Don't
disregard the need for each one to know what the other person understands about the method. Don't imagine that
you share similar thinking with another person about
the method that you follow to maintain the position of your body.
Before
observing your position, your friend should test your understanding of the concerns for
maintaining a beneficial position. The friend might
talk with you about factors of your physical position, such as whether there's a particular
level of your body that you need to remember
to curve forward far enough to exert more muscular effort or stretch
at the back of
that level, and how long you expect to have enough
energy to
remain seated
still beneficially.
You
can be assured that the friend understands the important physical concerns of the method, by
considering the factors of the
method that they want to be
assured that you understand, before they will agree to observe your position.
5 Adjust
your position as well as you can in every way that your friend suggests. While
you maintain
the inner concerns of simple yoga, adjust every factor of your physical position
in the way that
your friend suggests as well as you can.
Any
adjustments of your position that are suggested by your friend might feel wrong,
but you should accept their suggestions. You
asked your friend to observe your position and to suggest how you might improve
it, and their suggestions might be improvements. Adjust your position in the
ways that your friend suggests to experience them during that session. You
might or might not integrate their suggestions into your position after that
session.
Change
your position at a slow
and even rate of speed and complete each change in about five seconds.
Improve any part of your position anytime you want to improve it equally while
a friend is observing your position as when you're alone. When you move a part of your position
independently of a suggestion from the friend, move that part of your position
slowly so the change won’t attract the attention of someone who’s observing
your position.
You
can stop practicing
yoga anytime even when you intended or expected to remain still for
a longer time. Although you should try to remain
seated still as long as you intend to, don't suppose that you're obliged to remain
still as long as you intended because you intended it, or because someone who's observing your position
knows how long you intended to remain seated still.
You
can place a wristwatch or a quiet clock where you can see it without moving, so that you can be aware of the end of the time that you intend to remain still, or
you can set a timer to signal quietly
the end of the time that you intend to remain still. Or
your friend can signal quietly the end of the time that you told them that you
intend to remain still, if you wish.
6 Don't talk with someone who's observing your position, while you’re
placing your body in a
position to remain still, nor while you’re moving to improve your position. Don't engage
in eye contact or expressions of your face or gestures to communicate with
someone who's observing your position.
Don't
talk about or signal your emotions, while you’re remaining seated still to
benefit from the position of your body, because that will distract your
attention from the inner concerns of yoga and you won't be able to maintain a
beneficial position.
The friend observing your
position should be seated relatively distant from you, where they can see the
back and one side of your position. You might feel more at ease when they’re
seated in your range of vision where you can see them without moving, although
you don’t need to see them.
When the friend approaches to observe your position more closely, they should observe the back of your position first, then move to one side to see that side and most of the
front of your position. The friend doesn't need to move to both sides of your
body to see your position well
enough, and doesn’t need to observe your body from the front. Moving
to both sides of your body or observing your body from the
front are unnecessary and disturbing.
The friend observing your position
should not try to influence your experience, except to
suggest how you can improve the position of your body by saying clear and
simple words of advice regarding your physical position, or by touching a part
of your position with their hands to suggest how you can improve that part of
your position.
7 You or your friend might prefer that they not touch your position, but only speak suggestions to you about your position.
Your friend should not touch your
position any way that's not described here.
When your friend will touch your position, they should tell you what part of your position they will touch, before they touch you.
When you become accustomed to the friend touching
your position, the friend might not say what
part of your position they will touch.
The contact between your friend's hands and your body should be
gentle. Your friend should not exert any more
than a small pressure
on your body with their hands to help you to move into an improved position.
Your friend's
hands should touch your body only the minimum of time that they need to guide a part of your body into an improved
position.
8 Your friend
should consider all the features of your position that are described in this
chapter, in the order (sequence) that each feature is described here, during every session that you remain seated still, except the final session.
The order of features of your position
that they consider should always be the same.
The
friend should consider only the features of your position that are described in
this chapter. The friend can speak suggestions near the
beginning and possibly again near the middle of a session of you remaining
seated still.
The friend should comment about
every factor of your position that they think is important to mention at that time.
The friend should comment about only
one, two or three features of your position during a session of you remaining
seated still.
The friend might choose to not
comment about a
feature of your position, that does not appear to be
as correct as it could be, but appears to be correct enough as they see it.
Every
suggestion should be said precisely
and briefly. The friend’s suggestions may continue for as
long as about a minute, then should cease.
During the final session of
a series your friend should not comment about or touch your position.
