An example of a Secondary Yoga Practice, primarily for early evening use.

An example of a Secondary Yoga Practice.

This 25′ practice is intended mainly for post-work early evening use. It was designed for a student as a secondary practice to complement their existing pre-work early morning practice.

The context within which it sits is that they have an early morning Āsana and Prāṇāyāma practice before leaving for work. Getting to work involves 10′ walking to catch a train, often standing during the train journey and then walking a further 10-15′ after getting off.

This framework also includes a demanding decision making and team management working environment, often involving many meetings during a typical day.

Hence this example of a secondary evening practice does not involve standing Āsana, nor emphasis on any demanding lying, inverted or back bend Āsana. Relevent aspects of these characteristics being accessed in the morning along with a Prāṇāyāma practice.

Instead the focus here is on considering a practice to encourage grounding, facilitate internalising and contributing to restoring the inevitable energetic distension arising from the days outdrawing demands on their body, energy and mental processes.

This example also concludes with the use of sound and chanting within two roles, that of being both a therapeutic process and a developmental learning facility.

Firstly as a therapeutic process by being a contributing factor in inducing the outcome outlined previously. Secondly as a way of continuing a developmental learning relationship, arising from an interest in accessing the deeper qualities that can emerge from a progressive involvement in using sound and chanting as a consistant component in our personal Sādhana.

Committing time to this interest to this area as an add-on within their existing morning practice would add an overtime stress factor or, by reducing the time of other practice components, diminish the potential effects that these aspects need as a certain time frame to access.

Regarding the above comment around time and stress, one further possibility that can arise from having this secondary practice option is that its relationship with the primary practice can be reversed time wise.

Thus if other factors impose on our morning time frame or even mind frame, the day could be started with this 25′ practice and perhaps the longer primary practice can be picked up after returning from work. Or even a choice as a weekend variety of rhythms or change of day patterns reversal .

Either way, making such a choice may faciltate a more graceful or even grace-full option over the inevitable arising of such as ‘getting the practice done’ or ‘non-practice self flailing guilt’ mind-sets that our modern often over-busy lifestyles can induce from time to time.

To view or download this practice as a PDF

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