Main concerns of simple yoga (5)
1 Intend to be the best person that you can be when you practice yoga.
2 Allow your breathing to be free and thorough.
3 Straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.
4 Support
your posterior (hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips) seated firmly
and support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees firmly in
a position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as
you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition.
5 Stand your backbone
upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your shins
at your knees downward then align your shoulders, arms, hands and head with the
position of your backbone as well as you can and hold those parts of your
position still as long as the position is comfortable.
Chapter 1 describes how to combine these concerns to place your legs,
hips and backbone into a comfortable position to remain seated still to benefit
from the position of your body. Chapter 1
contains enough information for you to begin and
progress in simple yoga without personal help from an instructor.
The
priority of concerns that you need to follow to place your body in the best
position that you can is the same priority of concerns that you need to
maintain to ensure that remaining seated still will be beneficial.
Although you might experience any part of the method naturally before
the others, you need to maintain each part of the method in
this order to benefit reliably from the position of your body while you remain
seated still.
Each concern supports the following concerns and each concern
helps to maintain the preceding concerns.
Intend to be the best person that you can be
when you practice yoga
The
first main concern of simple yoga
1 When you intend to be the best person that you can be the
illuminating quality of your mind pervades all of your experience to some
degree.
Intend to be the best person that you can be when you practice yoga. It’s
sufficient to be the best person that you can be as you understand it and as
well as you can. Intend that all of your thoughts and experience will be
positive, beneficial, while you remain seated still to benefit from
the position of your body.
You need to intend to be the best person that
you can be for your breathing to be free and for the position that you hold
still to be reliably beneficial. If
you don’t intend to be the best person that you can be your breathing won’t be free
and the position that you hold still won’t be reliably beneficial.
You cannot practice the yoga that’s described
in this text when you’re concerned with thoughts that are negative as you
understand or experience them. Remaining seated still when you don’t intend
to be the best person that you can be reinforces emotionality and discursive
thinking.
2 Intending to be the best person that you can be and allowing your
breathing to be free and thorough and maintaining the best position of your
body that you can are mutually supporting. You naturally experience beneficial positions
of your body during many ordinary experiences. This text provides information
that can help you to maintain a reliably beneficial position nearly
effortlessly.
You need to be seated in a position 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 the
position of your body while you remain seated still. Your
potential to be seated in a beneficial position in your present physical
condition is due to the integrating potential of being seated on three firm
bases of support and maintaining the position of your backbone standing upright
and leaned slightly forward and the potential of your legs to be gathered
together into progressively more integrated positions.
You can use the method to be seated in a
beneficial position that’s not cross-legged. The text describes a rudimentary position of
being seated upright with your legs extended forward, not cross-legged, and a
beneficial position of being seated upright on a chair. When you use the method
of condensing the muscles of your abdomen to exhale so that the following
inhalation can be effortless you can experience many of the benefits of a
cross-legged position when you’re seated upright on a firm flat support with
your legs extended forward and when you’re seated upright on a firm chair with
your feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing.
3 Devote your attention to maintaining the best position that you can
maintain comfortably. Intend to be aware of your physical position.
Concern with your imagination, memory or discursive thinking can result in
becoming distracted by ideas or expectations and you might not perceive or
control your position as well as you do ordinarily.
A beneficial position is comfortable and easy
to hold still. When
you’re seated in the most integrated position that you can maintain comfortably
your position will be easy to hold still. A position of remaining seated still
that’s not comfortable and easy to hold still is not reliably beneficial.
Allow your breathing to be free and thorough
The
second main concern of simple yoga
1 Breathing is an experience that’s intangible like your mind and tangible,
material, like your body. Breathing shares all the qualities of your mind. Allowing
your breathing to be free joins the illuminating quality of your mind with the
integrating potential of straightening your backbone and standing your backbone
upright and curved or leaned forward slightly on three firm bases of support.
Your breathing will become free immediately
when you allow your breathing to be free. Whenever you allow your breathing to be free
your breathing will become as free and thorough as it can be in your present
physical condition.
Your breathing will gradually become more
thorough. Your breathing might be shallow and fill only
a small part of your lungs when you begin to be seated still. When you remain
seated upright and still in a cross-legged position that’s as near to a
completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in
your present physical condition and allow your
breathing to be free and thorough your breathing will gradually become more
thorough.
2 When your breathing is free you can straighten your backbone with a
small muscular effort and hold a beneficial position nearly effortlessly. You need to allow
your breathing to be free during all of the time that you’re placing your body
in a position to remain seated still and also during all of the time that you
remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.
