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3 Things You Need To Be Doing to Make Your Yoga Practice Spiritual

February 22, 2016 By Monica Stone Leave a Comment

Today we’re taking about three things you should be doing while you’re making those fun yoga shapes in order to take your practice to a deeper and spiritual level.

Do you ever wonder why you’re practicing postures? You hop on the mat as much as you can, and attend a bunch of classes, but there’s something missing, right?

Every teacher seems to teach a little different. Some are spiritual. Others are athletic. Some are gentle. Others push your limits. Some use sanskrit, and others never OM. 

Are you supposed to breathe out of your mouth or nose?

Should my belly rise or fall on the exhale?

You know yoga is supposed to transform you, and help you become more peaceful, but HOW?

How can you progress if you don’t even know if you’re doing it right?

Sooooo confusing! 

Let’s talk about this…

There are 3 things that you need to be doing on the mat to help take your practice to a deeper and spiritual level.

Deep Breath With Sound

You need to be breathing. This is the foundation for every practice.

If you aren’t breathing then you’re not doing yoga – period.

In Ashtanga Yoga, we do deep breathing with sound. This breath is in and out through the nose, and is created from the back of the throat.

The reason we breathe this way is because it creates an internal heat within to detox the body.

This heat starts to cleanse and purify the body.

We also use the breath as a meditation point. When the mind wanders – we bring it back to the sound of the breath.

When you do this, you can’t help but notice all of the thoughts and distractions of the mind trying to pull you in each and every direction. You might be tempted to let the mind control you, but this breath is here to keep YOU in control.

Over time it becomes easier to laugh at these little thoughts and temptations.

This is how the breath also purifies the mind.

The also gives us energy to carry us through the day. No matter how you’re feeling, if you just get on the mat, start breathing, and focus on the sound – then you’ll build energy that you didn’t even know what possible. 

A little recap of why we use this breath:

  • Detoxes the body.
  • Purifies the mind.
  • Creates a meditation.
  • Builds awesome & unexplainable energy!

Hug The Bandhas:

Some people say grasp or engage, but I like to say hug. The engaging of the bandhas is subtle and slight, and I don’t want to encourage my students to work too hard at this.

The work is more of an internal awareness.

The bandhas move the energy that we create with the breath and movement in the practice through the body.

We have three bandhas that we work on hugging.

  • Mula bandha – the root lock.
  • Uddiyanda Bandha – means flying upward.
  • Jalandara Bandha – the chin lock.

You want to hug these as you practice so that you keep the energy in, and let your body absorb and use it.

The bandhas also support our spine and make us strong in our center. This helps us to feel light and free so that we float through the practice.

Supporting the spine is also important because you want to move the energy through up the spine to open all of the chakras and awaken your inner divine!

Recap of the bandhas:

  • Support our spine.
  • Create a light and free feeling.
  • Move the energy we create through the body.

Drishti: The Asana of the Eyes

The drishti is where we look.

Each posture has a specific gaze point. We start by doing this physcially with our eyes, but as you practice, you’ll notice the eyes soften and the gaze moves inwards.

You start to really see your true nature. You start to see God in yourself, and in turn you start to see others that way too.

You start to see the divine in everything. 

There are nine drishtis. I love this fun graphic below & hope you enjoy it too!

 

follow your drishti

This method is called the Tristana in Ashtanga Yoga. 

We are all connected, and are part of something bigger than we know. The breath, bandhas, and dristhi and postures all work together to form a reflection of our true nature. 


 

Links talked about in the video:

Learn to breathe correctly

How to breathe & use the bandhas together. 

Did this help clear things up for you? Do you feel like you can take your practice deeper? Tell me below!

Filed Under: Instruction

Monica Stone

About Monica Stone

Monica is a lover of all things yoga, a vegetarian, an avid tea drinker, and never gets sick of soup and noodle dishes. She teaches yoga, practices daily, and runs a Spiritual Book Club in Orlando, FL. She likes to challenge the strict rules of yoga, and makes it accessible for everyone - especially people who suffer from daily life and work stress.

« Self Care Sequence: How To Release Tightness and Deepen Your Backbends
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Hi! I’m Monica

Monica StoneWell hello there! I'm Monica. I'm a yoga & meditation teacher (and junkie). I teach yoga practices that are quick and effective for the busy person who just needs a few minutes of quiet time in their day. Click around and you'll find quick meditation tips for calming the mind to simple stretches to relieve stress and tension. If you are sick of being intimidated by yoga or just confused by all of the different styles out there - then this page is for you. Yoga helps me daily & I know it will help you too! I'll show you how! Welcome to The Yogi Movement :)

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Testimonials

  • Jaime ShearerJaime ShearerYoga Student Since 2012

    Monica is dedicated to her own practice and the true path of yoga - the one of personal experience - which makes her an outstanding teacher. She is warm and easy to talk with, and she allows the student to have their own experience on the mat. She explains postures and breath in ways that are understandable so that the student "gets it." She makes yoga real and tangible in ways that truly serve the student. Work with Monica. You'll be glad you did.

  • Jacob AbercrombieJacob AbercrombieYoga Student Since 2011

    have always wanted to try yoga, but was always nervous. Monica took that fear away and made me feel like i was the only one in class with a room full of strangers. She is able to work with multiple students during the same move and still make it a personalized class for one.

  • Serena JonesSerena JonesYoga Student Since 2010

    Monica has been a highly influential teacher to me. She creates a safe environment for learning and practice. I have always felt grounded in her classes, and she pushes me beyond my own expectations. She inspires and motivates! I can't imagine my life without sharing a path with her!

  • Angela OrofinoAngela OrofinoYoga Student Since 2011

    Monica is a caring, wise, thoughtful, and talented yoga instructor. She has an in-depth knowledge of the philosophy and spirituality of Ashtanga yoga. My previous yoga experience had mostly just been at my local gym. Luckily, last year I found Monica. She has been guiding my practice at least once a week since then. As a newcomer to Ashtanga yoga, Monica made me feel comfortable and had the patience to teach me the basics. She also encouraged me to start an at home practice so that I was able to obtain a deeper understanding of Ashtanga. Monica is always encouraging and lets me know in subtle ways when she feels that I am ready to move deeper into my practice. I feel that the growth in my practice over the last year has been tremendous. Not only do I notice the change in me but others around me do as well. I am so grateful to have found Monica!

  • Sasha TamarSasha TamarYoga Student Since 2012

    I’ve come across many a yoga instructor over the years, but Monica stands out as genuinely amiable, as she glows with an infectious inner light, and highly devoted to and passionate about her practice. Her dedication to Ashtanga as a lifestyle is very clear, and creates for a contagious motivating force. Every time I’ve practiced with her, she eagerly transmits her devotion and passion of Ashtanga and meditation to everyone in class; she makes the most fledgling beginner feel at home, and simultaneously challenges the more advanced students. While I only practice Ashtanga with her, I know she provides therapeutic yoga sessions as well as meditation. And, if her methods of guiding students out of the Ashtanga vigor into the more meditative savasana are indicative of her meditational techniques, I’d recommend her to anyone

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