"However, if you think seriously about the true meaning of spiritual practices, it has to do with the development and training of your mental state, attitudes, and psychological and emotional state and well-being. You should not confine your understanding of spiritual practice to terms of some physical activities or verbal activities, like doing recitations of prayers and chanting. If your understanding of spiritual practice is limited to only these activities, then, of course, you will need a specific time, a separate allotted time to do your practice--because you can't go around doing your daily chores, like cooking and so on, while reciting mantras That could  be quite annoying to people around you.  However, if you understand spiritual practice in its true sense, then you can use all twenty-four hour of your day for your practice. True spirituality is a mental attitude that you can practice at any time.  For example, if you find yourself in a situation in which you might be tempted to insult someone, then you immediately take precautions and restrain yourself from doing that.  Similarly, if you encounter a situation in which you may lose your temper, immediately you are mindful and say, No , this is not the appropriate way.  That actually is a spiritual practice.  Seen in that light, you will always have time."
--Dalai Lama from The Art of Happiness

It all started with an article and a questions from Reilly
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE03K1uK-ea/  Thoughts?  Or perhaps counter-arguments?

Andrea's (My) response
Yes, these advanced postures can be valuable and important. 
First as a student then and as a teacher i ask, would peacock or lolasana, or forearm balance bring more joy into my life? Would they make meditation more meaningful? If yes, then i study and find a specific teacher to me to help me deepen my personal practice in this way.
As a teacher i ask, what are my student's goals when coming to class? If it is to do these posses, then how can i help bring them to a place where there bodies can play with the physical demands of these poses. If they want this, can i as a teacher help them direct there energy and mind to the place these poses ask of them? 
Personally i feel in the make-up of my student base i would need to work 1to1 with students at this level as a class gives too general a population with too diverse goals. I feel these posture demand a certain teacher student relationship of trust and tapas and swadiyaya. 
What does everyone else think, i'd love to hear.

Kalyani's response
For some students, the mastering the more advanced asana is called for because it brings them a sense of moving away from the vrittis and to the physical posture.  One way of taming the mind.  The mindstuff becomes distant when you are focusing so intently.  It is great as long as the EGO does not appear in that moment, as that moves you farther from peace.  For others, especially as they are older, simply cannot force themselves to move into advanced asana because of injury.  
Students in their 20s through early 40s move towards things, they push forward in their life, job, relationships, ...  As we age, we are more content to accept, to wait for things to come to us, not as much pushing.  Therefore the simple act of sitting still is sometimes enough.  Not as much muscling through to attain a goal.  Neither way is wrong, it is just a byproduct of where we are in our lives.

George's response
I agree that we all need to push ourselves just beyond our present comfort zone. Incrementally, as we achieve one goal, stretch and keep expanding our zone of ability and capability. On the other hand we each have our own limitations. We must recognize and respect what those limitations are at any given time, both for ourselves and our students.  The Instagram post appears to me to view everything as black or white, i.e. anything short of perfection is failure or at least not good enough, which is negative.  I prefer to view each step, from where I currently am, as positive forward progress.  Life has many different levels of bars, my highest and yours may be different, but we both are at the top. Don't judge.​

Cathy's response
I think it is very important to consider that individuals do yoga for many different personal reasons...a way to detach from everyday stresses, increasing flexibility, strength and balance, a way to find calmness, a way to go inward, a personal journey of self-discovery, a respite...and many more.  Some of these reasons apply more to the physical realm and others more to our emotional and mental realms.  Many overlap.
When teaching, I think it is important to teach to the level of the student, from a safety perspective when thinking about the physical, but also because as yoga teachers, we are really guides.  We are guiding the students in their practice.  It is not our decision to decide for any of our students to "push themselves."  In my opinion, this is their decision.  
One of the biggest challenges of being a yoga teacher for me is teaching a class with students of varying levels.  Varying levels applies to varying levels of students' physical abilities, but also to the variances in the objectives [meaning - what each individual student wants to get out of the class] of each individual student.
This article seems to emphasize the importance of mastering challenging poses.  It mentions that "..in the American yoga community we have slowly lowered the bar for the students."  In my opinion, placing significant importance on mastering challenging poses reflects  how [some of today's] American yoga community has detracted from what Hatha Yoga practice is really about -- that being a foundation or support for all of the other yoga practices.
Having said this, I don't think mastering challenging yoga poses is a bad thing.  A good question to ponder is, WHY do I want to master this pose? What is driving me to it?  This type of questioning may lead me to discover something about myself.  
I think it is often not appropriate in a group class [unless the class is composed of students of a similar advanced level and similar interest level].  I just get saddened when I see so many extreme poses played up in the media as being something to aspire to.  Even more disheartening is when I see extreme poses, with poor form gracing the covers of magazines.

