Alignment with the true Self

In every asana there is movement. We might call them ‘positions’, but the truth is that in the end, asana is a very dynamic state. It’s just that its movement is glacial; it can be observed only over a larger period of time.

Energetic alignment

Understanding basic asana is the key to advancing into the practice. Asana should always be refined, always transforming, always revealing more about the flow of energy and what is obstructing it. Asana is about releasing the flow of energy throughout not only the physical body, but all the five koshas, the five layers of our existence. This flow of energy, or prana, begins on the physical level, only to reveal the way that our personality has manifested over the years into our body. Our body is the means, it is the instrument we use to express. Our habits, feelings, emotions, who we are, are causing our body to adapt to its use. In this way we create imbalances in our energy centers (chakras). Asana is an effort to reverse this process using the same instrument: our physical body. In Panos’ view, body, mind and spirit are one, so, by creating positive change in one, we create positive change in all. Asana is like a mirror for personalities. By observing the feelings that arise in the asana practice, one can get a good glimpse into one’s self. By creating space in the asana we create capacity for one to understand themselves and allowing change to happen.

Adjustments

We will learn the ways to communicate this flow of energy to other practitioners using our body, through adjustments that are designed not only to correct the alignment, but also guide the flow of energy of the asana, so that the student can understand the long-term “static movement” of the asana. By understanding the flow of energy in the asana, we are more able to locate the imbalances when we look at someone’s practice. In this way, adjusting the asana becomes not only a way to correct one’s posture, but also a chance to transform, by giving them insight into what their body needs to evolve.