You need to allow your
breathing to be free to straighten your backbone and stand your backbone
upright and curved or leaned forward far enough so that when you condense the
muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale the following inhalation can be
effortless. You
can verify that the position of your backbone is beneficial by condensing the
muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale and then relaxing the muscles of your
abdomen to inhale as described in Chapter 1 and 8.
3 Don’t try to slow your breathing or hold your breathing still.
It’s not beneficial to try to slow your
breathing or hold your breathing still while you’re practicing simple yoga.
Your breathing might become still naturally while you remain seated
still.
Your breathing becomes still naturally and harmlessly during many kinds
of ordinary experiences.
You might pause between exhaling and inhaling
and allow your breathing to be still for a while until you naturally begin to
breathe again. The benefits of breathing continue for a
while even when you’re not exerting any muscular effort to breathe.
4 Don’t hold your body still to help your breathing to be free.
Holding your body still can help your
breathing to be free after you’re seated comfortably on three firm bases of
support and standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far
enough so that the inhalations of your breathing to be effortless.
If you hold your body still before you’re
maintaining the concerns that combine to make the position of your body
beneficial, the position that you hold still might not be beneficial and might
become uncomfortable or numb.
5 Some influences that might not interfere with the beneficial motion
and rest of energy in your body while you’re moving can disrupt, block or spend
the energy in your body when you remain seated still. Those influences are described in Chapter 3.
Tight clothing or an elastic waistband, stretch fabric or any cloth
pressed in the folds of your knees interferes with the beneficial motion and
rest of energy in your body when you remain seated still. Elastic and stretch clothing exert constant
pressure on the surface of your body that confuse and frustrate the motion and
rest of energy in your body and cause conflicting muscular tensions in your
abdomen that interfere with free and thorough breathing and straightening your
backbone when you remain still.
Tensions in your abdomen and breathing that
are caused by wearing elastic or stretch fabric don’t diminish by remaining
still and might cause nausea, anxiety or drowsiness.
6 The support beneath your body should be firm when you remain seated
still to benefit from the position of your body. You
need to support your posterior firmly and support the ends of your shins as
near as possible to your knees firmly and stand your backbone upright and
curved or leaned forward far enough to press your knees downward to experience
the integrating potential of the three firm bases of your cross-legged
position.
If
the support beneath any part of your body is not firm when you remain seated
still your breathing won’t be free. Springs, sponge, elastic or
rubberized supports exert fluctuating pressures when they're condensed by the
weight of your body. The energy in your body moves continually to remedy the
instability of your position and the muscles of your abdomen and legs move continually to
adjust your balance. Even when the
position of your body is beneficial when you’re supported
on springs or
sponge or a rubberized surface your breathing won’t be free.
Tensions in your abdomen and breathing that
are caused by the support beneath your body not being firm don’t diminish by
remaining still and might cause nausea, anxiety or drowsiness.
7 Don’t rely on help from another person to maintain a beneficial position
of your body. Although another person can observe the
position of your body while you remain seated still and can tell you how your
position appears as they see it, if you rely on help from another person to
maintain a beneficial position of your body that will distract your attention
from allowing your breathing to be free and straightening your backbone and you
won’t be able to maintain a beneficial position.
Similarly if you engage in conversation or
eye-contact, or watch or listen to another person while you remain seated still
your breathing won’t be free, you won’t be able to straighten your backbone
with a small muscular effort and you won’t be able to maintain a beneficial
position.
8 When your thinking is confused or when you’re anxious or ill your
breathing might be obstructed or impeded. Maintaining the concerns of simple yoga can
help to remedy some confusion and anxiety and some causes and effects of
illness.
Don’t concentrate on a difficulty of your
physical position. If you focus your attention on a difficulty
of your physical position any longer than you need to remedy it as well as you
can that will interfere with the natural remedy of simple yoga. Energy won’t
move and rest freely in your body and you won’t be able to maintain a
beneficial position.
9 You can verify that the angle that you’re curving or leaning
forward is beneficial by condensing the muscles of your abdomen inward to
exhale then relaxing those muscles so the following inhalation can be
effortless. If you’re not curving or leaning forward far
enough or if you’re leaning forward too far the following inhalation won’t be
effortless. When you’re seated in a beneficial cross-legged position and you
stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly the muscles
beneath your thighs and hips and at the sides and back of your body exert more
effort to support your position upright than they exert ordinarily. This allows
the muscles at the front of your body to exert less effort to support your
position upright than they exert ordinarily. The comparative rest of the
muscles of your abdomen and chest allows your breathing to be more free and
thorough than you experience ordinarily.