Factors
of your position that a friend should observe
9 Your friend should observe these factors of your position first, and might
ask you some questions to verify that your position is supported firmly and
comfortably, -
The friend should not touch your
feet, ankles, shins, thighs or hips, or the front of your body.
Your posterior should
be supported firmly, directly beneath your
hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips, and your
posterior should be elevated
higher than your knees.
The ends of both of your shins
at your knees, should be supported on the upper side of your ankles and feet
beneath them, when you're seated in a beginner's cross-legged position. When you’re seated on a chair, your
feet and ankles should be situated directly beneath your knees, so that the
ends of your thighs at your knees are supported firmly.
10 Your backbone should be standing upright and curved or leaned forward
slightly. If your body appears to be curved backward, the friend should
tell you to stand your backbone more upright, or to curve or lean your body forward farther.
Your friend might suggest that you straighten an
excessive -outward curve of your
backbone, between the lowest level and your waist. Your friend can tell you that they'll press the side of their first finger on your spine where it's curved outward excessively. When you feel the
pressure of their hand, exert effort in the muscles of your back where they're touching, to straighten and stand your backbone more upright.
Or your friend might suggest that you straighten an
excessive -inward curve of your
backbone, between the lowest level and your waist. Your friend can tell you that they'll press the side of their first finger on your spine where it's curved inward excessively. When you feel the
pressure of their hand, exert effort in the
muscles of your back where they’re touching, to straighten and curve or
lean your body forward farther at that level.
Similarly, they might suggest that you stand your backbone more upright,
or curve or lean forward farther -between your waist and shoulders.
You need to curve your body also toward the side, so that the end of your shin at your knee, presses downward on your ankle and foot -between your ankle and heel- of your opposite leg beneath it, when you're seated in a beginner's
cross-legged position.
11 Positions
of your shoulders If the
outer end of one of your shoulders is raised too high, the friend can press
their hand on that shoulder to guide it downward. The friend can place the ends
of both of
their hands on the outer ends of both of your shoulders to guide your shoulders through this sequence of motions: First raise the outer ends of both shoulders up a short
distance. Then move the ends of both shoulders back a short distance.
Then allow the ends of both
shoulders to fall downward, and adjust those positions of your
shoulders to be level one with the other. The friend can press the inner end of
your shoulder blade near your backbone forward with their hand so
that both of your shoulder blades protrude equally only a small distance.
Positions of your arms Both of your elbows should extend outward at an equal distance from the
sides of your body. The friend can place the ends of both of their hands on your
elbows to guide the motions of your elbows into improved
positions. The positions of your arms should be similar.
Your
friend should not touch your forearms, wrists or hands. Your friend might talk to you about the positions
of your forearms, wrists and hands to suggest how you can improve their
position.
Positions of your hands Your hands and wrists should be supported on a small cushion or folded cloth
beneath them, with the palm of both hands turned upward, the right hand
supported on the left, the small finger side of both hands pressed with very
small pressure on your abdomen a short distance below the level of your navel,
the tips of both thumbs
pressed together with small pressure. Or
your hands and wrists can be supported on your thighs at your hips, with the
palm of both hands turned upward, the fingers and thumb of both hands straight,
the ends of the fingers and thumb of each hand pointed toward the ends of the
fingers and thumb of the other hand. The positions of your hands should be
similar.
12 Position
of your neck Your friend can tell
you if your neck appears to be curved forward too far, and you can stand your
neck more upright. To help you to improve the position of your neck, your
friend can press the side of their first finger on the back of your neck where it's curved forward
too far. Exert effort in the
muscles that they
press to stand your neck more upright and curved forward slightly. A line of tense
muscles might extend between your collar bone and behind your ear and protrude on one or both sides of your neck. Your friend can press the ends of both of their hands gently on both sides of your neck at the same time, pressing slightly
more on the muscles that protrude on one or both sides of your
neck. Adjust the position of your neck so that the tense muscles relax and the sides of your neck become more smooth.
Your friend should not touch
the front of your neck, or your face or the top of your head.
Position of your head Your friend can suggest that you stand your head more upright, or tilt your
head forward farther, or to one side. Your friend can press the ends of both of
their hands at the same time on both sides of your jaw bone and press the ends
of their thumbs on back of your head to guide the motion of your head to an
improved position.
13 Remain
still After you have changed your position in
the ways that your friend suggested, as well as you can, maintain your position
still until the end of that session of remaining seated still. After you have
ended a session of remaining seated still, your friend can tell you if it
appeared that you
did not remain still.