If we take the approach of initiating a descriptive name, or sutra, for each asana as we are first entering the posture, and let go of the sutra while we are in the posture, this is all that is necessary.
Having let go of the sutra, our attention will naturally go with the posture and expand beyond it, adding a far greater component of inner silence to the posture than was there before adding samyama.
Now, after having tried it only a few times, it is clear that I’m still in the clunky stage, and so there were some questions and doubts arising about the correctness of what I’m doing.
For the static postures, I interpreted the instructions the following. For example, I first get into the shoulder stand, and once I’m steady, I release “shoulder stand”. This seems straightforward in principle, even though the whole samyama flow is then interrupted by getting into the next posture (plow, in this case). So the less thinking is necessary the better, suggesting sticking to a fixed sequence might be best. In general, my understanding is that whenever the steady phase of a posture is reached, the sutra is released. But just to be sure let me ask:
The sutra is not released during the initiation phase of a posture, e.g. for the Shoulder stand the sutra is not relased during or before lifting the hips and legs, but only once the steady phase is reached, correct?
For the dynamical postures several questions arose that don’t seem to be fully compatible with the above quoted instruction, or at least require some creative interpretation of the instruction.
I do the Heart Centering Warm-up in 9 movements (head front and head back to heart = 2, left and right arms both inside and outside =4, sacrum to heart = 1, left and right feet to heart =2), but the instructions suggest to release only three sutras, “warm up – head to heart”, “warm up - hands to heart” and “warm-up – legs to heart”, with a “warm up – buttocks to heart” missing. Now, I could just add that missing buttocks sutra, but I feel like I prefer to have 9 sutras there, each for the 9 sweeping movements. But 9 sutras might be too much for just 60 seconds… So maybe better stick to 4? Or 3 and add the buttocks part to the legs sutra?
In the Knees to Chest Roll no part of the body is still, so the sutra is released into that rolling motion, correct?
In the Kneeling Seat I released the sutra once kneeling, but after about 10 seconds we go up straight on our knees and then sit down again into the kneeling seat. Should one repeat the sutra after having reached the steady kneeling posture for the second time?
During the Abdominal Lift is the sutra released only once after Uddiyana Bandha is established? Or a second time during the second round?
I use this as my regular way of practicing asanas. It happens automatically now. Firstly, I would say be careful not to overthink this. It is a subtle practice, taking place within the inner silence of the mind as we go through our asana sequence. Trying to get too specific on the details will bring the mind out into discursive thought, rather than being a practice that takes place within stillness.
Stick to the basic instructions, and if in doubt, lean back into them. As you come into each posture, easily touch upon the sutra you are using for that posture and release it into silence. The attention will naturally move through the body and expand beyond it. It is the felt-sense of the body in each position that will produce the effect, so that is the important part. You are amplifying the purification effect that each posture has on the system of nadis and chakras within the subtle nervous system.
To address your points:
If you are doing Shoulder Stand, then enter the pose and as you do, release the sutra into silence. So, yes, you would come up with your legs and then enter the posture before releasing the sutra. Personally, I do not think about whether I am fully in the pose, or not, before releasing the sutra. It just happens naturally, at the right time, and is not important, a bit like the breath happens at the right time, without needing to think about it. If you are still in shoulder stand after fifteen seconds, then again pick up the sutra and release it into silence. If not, then pick up the sutra for the next pose as you enter it (halasana). No big deal.
In the AYP asana starter kit there is no “lower back to heart”, which is why it is not mentioned in the lesson on combining Samyama practice with asanas. That is just something some practitioners like to do. So, you can add that if you want to. It is very ecstatic and purifying once kundalini is awakened. If you are doing face-to-heart and back-of-the-head to heart in 15 seconds, then you would only use one sutra for both, as there would not be time for two sutras. But if you take 15 seconds or more for each side of the head, you could use two sutras. Each person can work it out for themselves quite easily.
Yes, with Knees to Chest Roll, release the sutra into silence and your attention will naturally go with the body and expand beyond it as it moves from side-to-side.
With Kneeling Seat (vajrasana), release the sutra into silence as you enter the pose. Then, after about ten seconds, come up onto your knees for a few seconds and back down. Then release the sutra again into silence, and your attention will naturally move through the body and expand beyond it, and so on.
With the Abdominal Lift, release the sutra into silence as you enter the pose. So, that means as you place your hands on your thighs, lean forwards, bring your chin down to your chest, exhale fully and hold your breath out (shunyaka). The abdominal lifts and relaxations take longer than 15 seconds, so there would be a second picking-up and releasing the sutra during the first round. Then the same would happen during the second round, and any subsequent rounds.
In my own practice, I quite often hold asanas for a minute or two, so I am releasing each sutra for between four and eight times.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer everything in such detail.
I have been sticking to the same asana sequence for several months, which has brought about the ability to pretty much go through the sequence on auto-pilot. Additionally, each posture has developed a particular flavor of ecstatic sensations, the felt-sense you mentioned. These two combined make it easy for my awareness to be automatically drawn to and resting on the bodily sensations. So, I think from that perspective I’m ready to add Samyama. Whether there is enough abiding inner silence is a different question: I’m not 24/7 witnessing, and the asanas are right before the sitting practices (rather than after DM) and they are mostly non-sitting (and even dynamic) body positions. So I expect the clunky stage to persist for a while, and that’s why I thought getting these questions out of my head will help me “to lean back into the instructions”. So I hope that’s achieved now
Currently it feels like that touching and releasing the sutras is drawing away the naturally resting attention from the bodily sensations, even though they should be essentially the same. I expect that “wiring” the sutras to the sensations needs some time to bake in, and the method you described of releasing the same sutra several times during a longer (1-2 min) hold of each posture might help with that.
During a retreat mode, where I would do two AYP sessions in a row, it could make sense to have a second asana session right at the beginning of the second AYP session. That way, there is more inner silence present during that second asana sequence, which might quicken the learning process.
Concerning the “lower back to heart” part of the Heart Centering Warm-up, it actually is in the starter kit:
Finally, reach in back with both hands and do one moving massage from the buttocks, up your back and around to your chest and heart.
Ah, yes, you a correct. It is in there. I have always taught it that way in classes and on retreats, but I had thought it was an addition to what was in the lessons.
