Foundations - How to create a strong and stable yoga practice
Foundations - How to create a strong and stable yoga practice
This month I’m busy preparing for my next retreat in Norfolk. It’s a mixed group of both beginners and more experienced practitioners so I’ve been thinking about how I can prepare a workshop that will add value to everyone’s practice no matter their level of experience.
For that reason, I’ve decided to focus on foundations. It’s such an important concept in asana practice and something I can talk about for hours.
The word foundation has two meanings. It can either refer to the lowest load-bearing part of a structure, or it can be used to describe an underlying principle or concept.
When we think of our yoga practice both these meanings apply.
We can use our foundation to provide a stable structure for load bearing in our asana practice or we can use the underlying principles of yoga to help us understand and get more in touch with our authentic selves and the interconnectedness of life.
In this post, I’m going to focus on the meaning of foundation as a stable structure related to our asana practice. I’ll break down the three key aspects of the foundation in our asana practice and why these areas are important. Plus, I’ll provide you with some tips and guidance about how you can integrate this knowledge into your practice.
The foundation of our yoga asana practice can be considered as:
Any part of our body that’s making contact with the floor
Our bandhas, which provide us with strength and stability
Our Drishti which provides us with stability and balance
Our Foundation - The load-bearing part of the structure
Depending on what asana we’re practising our base or foundation will change. If we’re in a standing posture, our feet are our foundation, if we’re in an arm balance it could be our arms or hands, if we’re in a backbend like Urdhva Dhanurasana it will be both our arms and our hands.
Whatever posture where doing the principle is the same. Like building a house we need to create a strong foundation through whatever body part is connected to the floor. This will bring stability and ease to our asana.
In standing postures, if our feet are in the wrong place, or we aren’t properly grounded through one part of our foot this will travel up our body. It will affect the position of our knees and our pelvis and could end up putting excessive pressure on one area of a joint causing pain. By activating our feet we awaken muscles in our legs that might be underused, weak or tight.
The same principle applies to our hands. If we aren’t spreading our fingers and distributing weight fully through the base of our fingertips this can cause wrist pain. However, particularly if we’re new to yoga tightness in our shoulders can make it very hard to connect our hands fully to the floor in asanas like downward facing dog. This is where it can be helpful to have a teacher assess your posture and work with you to find ways to make it feel more sustainable.
Using the resistance we create by pressing our foundation into the floor allows us to expand and lengthen in the opposite direction. It’s only through having a stable base that we’re able to grow. this principle applies to whatever asana you’re practising.
You can try it for yourself with Ekam the first movement of Surya Namaskara.
Coming to samasthiti, without paying much attention to your feet or your legs, inhale and raise your arms over your head looking up to your thumbs (ekam). Then bring your hands back alongside your body
Now back in samasthiti take a moment to ground into the base of your big toe and your little toe. Keeping your toes spread.
Press the weight through your heels and lift the arches of your feet. Try to distribute the weight evenly through your feet.
Now with awareness of grounding into your feet try Ekam again. Inhale raise your arms over your head and look up at your thumbs.
Did it feel any different? Did you feel more able to stretch up when you were connected to your foundation?
I find it helpful to think of an elastic band. It’s only able to stretch when one point of it is fixed and can’t move.
What are the Bandhas?
Bandhas are subtle locks that allow (prana) or energy to flow as we move our bodies. Although we might engage them physically, we’re working with the subtle energetic body.
If prana flows freely through our body, it’s said to be vibrant and free from disease.
The two bandhas we use in our asana practice are moola bandha, which is situated in the perineum and uddiyana bandha which is situated in the lower abdominal area. There is a third bandha, jalandhara bandha or the chin lock which we use in Dandasana.
When we’re practising asana we’re keeping the bandhas subtle. This facilitates our breath and provides us with support and stability. The bandhas allow us to move freely from a stable pelvic area, provide support for our lower back, and allow us to tap into our abdominal strength.
However, We’re not engaging them fully as instructed in pranayama practices. In pranayama practices, when engaged together with more force, the three bandhas, form maha bandha the great lock which is said to destroy old age and death (HYP, v30).
What is the Dristhi and how does it form our foundation
Dristhi can be translated as a focused gaze. It forms one-third of the Three Pillars (Tristhana) Of The Ashtanga Yoga Method. Therefore it can be considered as our foundation both conceptually and structurally.
Every posture has a drishti or a place where we look. It helps develop concentration and stability however, it’s an aspect of the practice that often gets overlooked. The drishti is essential in balancing postures. Most people learn early on that it’s impossible to keep your balance if you don’t keep your eyes steady.
But what about with arm balances?
If we consider an asana like Bakasana using the drishti to complete the tip of a triangle between your hands is essential to balance, and to landing Bakasana B.
Using the drishti can also be the key to mastering jump backs and jump throughs and stopping your feet from touching the floor in tricky transitions like the ones from Supta Kurmasana or Titibasana.
Bringing it all together
Often when we’re facing a challenge it’s the small subtle changes in our approach that provide the key to mastering it. This can be said of our yoga practice and our life.
From my experience focussing on our foundation, whether it’s our connection with the floor, our bandhas or our drishti can be one of these small changes that make all the difference.