asana Archives - LIFEISYOGA

8 november 201418 januari 2015

(8) Transformation

Life is yoga | Work in progress | Jeffrey Deelman

Wriggle

Sometimes we wriggle ourselves to get something done. To change our behavior or even the world around us. Nobody is perfect. Even I am fed up with the things I do. My stubbornness gets in the way big time sometimes. And there are moments where I can be really stubborn. Often leading to frustration in my surroundings but mostly to frustration of myself. Change those habbits for once. Try and be flexible from one moment to the next and try to listen to your surroundings. How do you do that?

Just do it

Well, just do it. Just DO it! There is one but. It doesn’t happen from one moment to the next. We need time to get used to new behavior. Look at it as learning to walk. When you were young you also needed to practice that.

And if you don’t succeed the first time? Know that you are not a total failure. Yoga means ‘controlling the fluctuations of the mind’. It deserves practice. Practice makes perfect.

Trying

Actors do the same thing. Before a theatre group presend a play on stage, they hit the rehearsal studio. They seek the peace and quiet for a month or two, where they really focus on ‘constructing’ a character and constructing the story. Actors are trying, repeating, rehearsing consciously. Aiming at reproducing it in the end. It has become a habit to act like the character.

Rehearsing

You also require the time and the rehearsal studio to practice. Find moments in your every day life to practice. Maybe there are situations where you could try a part of that behavior (onnoticed). Every time consciously trying that new behavior. It’s almost like meditation; focussing on one thing. And it almost touches pratyahara ‘abstention’. At the moment that you can separate behavior, thought and feeling, you’ll grow a little. You’ll transform to a richer and truer person.

You’re on the right path…

Exercise

ASANA: Write down which poses frustrates the most. Why does it frustrate you? Maybe it seems weird, but the frustration is a gift. The frustration is trying to tell you something valuable. So when you start to feel you are blocked in doing the pose, ask yourself ‘where do I find the gift to success?’

5 november 201410 november 2014

(3) Chaos

For the umpteenth time I start anew. Yet I can´t seem to get it done putting the yoga-meanings Niyama and Pratyahara together in a simple and understandable story. And above this I also want to explain to you how actors apply this in their job. That it could be something you would benefit from. I can´t seem to manage.

Distance

For weeks now I have been struggling. In what kind of shape should I mold it all? What do I want you to learn from it? A story of 500 words has become a chaos of 13 pages. Stop it. Wait. Take a distance. What´s in fact the essence of what I want to say? And be satisfied with less. Stop. Wait. Got it. This is exactly what Niyama en and Pratyahara is about.

Niyama

ln, the eight branches of yoga is the second branch ? . Niyama which means as much as ´regulation´ gives you something to hold on to and consists of five virtues: purity, contentment, diligence, self-reflection and awareness of the divine.

Pratyāhāra

Pratyāhāra is pulling back from the (inner) senses from their objects so as spirit (chitta ) remain themselves. Let me put it another way: thoughts determine your feelings. Your feelings determine how you behave in a given situation.

Zoom in

This is what actors do when they develop a character. They unravel – ontrafelen – the script with the aim to find as much information about the character as possible. They try out everything physically. This they try to do as pure as possible (niyama). They are constantly wondering whether they yet have the essence of the character (pratyahara). In addition, they use their body (behaviour) to transfer to the public certain feelings and thoughts.

Rest

Because I desperately wanted to tell everything, I wasn´t pure anymore. I was writing like crazy and I became more and more dissatisfied. My thoughts made me feel frustrated and that was reflected in my behaviour: 13 pages full with chaos. And now? I stopped and asked myself what it was really about. That gave me the possibility to come the essence. There was peace in writing my story. Bingo!

Exercise

Imagine you have to explain a blind person what someone looks when he is ´angry´, ‘happy’ or ‘sad’. Look at how someone physically changes. What happens to the shoulders and chest, where do the mouth corners go, what do you hear of someone’s breathing, etc.