Condensing the muscles of your abdomen inward
to exhale then relaxing those muscles so that the following inhalation can be
effortless can be as free and thorough as breathing spontaneously.
Although exerting effort to exhale and inhaling effortlessly can help you to
verify that the position of your backbone is beneficial, you don't need to be
concerned with your breathing any other way than to allow your breathing to be
free and thorough.
10 When the muscles that support your body upright become too tired to
support your position nearly effortlessly you might need to exert more muscular
effort to breathe. If your breathing becomes more difficult when
you become tired then then you should rest.
Don’t remain still if your position is not comfortable. You won't benefit
reliably from remaining seated still when your position is not comfortable. If you cannot stand your backbone upright nearly
effortlessly or if your breathing is not nearly effortless then any position
that you hold still might become uncomfortable or numb.
You
can practice simple yoga beneficially for as brief a duration of time as one
cycle of inhaling and exhaling your breathing. You don’t need to remain seated still for a
long time to experience the benefits of an integrated position of your body.
Even a moment of experiencing an integrated position of your body is
beneficial.
Straighten your backbone as well as you can
with a small muscular
effort
The
third main concern of simple yoga
1 Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort
is natural and nearly effortless. You straighten your backbone as well as you can
with a small muscular effort during many of the actions you
do ordinarily.
Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular
effort for even a moment is beneficial.
2 Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort
draws your energy into alignment with your entire spine between the lowest
level of your backbone to the top of your head. The spaces between the
individual vertebrae expand minutely where any
vertebrae were pressed together excessively. Each vertebrae separates
minutely from the vertebrae above and below it. This allows energy to
flow more freely through the vertebrae and vitalizes your backbone.
3 Your backbone remains flexible and you can move any part of your
body while you’re straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small
muscular effort. Straightening your backbone as well as you can
with a small muscular effort does not interfere with your freedom to move any other part of your
body.
Don’t think that you need to become still to straighten your
backbone. You can straighten your backbone with a small
muscular effort while you’re moving as easily as you can straighten your
backbone with
a small muscular effort when you remain still.
4 Straighten your entire backbone when you straighten your backbone as well
as you can with a small muscular effort. Straighten all the levels
of your backbone as well as you can. Don’t try to improve the straightness of
any particular level of your backbone. Straightening a particular level of your
backbone is not necessary. When you become seated firmly in a beneficial
cross-legged position, then standing your backbone upright and curved or
leaned forward slightly will gradually straighten all the excessive curves of
your backbone.
Any
level of your backbone might straighten spontaneously before the other levels.
Straightening your backbone as well as you
can with a small muscular effort straightens your entire backbone to some
degree and in time straightens any excessive curves of your backbone naturally
and nearly effortlessly.
5 Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort
should always be comfortable. If your experience of straightening your backbone is not
comfortable move your body for your position to become
comfortable or rest for a while.
Don’t imagine lifting your backbone or being lifted or suspended. Imagining lifting your backbone
or being lifted or suspended does not help
to straighten your backbone when you’re seated. Imagining lifting your backbone
or being lifted or suspended will cause you to
exert confused muscular effort or no effort at all and you won't
be able to be still.
Don’t try to cause unusual feelings inside
your body and don’t be concerned with unusual feelings that occur if they’re
not uncomfortable. If you feel or hear the motion of fluid or air inside your
body, observe its relation to the inhalations and exhalations of your breathing.
If the motion of fluid or air occurs during both the inhalations and
exhalations of your breathing, it might be caused by exerting
excessive muscular effort or holding a mistaken position of your body. Exert less muscular effort or
improve the position of your body, or move or rest for a while. If the motion
of fluid or air occurs during either the inhalations or the exhalations but not
during both, and if it continues for only a few cycles of your breathing, then
it might be an effect of tensions relaxing beneficially like they do ordinarily.
6 Your backbone might not straighten naturally when you don’t intend
to straighten it. If you don’t straighten your backbone as well
as you can you might not exert enough muscular effort to support your body upright
with normal stability and control. You might not straighten your backbone as
well as you do ordinarily.
7 You need only a little energy or strength in the muscles that
adjoin your backbone to straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small
muscular effort.
