Awareness is Intelligence

Nurturing awareness is the key to tapping into the body’s Intelligence. 

Let’s bring that to the mat. 

Visualize yourself in practice. You decide to explore say Virabhadrasana/Warrior 3. You have a little preview of the pose in your mind. You position your feet, align the body, find orientation in space with your gaze and allow the breath to guide you, preparing the foundation. Here, the mind starts talking to the body.

You shift the weight to one foot, firmly root and discover the energy that surges upwards. You re-establish your gaze. You become aware of a second energy source at your centre that simultaneously radiates outward and finds expression through movement as you bend forward, stretch your arms ahead and lift the opposite leg up. You transition mindfully with a deep flowing breath further powering this movement. As you do this, your body tells you how this beautiful convergence of energies gives you control and play. You sense the expansion. You are in every tiny movement. You know when to pause. You become the pose. You are Virabhadrasana/Warrior 3.

Notice how intentional, unwavering attention leads to a deep understanding of what the body is going through at every step. You learn about anchors, what needs to be engaged for fluid controlled movements (that folks, is grace) and find the safest expression of the pose for yourself. You use the breath as a tool to merge separate body & mind acts into a whole harmonious dance that you are a complete witness to. You have brought the mind into the body. Asana, after all means ‘a seat for the mind in the body’*.

In essence, we need to cultivate awareness to awaken body intelligence. It’s simple enough. All the more reason for us to embrace it, in every single practice.