Centre of Gravity in Asana

Mr. Iyengar writes that each pose has a centre of gravity, and that the physical centre of gravity for each pose is not the same.  Finding the centre of gravity in each pose will bring lightness.

In class I often use the example of Vrksasana (Tree Pose).  The pose begins in Tadasana, with the weight evenly balanced between two feet, front to back and side to side.  From two feet, the pose is altered to balancing on one leg and with this shift our centre of gravity also shifts.  The arms which begin at the heart centre begin to raise overhead, again changing the centre of gravity.  Throughout this whole pose and each pose Mr. Iyengar writes that,"one has to feel the sense of ascendance and upliftment in the body and intelligence.  This firm presentation brings lightness and one feels elevation in mind."

Mr. Iyengar is not just talking about the physical body.  He write, "The centre of gravity of the body and the mind as well as the emotional and the intellectual centre should remain aligned.","If the position of the body is wrong, then the practitioner suffers body pain, which in turn disturbs his mind."

Mr. Iyengar quotes from Patanjali's yoga sutras, IV.26, which says, "tada vivekanimnam kaivalyapragbharam cittam".  He translates this as meaning, "when the intelligence is at the exalted state, the consciousness becomes pure and gravitates towards the source - the Soul."

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com
plnyogastudio@gmail.com