Karen's response
Yes, it's an interesting conversation, but the approach seems clear to me. Each person decides for him/herself what constitutes "a challenge". For each of us it's different. We are free to try difficult/risky tasks or to simply stay with what is comfortable/known. The middle ground, where I think I sit, is to continue learning, growing and trying new things, yet staying in a place that feels true and manageable. We are all wired differently in terms of desire for challenge. In any given yoga class the teacher sets the pace/level, and the students can adapt with modifications or challenges as appropriate. A student who is striving for a tough physical challenge will want to seek out a place/class that supports and teaches that level. I would not be comfortable in a class where I was told to do more/try harder, but that's just me. As a teacher I would not want a student to attempt a high level pose that I myself didn't know how to teach safely.
There's room for all different interests/desires. To each his own! 

Reilly's response
Thanks for the responses, y'all.  I think I need views like those to help me balance ones like Jared's from the Instagram post and my own.  From a young age I've had a demonic tendency to reject or destroy things that don't do what I want.  Obviously, that's no way to approach yoga or your own body so yoga has forced me to grow out of those tendencies. 
     The reason Jared McCann talks about not staying in a comfortable place is because that's how you get trapped in Samsara for all eternity -- by always seeking comfort, running from pain, seeking pleasure.  I've had a growing realization recently that the most accurate way I know to relate to the universe is that we are all trapped in some kind of (ineffable) work of art.  From a young age I have been haunted by a feeling that none of this is quite good enough.  It's why I do yoga: I'm not quite good enough either but yoga makes me feel like I am and that the world is ok.
      Another reason Jared recommends not staying comfortable in your practice always is because if you are then you aren't advancing, and we all have much room for improvement.  This society hindered us practically from birth with a debilitating, poisonous mainstream diet, sedentary lifestyle and all manner of corporate hive-minded programming (our mental diet) geared at profit for the masters NOT health for the masses.
​      The body is your primary instrument.  The better it is tuned, the better YOU play the symphony of Reality.  Yoga tunes all those chords and strings.  One of many reasons not to stay comfortable in your practice is because we have been so hindered by our setting in these lives, we have a long way to go until we reach optimal human functioning.  Keep practicing, shift universes! Reilly ;)

Cathy's refers to another article
http://www.francescacervero.com/purpose-practicing-advanced-asana/

Last week was a long week.  My husband was going one direction, I was going another direction, and the kids were not happy.  At the end of meditation practice  this particular morning I said a special prayer inviting in kindness, patience, and all those things I thought I might need for the day.  I went to eat breakfast and found out that our sitter for the night cancelled.  I said, okay, I'll take the kids with me to class.  But class is at 6:00, so I need to pick them up dinner because, of course, there is no food in the house since the week was so busy. 
When we went to pick up dinner, I got to the cashier and she handed us our food and said, "okay your bill is taken care of."  I looked blankly at her.  She said the woman in front of you payed your bill.  With dawning comprehension I said, "but I don't know the woman that was in front of me."  The cashier's smile got bigger.  I looked around for the woman, but she was not to be seen.  Tears started rolling down my face.  My kids were in shock, they said, "she paid for our food!"  
It was such a small act, but my kids and I are inspired. I can't wait to do the same thing for another family. To give that unexpected gift that can remind us we are more than ourselves. That we have the ability to give and for someone else to receive.  Three of us received.  I am most grateful for that.  My two kids, tweens, felt that gift, that love, that kindness.  What a valuable moment, for so many reasons.
Thank you to all those who do and give random acts of kindness.  You are angles and devas, and gurus -- You are unconditional love.   