Don’t exert more muscular effort than you
need to straighten your backbone. Exerting excessive muscular effort to
straighten your backbone is a common mistake and reason for not continuing to
practice yoga.
Don’t try to generate force or cause pressure inside your body while you
remain seated still to benefit from your physical position. Trying
to generate force or trying to cause pressure inside your body while you remain
still can damage fragile parts of your body.
If
you exert excessive muscular effort to support your body while you remain
seated still the energy in your body won’t move and rest beneficially. The
hazards of exerting excessive muscular effort while you remain seated still are
described in Chapter 3.
If you perceive that you’re exerting too much
muscular effort, exert less effort and improve the position of your body as
well as you can. Exerting too much muscular effort does not reliably diminish any
other way than by exerting less effort and improving your
position. If
you don't exert less effort and improve your position you might continue
to exert too much effort and your position won't be beneficial.
8 Your backbone will move and become straighter when you straighten
your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular effort.
Your backbone will become as straight as it can be in your present
physical condition, within the natural range of your
strength and
flexibility at the present time.
The
physical change that will occur in the straightness of your backbone might be
very small when you straighten your backbone as well as you can with a small
muscular effort. Your backbone might move only a small amount toward becoming
straighter.
Straightening your backbone as well as you can might not change your
position immediately as you perceive the position of your body.
The position of your backbone
might seem to not change because the change that occurs
might be small, or because you might not perceive the change that occurs.
The
apparent straightness of your backbone as you might imagine that your position
might appear to another person is not relevant to this description of
straightening your backbone. Straightening your backbone as
described here is an internal action and
experience and is not defined by how
your position might appear to another person if another person were observing the
external appearance of your body.
A position of your backbone that you
straightened as well as you can might not appear straight or even nearly
straight to another person if another person were observing the external
appearance of your body. Straightening your backbone as well
as you can might not straighten your backbone enough so that another person observing
your position would know that you straightened your backbone.
9 Pressure on the surface of your body caused
by tight or elastic clothing confuses and frustrates the motion of energy in
your body and distracts your energy from straightening your backbone as well as
you can with a small muscular effort while you remain seated still.
When you’re experiencing pressure on the surface of your body because
you’re wearing tight or elastic clothing it’s possible that when you intend to
straighten your backbone the muscles that need to exert effort to straighten
your backbone won’t exert any effort at all.
Don’t rely on a stimulus
to straighten your backbone because you cannot control the effects of a
stimulus to remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body. The harmful effects of
tight or elastic
clothing and relying on a stimulus are described in Chapter
3.
10 You don’t need to support your weight firmly first or stand your
backbone upright first to straighten your backbone. Straightening your backbone does not depend on
exerting effort in most of the muscles that support your weight. Many of the
muscles that support your weight don’t exert more effort when you straighten
your backbone.
You don’t need to straighten your backbone
for a long time before you improve how your body is supported. Intending to be the best person that you can
be –and allowing your breathing
to be free -and straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small
muscular effort are enough preparation for you to place your body in a
beneficial seated position.
Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular
effort helps you to place your body in a beneficial cross-legged position more
easily.
Support
your posterior (hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips) seated firmly
and support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees firmly in
a position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as
you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition
The
fourth main concern of simple yoga
1 Chapter 1 describes how you can be seated supporting your posterior
firmly and supporting the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees
firmly. Chapter 2 describes a beginner’s
cross-legged position in detail. Chapter 4 describes a developing cross-legged
position in detail. Chapter 6 describes how you can be seated in a beneficial
position on a chair with your feet supported on the floor like when you’re
standing. Chapter 7 describes how you can support your posterior and the ends
of your shins at your knees in a beneficial kneeling position.
Chapter 1 is the only
chapter that describes how you can experience each main concern of simple yoga
combined with the all of the other main concerns of simple yoga.
This section describes some details about
supporting your posterior and the ends of your shins as near as possible to
your knees and is concerned primarily with the support of the lower levels of
your body.
2 You need to feel or appreciate the weight of your body pressing
down constantly on the support beneath your posterior and on the supports
beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees during all of
the time that you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your
body.
A description of your backbone as a relatively straight and naturally
curving tower of vertebrae is provided in the following section regarding
standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press
the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees downward firmly.
It’s not helpful to imagine that you’re
weightless or suspended when you’re seated cross-legged. If you imagine that you’re weightless or
suspended when you’re seated cross-legged you might not exert enough muscular
effort to straighten your backbone beneficially or you might exert confused
muscular effort and your position might become uncomfortable or numb.
