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 describes also how a friend can touch the middle and upper levels of 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. A friend cannot observe a kneeling position beneficially nor a rudimentary seated position on a firm flat support with your legs extended outward completely.

  Your friend should read this chapter to learn how they can help you and the order of concerns to observe. The cooperation described here is easy for you and a friend to learn and won’t distract your memory of the method.

2  Mistakes in maintaining your body in a beneficial position can happen when you’re maintaining the best position of your body that you can even when you're accustomed to remaining seated still to benefit from the position of your body.

  Your posterior might not be supported firmly or might not be elevated higher than your knees or the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees might not be supported firmly. If the support beneath your posterior or beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees is not firm it’s possible that you won’t experience any benefit.

  You might not stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough so that the muscles beneath your thighs and hips and at the sides and back of your body exert more effort than they exert ordinarily and the muscles of your abdomen and chest relax and your inhalations can be effortless, or you might curve or lean forward too far so that your breathing cannot be free.

  You might curve or lean toward the opposite side that you need to lean to depending on whether your left or right ankle –between the ankle and heel- is supporting your shin as near as possible your knee, to press the end of that shin at your knee downward firmly so that it won’t rotate in the opposite from the beneficial direction to avoid discomfort and injury.

  Mistaken positions of your shoulders, neck and head can become uncomfortable or numb.

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 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 and rest freely and you won't 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.  Your understanding of the method will become 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 when you maintain the position of your body still 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 how to maintain a beneficial position.  The friend might ask you if any factors of your physical position are unique, such as whether there's a particular level of your backbone that you need to remember to curve forward far enough, 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 agree to observe your position.

5  Adjust your position as well as you can every way that your friend suggests.  While you maintain the inner concerns of simple yoga adjust every factor of your physical position in the ways that your friend suggests as well as you can.

Any adjustments of your position that are suggested by a friend might feel wrong but you should accept the 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 a friend suggests to experience the effects of their suggestions during that session of remaining seated still. You might or might not integrate their suggestions into your method 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 when a friend is observing your position as when you're alone.

  You can stop practicing yoga anytime even when you intended or expected to remain still for a longer time.  Although you can try to remain seated still as long as you intend don't suppose that you're obliged to remain still as long as you intended or because you told someone who's observing your position how long you intended to remain seated still.

  You can place a wristwatch or a quiet clock where you can see it without moving your body 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 you can ask your friend to signal quietly the end of the time that you told them that you intend to remain still.

6  Don't talk or communicate in any other way with someone while you’re placing your body in a position to remain still nor when 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 who’s 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 situated where you can see them without moving your body although you don’t need to see them.

  When your friend approaches to observe your position more closely they should consider first the back of your position then one side and the front.  The friend does not need to move to both sides of your body to see observe your position well enough including your feet, ankles and knees. Observing both sides of your position or observing your position from the front are unnecessary and disturbing.

 The friend observing your position should not try to influence your experience any other way except by saying clear and simple words to suggest how you can improve the position of your body, or by touching a part of your position with their hands to guide 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.

The friend should not touch your feet, ankles, shins, thighs, hips or the front of your body.

  Before your friend touches your position they can tell you what part of your position they will touch.  When you become accustomed to the friend touching your position your friend might not need to 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 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 in the order that each feature is described in this chapter during every session that you remain seated still except the last 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 feature of your position that they think is important. The friend should comment about only one, two or three factors 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 should 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 last one of a series of sessions of your remaining still your friend should not comment about nor touch your position.

Features of your position that a friend should observe

9  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 if possible.

  The ends of both of your shins as near as possible to your knees should be supported on the upper side of your ankles and feet beneath them or on small firm cushions or piles of folded cloth. The friend should observe that you’re maintaining your shins in contact, one shin touching the other.

  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.

Your friend might ask you some questions to verify that your position is supported firmly and comfortably.

10   Your backbone should be standing upright and curved or leaned forward slightly.  Your friend might suggest that you stand your backbone more upright or that you curve or lean forward farther.

  Your friend might suggest that you straighten an excessive outward curve of your backbone.  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 at that level of your back straighten and stand your backbone more upright at that level.

  Or your friend might suggest that you straighten an excessive inward curve of your backbone.  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 at that level of your back straighten and curve or lean your body forward farther at that level.

When you're seated in a beginner's cross-legged position your friend might remind you to curve your body toward the side far enough to press the end of your shin at your knee downward firmly on your ankle and foot -between your ankle and heel- of your opposite leg beneath it.

11  Your shoulders should be equally distant from your knees. If the outer end of one of your shoulders is raised too high your friend can press their hand on that shoulder to guide it downward. If the positions of both of your shoulders need to be improved your friend can place their hands on the outer ends of both of your shoulders to raise the outer ends up a short distance then guide the ends back a short distance. Allow the ends of your shoulders to fall downward from those positions and hold them even one with the other. If one shoulder blade protrudes outward excessively near your backbone your friend can press that shoulder blade inward with their hand so that both of your shoulder blades protrude outward equally the smallest distance that feels comfortable.

  Both of your elbows should extend outward an equal distance from the sides of your body.  Your friend can guide both of your elbows into improved positions with their hands. The positions of your arms should be similar.

  Your friend might suggest how to improve the positions of your forearms, wrists and hands. Your friend should not touch your forearms, wrists or hands.

  Your hands should be joined together and supported as near to your abdomen as you can support them comfortably.  When you’re seated in a cross-legged position support your wrists and hands on a small cushion or folded cloth beneath them, the right hand supported on the left, with the palm of both hands turned upward, 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.

12  Your neck should be balanced upright and flexible.  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 at that level to stand your neck more upright at that level. A line of tense muscles might extend between your collar bone and behind your ear and protrude on one side 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 side. Stand your neck and head upright as well as you can with a small muscular effort.

  Your head should feel buoyant.  Your friend can suggest that you stand your head more upright or tilt your head forward or to one side. Your friend can touch both sides of your jaw at the same time with their hands and press the ends of their thumbs gently on back of your head to guide the motion of your head to an improved position.

13  When you have changed your position in the ways that your friend suggested maintain your position still. After a session of your position being observed by a friend your friend might tell you that it appeared that you did not remain sufficiently still.

Back to the Top Three aspects (11)