YogaGlyphs

What are you looking at?

Resident blogger Gillian St. Clair, owner Steadfast and True yoga in Nashville, TN, asks us a very important question. Beware - the answer is not as easy as you think!

 What are you looking at? This question is a doozy.  When I was in India practicing the primary series, I really didn't have a lot of knowledge of yoga. My teacher was very hands on. I thought that’s how he taught - with very physical adjustments and praise when the pose looked right. I didn't realize until a little later that was mainly because we had a language barrier. I didn't understand his words, so he had to use touch. I would get "right, right, right" if a pose "looked" good.  That’s how it had to be. I didn't get to practice with him for years. We didn't talk about injuries or reasons why I was practicing yoga. It was "take the pose" and go.
But I was 22. I liked it being simple -- mentally and physically. It was very hard, but a pose I could do. I was a dancer. I could make shapes. I was also young enough most of the shapes didn't hurt. YET.

Flash forward 10 years -- shit got real.  Married, house payments, 2 businesses, 1 six year old and a lot of yoga under my belt. My focus has changed. Things can't just be pretty anymore. I can't practice only for fun or even to feel good. I HAVE to practice to be okay. People don't realize once you teach yoga it becomes a job. You don't have as much time to practice (unless you’re one of those teachers who demo's the whole class so you can get your practice in, having people pay to practice with you, but that’s a whole other blog grrr....)

   

I find that Drishti is the key to a practice that doesn't just make you feel better about yourself but to be better in yourself. When I talk of Drishti, I'm not just meaning what you see with your eyes like as in physical point of gaze, but  talking of  your intentions for practice. What are you giving your attention to? We need to know why we practice yoga and know that it is allowed to change and should change.

My first yoga class was because my sister asked me to go with her. My second was because I didn't like sucking at something. My first week ended up being a challenge to get through salutations without completely hating them.  My next 3 months were trying to get through them without losing my tempo and breath. My first week in India was remembering I wanted to be there....the list goes on.

Here's the deal. What we look at, what we direct our gaze to, what we focus on takes our attention or intentions. This is good and bad. People who covet what others have will never see what they have. One who only sees the shape won't notice the internal work. People that practice for other people's praise will be less likely to see themselves.

What I am asking is what are you looking at and why are you here? If you don't revisit or revise your intentions for practice I suggest you do sometime.

I hear people all the time say "I can't practice Ashtanga yoga. I get bored". You'll get bored with it if you look at it only from one angle, if you practice it to achieve it on a purely physical level. The thing is it’s never the same. You won't ever get that specific practice back, you won't have that pose ever again. The next time you practice it's different, you’re different, the person next to you might be different. Why are you looking at it like it’s been done before? Why do you think you need more if you haven't finished with what you have?

Now I am not saying everyone go out and practice Ashtanga yoga. I was just using that as an example. I practice many forms of yoga for many different reasons. I always practice for what the day is or what I need the day to be. I don't practice without reason anymore. It’s not always about the challenge. Life is hard.  Your yoga shouldn't always have to be.

What you give your attention takes your attention to or away from. So what are you looking at? Really. Where is your Drishti?

Blessings, 
 -Gillian St.Clair

About Gillian:

I’ve been dancing all my life but from my first yoga class in 1999 to the present day, I step on the mat and I am home. That’s the feeling I try to convey in my yoga classes. Here you are safe to explore and are supported in your journey. Having extensive background in Ashtanga yoga, and a passion for dance and music, my classes fuse creative sequencing with powerful movement. They will require only a few things of you; quality of breath, physical honesty, and mental focus.My Ashtanga classes aren’t as strict as most but I won’t stray from the principles that were clearly given to me. I firmly believe every yogi needs a strong foundation and Ashtanga is my rock.I fuse everything into my Vinyasa classes including daily life experiences. I feel like if we are trying to live in the present than our yoga should reflect that. Which is why Vinyasa resonates so strongly with me and changes daily. I am not going to share anything with you I haven’t experienced on my own.I traveled to Mysore, India to train in Ashtanga yoga under V.K Sheshadre whom I consider to be my first inspiration. His love for life was astonishing, his devotion to family was humbling, his attention to detail was such a blessing and his devotion to the 8 limb path was always evident. I hope to honor that within this studio.