3 You don’t need to think about how your weight is supported to allow
your breathing to be free or to straighten your backbone as well as you can
with a small muscular effort. You don't need to be concerned
with whether your legs, hips and backbone are supported in
beneficial positions or not before you allow your breathing to be free and straighten your backbone
as well as you can with small muscular effort.
Your posterior and the ends of your shins as
near as possible to your knees might be already supported firmly and
comfortably enough before you allow your breathing to be free and before you
straighten your backbone as well as you can.
When you intend to be seated in the best position that you can
maintain comfortably, if your posterior and the ends of your shins
as near as possible to your knees are already supported firmly and comfortably
enough then allow your breathing to be free and thorough. Then straighten your
backbone as well as you can with a small muscular
effort. Then you need to ensure that the three bases of support beneath your posterior and beneath the
ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees are firm
and comfortable.
4 When you’re seated in a beneficial cross-legged position the support
of your weight is distributed on three bases:
Your posterior is supported firmly and the
ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees are supported firmly. When you gather your ankles and feet together
as near to your hips and abdomen as you can support them firmly and comfortably
the ends of your shins at your knees will press downward firmly on the upper
sides of your ankles and feet beneath them.
Your posterior should be elevated a short distance higher than your
knees when you can.
That helps to energize your position.
The
firm supports beneath your posterior and beneath the ends of your shins as near
as possible to your knees form a triangular base beneath your hips and the ends
of your shins as near as possible to your knees. Your posterior and both knees are located
relatively equally far apart when you’re seated in a cross-legged position.
A
strong tripod is formed inside your body by your legs, hips and backbone based
on the supports beneath your posterior and the ends of your shins as near as
possible to your knees that supports your legs, hips and backbone firmly and
comfortably.
Your legs, hips and backbone are held
together internally by the muscles and tendons that support your seated
cross-legged position and the lower levels of your backbone.
Supporting your posterior elevated higher than your knees and standing
your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press your
knees downward –
Causes the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides
and back of your body to exert more effort than they exert ordinarily to
support your position upright. That allows the muscles at the upper sides of
your shins and thighs and at the front of your body to exert less effort than
they exert ordinarily to support your position upright.
The downward pressure of your weight moves
forward from being supported most of all beneath your posterior to being
supported gradually more beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to
your knees. The transfer of your weight
from being supported most of all beneath your posterior to being supported gradually
more beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees will help to support
your crossed legs more firmly and comfortably in each more developed
cross-legged position.
Your ankles and the ends of your shins at
your ankles rotate minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward, and
your legs tend to fold inward nearer to your abdomen. Your ankles and the ends of your shins at
your ankles will feel more comfortable rotated forward minutely and lifted
slightly nearer to your hips and abdomen by your hands. And your legs will feel
more comfortable folded inward slightly nearer to your abdomen. That will show
that your cross-legged position is developing.
The positions of your legs, hips and backbone
are mutually supporting and agile, and your legs, hips and backbone move
minutely toward a more developed cross-legged position while you remain seated
still.
These developments of a beneficial cross-legged position are described
in Chapter 4.
You can experience all the events described
here while you remain seated still in a cross-legged position that’s as near to
a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience in your
present physical condition. All of the events
described here are natural and will result in your position becoming more firm
and comfortable while you remain seated still.
5
The positions of your legs, hips and backbone are more beneficial when
you’re seated cross-legged compared to when you’re seated on a chair with your
feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing and compared to a
position of kneeling.
When you’re seated on a chair with your feet supported on the floor like
when you’re standing comparatively fewer of the muscles beneath your thighs and
posterior and at the sides and back of your body exert effort to support your
position upright. Similarly when you’re kneeling comparatively
few of the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back
of your body exert effort to support your position upright.
When you’re seated on a chair your weight does not become
distributed progressively more equally beneath your posterior and beneath the
ends of your shins at your knees. Similarly when you’re kneeling your weight
does not become distributed progressively more equally beneath your posterior
and beneath the ends of your shins at your knees.
When you’re seated on a chair you can maintain your position
upright comparatively less easily and for a shorter time than you can when
you’re seated cross-legged. Similarly when you’re kneeling you can
maintain your position upright comparatively less easily and for a shorter time
than you can when you’re seated cross-legged.
6 Being seated in a cross-legged position and standing your backbone
upright and leaned backward is severely harmful.