Asana

Savasana. In this pose, you lie stretched on the floor. You try to be as relaxed as possible with eyes closed. Your thoughts will do their best to distract you. The trick is to consciously keep your focus on your breathing. If you are in Savasana , try to re-examine how the principles of Niyama and Pratyahara apply . Wait. Stop. Try. Do not expect perfection, it´s about trying and exploring.

SOURCES:

http://www.yogajournal.com/article/beginners/the-eight-limbs/

http://skdesigns.com/internet/articles/quotes/williamson/our_deepest_fear/

20 oktober 201410 november 2014

(6) Challenges

How do you cope with challenges? Do you fight, freeze or flight? If you look at any myth you’ll find the hero facing some challenges. To learn and to become stronger. So take a look at your own life: what is your challenge? Here are some tips from actors to help you being a brave warrior and defeat your ‘dragon’.

Overcome

In a play a character has to overcome something. Overcome a fear of forfill a longing. To accomplish this, there’re some challenges. Most likely the character finds a helper, a mentor, but there will be temptations too. An actor has to know how he fits into the bigger picture of a play. Maybe his role is to help the main character, to mentor him, to tempt, etc.

There are different ways of acting. I’ll shortly point out Grotowski, Johnstone, Stanislavski and Brook.

Grotowski: focuses on the physical part of acting. By exhaustion the actor doesn’t have time to think and will follow his instinct. He’s acting is pure, raw, unpolished.

Johnstone: focus is on improvisation. Forces you into situation where you don’t have the time to think. So you have to learn to follow impulses. If you follow these first impulses, you play in a authentic way.

Stanislavski: An actor has to know everything about his character. The way he thinks, feels, lives, moves, etc. The actor slowly transforms into it’s character. Linked to method acting.

Brook: Theatre has to be holy, magical. An actor has to play a role over and over again. But Brook says the director and actor always have to make sure it’s been played as if its the first time. It has to be real and to have an urge.

For me Peter Brook has been a great inspiration. Just like in yoga Brook wants the actor (and you) to be in the present. Underneath you’ll find three exercises you can try. It can be challenging. See it as a game, research. Just try, try, fail, try…

Exercise

Asana: When you practise your poses, stay in a pose and name what thoughts help you to become stronger, brave, secure? Is there something that motivates you? relaxes you doing the poses? What parts of your ego tempt you to get you off your focus?

Pranayama: Think of your biggest fear. What happens to your breathing? Imagine you achieved your goals, reached your goal. What happens to your breathing?

Dhyana: In your live you must have met a few inspiring people. Name the best advice someone ever gave you. Is there a (famous) quote you relate too? Use it as a mantra during meditation.

18 augustus 201410 november 2014

(4) Call to action

Samadhi is one of the eight limbs of yoga. It’s the state when everything falls into place. All is brought together. But how can you achieve this? And how can the experience and training of an actor help you to master the art of ‘bringing it all together’?

Concentration

The root of the word ‘samadhi’ comes from sam-a-dha. It means ‘to bring together’. Maybe it is better defined as ‘to concentrate’. So it involves concentration. Actors have to be fully concentrated when they act.

Acting

Sure, but why do you keep mentioning the word ‘actors’? For me, as a dramateacher, its simple. An actor uses it’s body, voice and emotions to tell a story. He has to be fully focussed. The role an actor plays, has to be ‘concentrated’. He has to show the character in the essence. It has to be pure and as real as possible.

Fake

But acting is fake right? Of course, but an actor wants to trigger you imagination. An actor wants to place you in the middle of the illusion, using the power of your imagination. It’s almost like magic.

Behind the magic

Now you know acting is creating an illusion with voice, body, emotion. So next time you experience a magical moment; a moment when everything falls into place, focus on voice, body and emotion.

Exercise

Write down a song that means a great deal to you. Can you write down what elements trigger you? Is it the music, the lyrics, the voice, etc. Imagine you wrote this song. What was the urge, the reason you had to write this song?

Try a pose

Want to experience what it’s like to be in the moment?

Try Natarajasana (Dancer’s pose)