Yoga practice is all about intention and awareness.  What is your intention?  Remembering your intention from the beginning of a yoga class to the end can be a challenge.  What happens when you take the practice off the mat and into your daily life? 
Try it.  Set an intention at the beginning of the day and see if you can follow that intention for a whole day, or even a few hours.   You may find that your intention wasn't so important, or that it doesn't have a strong motivation behind it.  With practice, you'll find an intention to guide you.  An intention that helps define what is important, what to say yes and no too each day.  Something that begins to clear the muddle of the mind and bring mindfulness to each day and moment.  This intention may turn into passion.  You may find you're following your dharma, or what is truly yours to do. Then if you fail or succeed means less, instead it is about the intention, and the way you walk your path. 
Once you find your true intention and follow that path nothing will stop you.  You will know your way and not be swayed from that path no matter what obstacles you come upon.  To find your true intention is a blessing.

Below are examples of the layers one might move through and between to reach deeper and more one-pointed meditation/concentration.  The yogic model on the left is the koshas, or sheaths of being in comparison to the Christian model on the right.

Both of these methods use a word or phrase to encourage a letting go, or unwrapping of the outter world.  In Yogic meditation the mantra is repeated consistently to focus the mind.  Whereas in Centering Prayer, the sacred word is repeated when a thought is recognized in the mind, to draw it back.  
Blessing in your practice.
Andrea

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful weekend at Shrine Mont.  I loved sharing yoga with you.  Your support and love has stayed with me in my heart.  Thank you for your openness, curiosity, kindness, support, and fun.  My family is even larger.  Photo credit to Bella, Patty, and Andrea. 

A ruminating mind can be very cumbersome, anxiety producing and depressing. Reliving the same anxiety, desire, or pain over and over -- not very healthy!  Asana’s can help, pranayama, and meditation too.  But sometimes something new may need to be tried, to shake it up short-term. 

Recently I found that a physical activity, one not particularly liked as say sit-ups or push-ups of one variation or another, repeated in reaction to rumination and the mind learns quickly how to let go.  Amazing!  Here is how the practice works – each time I ruminate on a particular subject, and I catch myself, that’s 5 sit-ups.  After catching myself 5 to 10 times, well my mind got the hint quick! 

If you have found a technique that works for you please share.

Meditation is perceived as one of the most difficult of yogic achievements.  Often, we think we are doing it wrong or not making progress, or feel lost.  Meditation is all about watching the mind, its patterns, tendencies, grooves, and biases, samskaras and vasanas in yoga terms.  You don't necessarily need to do anything.  
When you're ready you get a mantra and let your mind focus, rest, hear it's vibrations, it's sound.  Each time the mind is distracted, you may get pulled away for a while but then your mind willremember your mantra and gently bring it back to that resting place.  Sometimes the mind will get caught in a "vortex" of emotion, or a "ditch" of rumination, but slowly with determination and guidance we begin to see the distraction as just that a distraction that draws the mind out of focus. Practice bringing the mind back.  It's not always easy, but over time progress is made, perceptible or not.  
Meditation doesn't have to be about an end goal.  The journey, the practice is enough.  Sitting down day after day to try again.  Letting each practice bring what it will, be as it is.  Each day we take in so much - food, thought, emotion, and more.  If we never let it digest, never assimilate or remove what we've eaten all day every day, then we get indigestion, cannot sleep, or find the stress builds to an unmanageable state.  Take time each day, maybe 5 minutes to start to sit and begin to rest the mind.  Taking in and letting go, restoring and releasing, nourishing and cleansing the mind as only meditation can do.  
Don't let judgement stand between you and your meditation.  Know that even a restless mind will benefit from a short period of rest,  not dreaming, or sleeping, or imagining, but watching.  There is no need to try and change your mind, or transform who you are.  Let it be enough to get to know yourself.  To rest in the present moment of what is, and not conversation of what you think might be or might have been.  Rest in the knowledge that it is now and that is enough.

Everyone has a different opinion on what makes the perfect Yoga class.  Some like it hot and sweaty, some cool and challenging, other deep and gentle. Getting to know your body, your mind, and your preferences all take time and investigation.  Preferences may change with your lifestyle, age and mood.  The key to Yoga is to stay true to yourself, your whole self -- your body, mind, emotional state, and  energy level.  This is why developing a personal practice is the best medicine.  Then, you can adjust your practice to your daily and seasonal needs.  Over time, you can address deeper issues from anxiety and panic to fatigue and repetitive injury.