Standing your backbone upright and leaned backward in a cross-legged
position causes the muscles at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front
of your body to exert more effort to support your position upright than they
exert ordinarily and causes tensions in your legs, abdomen and chest.
If you lean backward when you’re seated cross-legged that will press the
vertebrae at the lowest level of your backbone forward uncomfortably, the
joints of your knees and hips will twist unnaturally and your legs will become
uncomfortable or numb.
The
tensions at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front of your body pull
your knees upward so the ends of your shins at your knees don’t press downward
on the upper sides of the ankles and feet of your opposite legs beneath them.
The ends of your shins at your knees will be suspended above your ankles and
feet by the muscles at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front of your
body.
The
weight of your crossed legs that’s not suspended above your ankles and feet by
the muscles at the upper sides of your thighs and at the front of your body
presses the outer sides of your ankles and feet downward on the mat beneath
them. That downward pressure
will pull the outer sides of your ankles apart and will press the inner sides
of your ankles together.
The
upper levels of your position won’t be supported by the muscles at the sides
and back of your body so the position that you hold upright won’t be stable and
will tend to fall toward one side.
The positions of your legs, hips and backbone
won’t be mutually supporting and won’t improve.
7 Don’t support your foot excessively high on the shin or thigh of your
opposite leg to place your legs in the most developed cross-legged position that
you can. Chapter 4 describes the hazards and possible
injury of supporting your foot or both feet excessively high on your opposite
leg or too near to your abdomen when you’re seated cross-legged.
8
Don’t take longer than one or two minutes to be seated in the position
that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can
experience in your present physical condition to benefit from the position of
your body. Chapter 4 describes the hazards of taking
longer than one or two minutes to place your body in a position to remain
seated still to benefit from the position of your body.
9 When you’re seated in a rudimentary position on a firm, flat support with your legs extended forward, standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward causes the muscles beneath your shins, thighs and posterior and at the back of your body to exert effort or stretch and allows the muscles at the upper sides of your shins and thighs and at the front of your body to rest.
When you have been seated
in a rudimentary position for at least a few minutes nearly every day for
several months, the ends of your shins at your ankles tend to rotate, the upper
side outward, lower side inward -
And tend to gather
together and feel more comfortable crossed, one ankle over the other. You can
support one ankle on the other ankle beneficially whenever you can cross your
ankles comfortably.
Being seated in
rudimentary position is conducive in this way to becoming able to be seated on
a firm, flat support in a beginner’s cross-legged position with the ends of
both of your shins as near as possible to your knees supported on the upper
side of your ankles and feet of your opposite leg beneath them or supported on
small firm cushions. These motions of the ends of your shins at
your ankles might not occur when you’re concerned with something that’s
happening in your external environment.
10 When you have remained
seated still in a beginner’s cross-legged position supporting your posterior
firmly and supporting with the ends of your shins as near as possible to your
knees on the upper side of your ankles and feet beneath them or on small firm
cushions -
And standing your
backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of
your shins at your knees downward for at least a few minutes nearly every day
for several months -
Then more of your weight
will become supported beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to
your knees, and the ends of your shins at your ankles will rotate minutely, the
upper side forward, lower side backward while you remain seated still.
Your cross-legged
position will progress gradually from needing to support the ends of your shins
as near as possible to your knees on small firm cushions to being able to
support the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees on the upper
side of your ankles and feet beneath them.
11 When you’re seated in a developing cross-legged position supporting your posterior elevated higher than your knees on a firm cushion or stack of folded cloth, -
Supporting one foot,
ankle, shin and knee firmly on a rug or mat beneath them -
And supporting the shin
at your knee of your other leg, on the upper side of your partly upturned foot
that remains supported on the rug or mat beneath it -
And supporting the ankle
of your leg that’s uppermost as high on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg
and as near to your abdomen as you can support it comfortably with only small
downward pressure, -
Standing your backbone
upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your
thighs at your knees downward -
Then curving your
backbone toward the side where the end of your shin at your knee is supported
on the partly upturned foot –between the ankle and heel- of your opposite leg
beneath it -
Presses the end of your
shin at that knee downward on the partly upturned foot of your opposite leg
beneath it -
And the end of your shin at your ankle of your leg that’s uppermost rotates minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward while you remain seated still. When you have remained seated still in a developing cross-legged position, standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward for at least a few minutes nearly every day for several months - The end of your shin at your ankle of your leg that’s uppermost rotates minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward -
And presses downward
less on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it -
And the muscles inside
the fold of it exert effort and pull the end of your shin at your ankle upward
higher on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it while you remain
seated still. The end of your shin at your ankle of your
other leg rotates also, the upper side forward, lower side backward but rotates
comparatively less. And presses downward less on the shin or thigh of your
opposite leg beneath it comparatively less. And the muscles inside the fold of
it exert effort to pull the end of your shin at your ankle upward higher on the
shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath it comparatively less than the other
leg while you remain seated still.
