“You Stop” are these words dreaded or welcome?

by Shanna Small

There was a time where having someone stop me before my ego felt it was done with the practice would have crushed me. Now, I think I might welcome it. Ashtnaga is hard as it is, a few less poses for a while might be a break and it definitely would give me time to work on poses that have fallen through the cracks. We will explore this a little further later on this week. For now, take a look at Latina Yogis’s blog and her experience at being stopped by Sharath in Mysore.

On my first Mysore practice; sweat dripping; fear and breath. Supta Kurmanasa is one of the hardest asanas on the primary series. Is called the turtle pose. And is a very intimidating pose; at least for me, because you literally withdrawn yourself into little tight ball. If you don’t breathe properly you will panic. I was helped by one of the many advanced students and teachers that assist Sharath everyday at the Shala. And when I felt the grip on my hands I felt like some sort of explosion was happening inside of me.

Five breaths felt like an eternity… and then I heard the Boss tell me: “You stop!!!” which meant my series stop there. I can’t continue with any other asana, those are his orders and even though I practice the entire primary series at home, I must follow what he says. That’s the deal here. You can’t skip or do the asanas you want. Many students don’t like that; because it is a humbling experience to admit you are not ready to practice other asanas. I know I am not ready; that’s why I must stop and keep practicing until I master that asana. The asana comes when you have also given up many things up: angry, greed and other poisons. Yoga is bigger than us. In our practice there’s a logical sequence and you just can’t jump to more advance asanas until you master the basics.

That’s why I came all the way to Costa Rica to here, to do that. To actually make a stop in my life and confront myself. Follow the sequence of the Yamas and Niyamas. Step outside my bubble. Never in a million years I would’ve thought of coming to this magical land; where divinity rules everyday life; nothing makes sense here, yet it all falls into place perfectly. A community of yogis blended with the Gokulam population. The golden sun with a warm light; I am on the other side of the world and yet I have never ever felt a sense of belonging like I do in here. I have arrived home…

Read the full post here

What do you feel when you are stopped in your practice? Dread or relief?