When being asked what the key to mastering yoga was, the great master BKS Iyengar replied, "You must balance all of the energies in each part of the body." I bet he meant even the front and the back of your left small toe! 當被問到精通瑜珈的關鍵為何時,大師BKS Iyengar回答說:「你必須平衡身體每個部位的所有能量。」我敢說,大師的意思是連左腳小趾頭都不能放過!

The Sanskrit word "hatha" means sun/moon and implies the balance of masculine and feminine energies in hatha yoga practice. This balance is indeed the key to our practice. 梵文中「哈達」的意思是太陽/月亮,這個名字本身已清楚地指出哈達瑜珈練習中陽性及陰性能量的平衡,而此一平衡的確是我們練習的關鍵。

So try to look for the yin yang in each pose next time when you practice. First focus on the main body parts and the major opposing forces in them. Gradually zoom in to smaller details when you can do so without sacrificing the whole picture. Take downward facing dog for example. The big picture is: hip flexors and quadriceps are contracting while back muscles and hamstrings are stretching. Fine tuning can be: press the fingertips into the ground while drawing the shoulders away from the ears; inwardly rotate the thighs while lengthening the sacrum. You can do this in every single pose and zoom in to ever finer details. It is an eternal yin yang workout for your body and mind. 所以,下次練習時,試試看找尋每個姿勢裡面的陰陽,先把注意力放在較大身體部位,以及這些部位中主要的反向作用力,然後,在不失去整體感的前提下,慢慢聚焦到細節部位。拿下犬式來說,大概念是:臗部屈肌和股四頭肌是收縮的ßà背肌和大腿後膕繩肌是被伸展的。細部協調則有:手指尖往地板紮根ßà肩膀遠離耳朵;大腿根部內旋ßà薦骨延長等等。這個練習可以用在所有的瑜珈體位上,而且可以無止盡地進入更細部的調整,讓你的身體與頭腦跳起永不停息的陰陽之舞。

Another place to look for yin yang is in your mental attitudes towards the poses. For example, if you always get out of a pose the second you feel tired, try to stay with it a bit longer next time. If you enjoy the grounding and centering effect of some poses, see if there is some sense of surrendering in them as well. If you always fall asleep in savasana, decide to stay awake once. 另一個可以找尋陰陽的地方在於你對待瑜珈姿勢的態度中。比如說,如果你總是一感覺累就離開某個姿勢,下次可以試著待久一點;如果你喜歡某些姿勢帶來的紮根和集中的效果,看看你能否在他們裡面找到一絲臣服的感受;如果你總是在大休息式睡著,決定要醒著一次。

Play with it and have fun, even if you are yet to feel the balance of energies in your left small toe. 試試看、享受其中的樂趣,哪怕還體會不到左腳小趾頭能量的平衡。

 

peipei@zuoyoga做 瑜珈。

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