sequencing

Writing out sequences for homework has really confirmed what one of our teachers described, that sequencing is as much a science as an art.

In one sense, it is almost formulaic - designing a sequence in a classical manner requires setting a purpose or focus (a bhavana), deciding on a core pose or principle, using the initial poses to prepare for that core, and then counter-postures to relieve the stress accumulated in the initial process. Of course, depending on the strenuousness of the sequence, there might be counter-postures needed even before the core moment, and several layers of complexity beyond that.

But, in the same sense, knowing what pose to use to follow another and deciding on which counterposture to use (especially when a counter-posture can also be a preparation) relies on an understanding of the asanas in how they are linked to each other. And it is in that connective, creative knowledge requirement that sequencing becomes an art, in my mind, as connecting and creating are intuitive skills.

In that, creating a sequence can be as much a yogic exercise as performing an asana itself. Logic and intuition must be balanced and united, Shiva and Shakti, to create a useful practice.

not so much in a state to write

When you let your own light shine, you unconsciously give others permission to do the same. - Nelson Mandela
related: For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. - Nelson Mandela

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Gandhi

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
Albert Einstein

"We all think we’re going to be great and we feel a little bit robbed when our expectations aren’t met. But sometimes our expectations sell us short. Sometimes the expected simply pales in comparison to the unexpected. You got to wonder why we cling to our expectations, because the expected is just what keeps us steady. Standing. Still. The expected's just the beginning; the unexpected is what changes our lives."
-Gray’s Anatomy