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. 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 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 back and
sides of your body exert more effort than they exert ordinarily and 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
and 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 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 when you’re remaining seated still to benefit from the position
of your body 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 maintaining the most integrated position than you
can, balanced muscular effort and rest and nearly effortless breathing.
Energy won’t move and rest freely in your body and you won’t be able to
maintain a beneficial position nearly effortlessly.
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 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. When you move a part of your position independently
of a suggestion by a friend who’s observing your position due to respect for
the friend improve your position more slowly than the friend could perceive.
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.
Or a friend can signal quietly the end of the time that you told them that you
intend to remain still.
6 Don't talk with someone when 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 when 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 situated 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 within your range of vision 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 and perhaps
suggest an improvement they should
consider 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 the architecture of your
position well enough including your feel, 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 to suggest how you can improve
the position of your body by saying clear and simple words of advice about your
position –
Or by touching a part of your position with
their hands to guide how you can improve that part of your position.
You or your friend might prefer that they will not touch your position but
only speak suggestions to you about it.
The friend
should not touch your feet, ankles, shins, thighs, hips or the front of your body.
The contact between your friend’s
hands and your body should be gentle.
Before they touch your position the friend should tell you what part of your position they will touch. Your friend should not exert more
than a small pressure
with their hands to guide a part of your body 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.
7 The friend
should consider all the factors of your position in the order that each factor is described in this chapter during
every session that you remain seated still. The
order of factors of your position that they consider should always be the same. The friend should consider only the factors of
your position that are described in this chapter. The friend might 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. The
friend should not comment about more than two or three factors of your position
during a session of you remaining seated still. The friend might choose to not
comment about a factor of your position that appears mistaken but not hindering
a most of all beneficial position.
Every
suggestion should be said precisely
and briefly. The friend’s suggestions might continue for as
long as about a minute.
During the final session of
a series your friend should not comment about nor touch your position.
Factors
of your position that a friend can observe
8 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.
When you're seated in a
beginner's cross-legged position the ends 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. 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.
9 Your backbone should be standing upright and curved or leaned forward
slightly. It’s harmful to hold the position of your
backbone leaning backward when you’re seated cross-legged. Your friend should
caution you to curve or lean forward if you’re leaning backward.
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
toward the back. When you feel the pressure of their hand exert effort in the
muscles at that level of your
back to straighten and stand your backbone
more upright.
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 exert effort in the
muscles at that level of your back to 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. When you seated in a developing cross-legged
position your friend might remind you to curve your body toward the side far
enough toThere is a similar right or left sidee
10 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 both
shoulders to fall downward from those positions and hold them to be even one with the other. If one shoulder blade protruds outward excessively near your backbone your friend can press that shoulder blade forward 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 ankles and abdomen as possible. 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.
11 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 and curved forward slightly. 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 press the
ends of both of their hands at the same time on both sides of your jaw and
press the ends of their thumbs gently on back of your head to guide the motion
of your head to an improved position.
12 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.