A yoga pose is like a Russian Nesting Doll. You have to go through each layer before you can get to the next on.
Alice got a unique gift for Christmas. She got a large wooden doll with a sign on it that said “Open me”.
Alice discovered that the doll had a seam around its middle. She twisted it in half and it came apart. Alice was surprised to discover that there was another smaller doll inside the first one. This doll had different hair colour and different clothes on.
Alice looked carefully at this new doll and discovered that it had a seam on it just like the first doll. There was yet another doll inside!
“Just how many dolls are there in here?” wondered Alice.
What do Russian dolls have to do with yoga?
Alice’s yoga teacher has been talking about the many layers of a yoga pose in class recently.
You work your way through the outer layer of a pose and then you move on to the inner layer. Once you have accomplished that layer you discover that there is another layer beyond that. And so the journey goes from one layer to the next, just like the Russian doll. You open one up only to discover another doll inside.
When you first start working on yoga pose you are at the outer most layer of the pose.
The outer doll – new pose
When you start working on a pose your ability is limited. You are learning how to do the pose.
Where do your arms go? What to do with your legs? Do you twist your torso or not? How do you bind in the pose?
There are lots of things to learn about the physical aspect of the pose before you can move on to the next layer.
As you work on the pose you will discover that you can not move into the pose fully. Your teacher gives you some modifications that will get you part way into the pose and help you to work on the flexibility.
First inner doll – flexibility improves
Once you are able to accomplish the pose using the modifications that the teacher first gave you, your teacher gives you another set of modifications that will bring you closer to the full expression of the pose.
You can not move on to the next layer of the pose until you complete the current layer that you are working on.
This is the same as the Russian doll. You can not skip one of the dolls. You have to open each doll in turn moving through the many layers one at a time.
Eventually you will have developed enough flexibility that the external appearance of the pose looks good and you are ready to move on.
It is time to open the current doll and have a look at the next doll.
Next inner doll – internal structure
You go though many layers while you develop your flexibility and then eventually you move onto this layer where you start working on the internal structure of the pose.
You start working on which muscles should be engaged and which muscles should be relaxed. Your teacher spends more time with you on alignment of your limbs, torso and head. All of these adjustments work to improve your understanding of the pose.
The quality of your breath becomes more important to you and your teacher. Is your breath flowing easily or are you being challenged to breathe? When you have the flexibility in place and good alignment your breath should be moving freely.
This yoga pose continues to be like the Russian doll. There is another layer inside this one. Once you have the internal structure accomplished, it is time to open the doll and move on to the next layer.
Next inner doll – mental
At this point, the physical appearance looks good and you have a good internal structure in place. Your breath is flowing well and you appear to be relaxed in the pose.
Now it is time to work on the mental aspect of the pose.
It is time to work on your mind. There are several activities that will bring more focus to your mind.
Bring your gaze to the focus point for this pose. Do not let your gaze wonder around the room.
Focus your attention on the gaze point and become aware of your breath. Ensure that your Ujjayi breath is flowing smoothly and that the sound is soft and rhythmic.
Focus on the stretching sensations within the body. Are the correct muscles being stretched? Is the stretching sensation challenging but not too challenging?
Focus on the present moment. You keep your mind focused on the pose and not on the other events and activities in your life. There is only this moment and there is only this pose to accomplish. Leave all of the other thoughts for later, after your yoga practice is over.
Summary
There is no end to number of dolls that are inside Russian nesting doll.
There is no end to the layers that you can explore with your yoga pose. Several of the layers have to do with the physical appearance of the pose and your flexibility and then you move on to the internal structure of the pose and finally to the mental aspects of the pose.
Learning a yoga pose is the same as opening a Russian nesting doll. You have to move through each layer in turn before you can get to the next layer.
Next Step
The next time you start learning a yoga pose treat it like a Russian nesting doll and work on it with your teacher one layer at a time.
How to use the Russian Doll technique in your yoga practice
Alice got a unique gift for Christmas. She got a large wooden doll with a sign on it that said “Open me”.
Alice discovered that the doll had a seam around its middle. She twisted it in half and it came apart. Alice was surprised to discover that there was another smaller doll inside the first one. This doll had different hair colour and different clothes on.
Alice looked carefully at this new doll and discovered that it had a seam on it just like the first doll. There was yet another doll inside!
“Just how many dolls are there in here?” wondered Alice.
What do Russian dolls have to do with yoga?
Alice’s yoga teacher has been talking about the many layers of a yoga pose in class recently.
You work your way through the outer layer of a pose and then you move on to the inner layer. Once you have accomplished that layer you discover that there is another layer beyond that. And so the journey goes from one layer to the next, just like the Russian doll. You open one up only to discover another doll inside.
When you first start working on yoga pose you are at the outer most layer of the pose.
The outer doll – new pose
When you start working on a pose your ability is limited. You are learning how to do the pose.
Where do your arms go? What to do with your legs? Do you twist your torso or not? How do you bind in the pose?
There are lots of things to learn about the physical aspect of the pose before you can move on to the next layer.
As you work on the pose you will discover that you can not move into the pose fully. Your teacher gives you some modifications that will get you part way into the pose and help you to work on the flexibility.
First inner doll – flexibility improves
Once you are able to accomplish the pose using the modifications that the teacher first gave you, your teacher gives you another set of modifications that will bring you closer to the full expression of the pose.
You can not move on to the next layer of the pose until you complete the current layer that you are working on.
This is the same as the Russian doll. You can not skip one of the dolls. You have to open each doll in turn moving through the many layers one at a time.
Eventually you will have developed enough flexibility that the external appearance of the pose looks good and you are ready to move on.
It is time to open the current doll and have a look at the next doll.
Next inner doll – internal structure
You go though many layers while you develop your flexibility and then eventually you move onto this layer where you start working on the internal structure of the pose.
You start working on which muscles should be engaged and which muscles should be relaxed. Your teacher spends more time with you on alignment of your limbs, torso and head. All of these adjustments work to improve your understanding of the pose.
The quality of your breath becomes more important to you and your teacher. Is your breath flowing easily or are you being challenged to breathe? When you have the flexibility in place and good alignment your breath should be moving freely.
This yoga pose continues to be like the Russian doll. There is another layer inside this one. Once you have the internal structure accomplished, it is time to open the doll and move on to the next layer.
Next inner doll – mental
At this point, the physical appearance looks good and you have a good internal structure in place. Your breath is flowing well and you appear to be relaxed in the pose.
Now it is time to work on the mental aspect of the pose.
It is time to work on your mind. There are several activities that will bring more focus to your mind.
Bring your gaze to the focus point for this pose. Do not let your gaze wonder around the room.
Focus your attention on the gaze point and become aware of your breath. Ensure that your Ujjayi breath is flowing smoothly and that the sound is soft and rhythmic.
Focus on the stretching sensations within the body. Are the correct muscles being stretched? Is the stretching sensation challenging but not too challenging?
Focus on the present moment. You keep your mind focused on the pose and not on the other events and activities in your life. There is only this moment and there is only this pose to accomplish. Leave all of the other thoughts for later, after your yoga practice is over.
Summary
There is no end to number of dolls that are inside Russian nesting doll.
There is no end to the layers that you can explore with your yoga pose. Several of the layers have to do with the physical appearance of the pose and your flexibility and then you move on to the internal structure of the pose and finally to the mental aspects of the pose.
Learning a yoga pose is the same as opening a Russian nesting doll. You have to move through each layer in turn before you can get to the next layer.
Next Step
The next time you start learning a yoga pose treat it like a Russian nesting doll and work on it with your teacher one layer at a time.