12 When you’re seated in a completely developed cross-legged position, the ends of your shins at your ankles have already rotated, the upper side forward, lower side backward, as far you want or need to support them on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath them with only small downward pressure.
And the muscles inside the fold of your shins and thighs have already exerted effort and pulled the ends of your shins at your ankles upward slightly higher. Chapter 3 describes how you can add to the minute rotations and motions upward of the ends of your shins at your ankles by lifting your ankles with your hands to place them as high on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg beneath them and as near to your abdomen as you can support them comfortably with only small downward pressure.
Your legs, hips and backbone are gathered together in the most integrated position that you can experience and you maintain the best position of your body that you can as long as the position is comfortable. 13 All of the concerns for maintaining a beneficial cross-legged
position that are described in this text improve the mutual support and
stability of the gathered
positions of your legs, hips and backbone.
When you’re seated in
each more developed cross-legged position you’ll be able to stand your backbone
upright and curved or leaned forward slightly more easily and each improved
position will be more comfortable and vital.
You'll experience more rest in the muscles that support your body upright and
your energy will be renewed. You'll be able to remain seated still and alert
for a longer time in every position that's nearer to a completely developed
cross-legged position.
It’s important to
remember that whatever stage of progress toward a completely developed
cross-legged position your physical position might be whenever you practice
simple yoga you experience all the benefits.
Stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward
far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward
then align your shoulders, arms, hands and head
with the position of
your backbone as well as you can
and hold those parts of your position still as long as the position
is comfortable
The
fifth main concern of simple yoga
1 Chapter 1 describes how
to stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward beneficially and
how to align your shoulders, arms, hands and head with the position of your
backbone in the context of the main concerns of simple yoga.
This section describes
some features of the physical nature of your backbone -
Then describes how the
position of your backbone strengthens, tires and improves while you remain
seated still.
Some common conditions
of weakness in the muscles that support your backbone upright and excessive
curves between some of the vertebrae are described and how maintaining a
beneficial position can help to remedy those conditions.
Chapter 6 describes why
you need to curve or lean forward slightly and how to verify that the position
of your backbone is beneficial.
Chapter 7 is a detailed
description of beneficial positions, muscular effort and rest of your
shoulders, arms, hands and head.
2 To understand and
control your experience of standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned
forward beneficially it can be helpful to appreciate that your weight presses
downward through all the levels of your backbone during all of the time that
you’re standing, walking or seated. Standing your backbone upright
and curved or leaned forward slightly occurs within the condition
of your weight pressing downward through your backbone onto the support beneath
your body.
Your backbone is a
relatively straight and naturally curving tower of bones (vertebrae) that are
larger at the lower and middle levels and taper to smaller at the lowest and
highest ends. The
word backbone refers to your entire spine including the lowest levels, the
levels adjoining your hips, waist and shoulders and all the levels of your
neck. Although the position of your backbone is relatively straight when you're
walking, standing and seated upright, your backbone naturally curves forward
and backward at some levels.
The lower and upper
surfaces of each vertebrae are relatively flat and socket-shaped where each
vertebrae is connected to the adjoining vertebrae below and above it. Each vertebrae is
separated slightly from the adjoining vertebrae below and above it by a
relatively flat compressible cushion of cartilage.
Both sides of the lower
levels of your backbone where the vertebrae are thick and strong are connected
to your hips.
Your entire backbone is
supported by your hips. All of the weight of your body above the
level of your hips is supported by your backbone.
Each individual
vertebrae above the level of your hips supports all of the weight of your body
above it.
Each vertebrae is held
in position and moves because it’s connected by ligaments and muscles to the
vertebrae below and above it.
The vertebrae at
specific levels of your backbone are affected by the motions of your legs,
hips, shoulders, arms, hands and head.
3 You might not have sufficient energy to stand your backbone upright
and curved or leaned forward slightly to benefit from the position of your body
as described in this text. Experiencing energy, effort, tiring and rest
in the muscles that support your body upright while you remain seated still to
benefit from the position of your body is described in Chapter 3.
