Practice Point #64 - Correct Asana & Progress

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I received a question from Elisa from Germany. Their question is...

With the current situation of not being able to go to class physically, how can I ensure I am doing the Asanas correctly and can take them to the next level? Do you have any recommendations for this process?

Keep practicing and become familiar with the vrttis and klesas so that you can know if you are on the right path and making progress.

Vrttis are the five distinct ways that our mind behaves:

  1. Pramana: correct or accurate knowledge

  2. Viparyaya: incorrect knowledge

  3. Vikalpa: imagination

  4. Nidra: sleep

  5. Smrti: memory

Kleshas or ‘afflictions’ are the five ways the mind can be poisoned.

  1. Avidya (ignorance)

  2. Asmita (egoism)

  3. Raga (attachment)

  4. Dvesa (aversion or hatred)

  5. Abinivesah (clinging to life and fear of death).

At a guess if you are attending online classes and receiving instruction from an experienced teacher I think you can be confident you are doing the asana correctly.

As for making progress, keep practicing, stop doing and start observing and there lies the answer.

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