4 Exerting excessive effort in the muscles that support your body upright
while you’re remaining seated still to benefit from the position of your body
is harmful. Exerting excessive effort to maintain even a
beneficial position still is harmful.
5 You will naturally experience tiring in the muscles that exert
effort to support your body upright while you remain seated still.
Tiring as the word is
used in this text refers to the natural tiring that occurs in the muscles that
exert effort to support your body upright. The muscles
that exert effort to support your body upright will tire after some time has passed.
6 You experience rest in
some parts of your position immediately when you place your legs, hips and
backbone in a beneficial position to remain seated still, and you will
experience rest in some parts of your position after some time has passed. When you
support your posterior firmly and support the ends of your shins as near as
possible to your knees firmly, and stand your backbone upright and curved or
leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees
downward, the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and
back of your body exert more effort than they exert ordinarily -or stretch to
support your position upright, and the muscles of your abdomen and chest to
rest more than they rest ordinarily when you’re supporting your body upright.
The muscles at the upper
sides of your thighs and shins rest and your ankles press downward less on the
support beneath them. The ends of your shins at your ankles rotate
minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward, and tend to rise upward
to become more comfortable.
7 You can experience the integrating potential of your body when you’re seated in the best cross-legged position that you can maintain comfortably in your present physical condition and you stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough so that when you contract the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale the following inhalation can be effortless.
A strong tripod inside your body formed by your legs, hips and backbone based on the supports beneath your posterior and the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees supports your backbone on three firm bases. Each more developed cross-legged position gathers your ankles together slightly nearer to your hips and abdomen and supports slightly more of your weight beneath the ends of your shins progressively nearer to your knees developing a pyramidal structure of the combined positions, muscular effort and rest of your legs, hips and backbone that supports your backbone progressively more thoroughly.
8 The tiring and rest that occur after some time has passed help to
improve the position of your body. When you’re seated on three firm bases of
support comparatively more of the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and
at the sides and back of your body exert effort to support your position
upright than exert effort to support your position when you’re standing,
walking or seated on a chair.
When the muscles that
support your position upright tire some of those muscles will rest and
alternative sets of muscles will exert effort to support your position upright
until they tire. Then the muscles that rested will exert
effort again to support your position upright.
When the most of muscles that support your position upright tire
so much that they cannot support your position any longer many of those muscles
will rest at the same time, and parts of the combined positions of your legs,
hips and the lower levels of your backbone will loosen and fall downward
minutely into an improved position. Some of the muscles and ligaments that
support your legs, hips and backbone will stretch minutely beneficially and the
combined positions of your legs, hips and backbone will become more flexible
and vital.
You’ll be able to
perceive and control the improved position of your body more easily and
precisely than you could when you began to be seated still and you’ll be able to
remain seated upright and still for a longer time comfortably than you can
ordinarily.
9 If your habitual postures of walking, standing and being seated on
a chair don’t engage enough of the muscles beneath your thighs and posterior
and at the sides and back of your body to exert effort to support your
position, some of the muscles adjoining your backbone might become weak or
dormant and an excessive curve or stiffness might develop between some of your
vertebrae even though you exercise a lot. The strength of some of the muscles
adjoining your backbone might diminish so severely that they don’t exert any effort at all, not
even when you do everything that you can to make
those muscles exert effort. Some of the muscles that adjoin
your backbone might be dormant, inert.
The space and
flexibility between some of your vertebrae might diminish and an excessive
curve might develop between some of your vertebrae so acutely that you cannot
straighten the excessive curve even when you do everything that you can to
straighten it. That level of your backbone might
be stiff, rigid. The
conditions described here might be effects of injury, illness or aging. Then
the muscles that support even your ordinary postures of standing, walking
and being seated on a chair might become tired unnaturally soon.
If some of the muscles
adjoining your backbone are weak or dormant, or if there’s an excessive curve
or stiffness between some of your vertebrae, you might be able to stand your
backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly for only a few cycles of
inhaling and exhaling your breathing or only a few minutes, before you need to
move and rest from being seated upright to benefit from the position of your
body.
If you maintain a
beneficial position of your body seated upright for at least a few minutes
nearly every day for several weeks or months, in time the muscles that adjoin
your backbone will become stronger and your backbone will become more flexible
and straighter. You
don't need to wait until your position becomes stronger, more flexible or straighter to experience the benefits of
yoga. Whenever you practice simple yoga as well as you can you experience all
the benefits.