Dandasana. Utkatasana. Malasana. Eka pada rajakapotasana (yup! Say that five times fast…) These are Sanskrit names for common yoga poses, and if you entered any yoga class it would be 99.9% likely that yogis would be engaged in these types of asanas (the physical poses). But, imagine the practice of yoga like an iceberg – the physical poses are the very tip, but there is a huge depth below that superficial top layer where the practice really begins. It can be easy to forget this when in our western world we tend to be so focused on the physical part. We’re inundated with yoga selfies or gyms that offer classes like “Kick Your Asana Yoga” guaranteed to give six-pack abs, a perfect butt, and whiter teeth! Does yoga have poses? Yup. Is yoga just poses? – Not even close.

One of those deeper layers is the practice of inquiry. If we’re focused only on the outer layer, the poses, then we’re not giving ourselves the opportunity to explore, reflect, and move our practice beyond that very tip of the iceberg. Inquiry is a chance to dig in, discover, and explore.

There are a number of ways you can incorporate inquiry into your yoga practice. Step one is not to think of the poses as fixed and instead imagine your physical practice as a chance to play and explore. Similarly, you are not fixed and you bring new things to your practice each time you step to your mat. Inquiry can mean uncovering this terrain.

What can inquiry look like in your practice?

• Scanning your body at the start of practice to see what is showing up.
• “I’m holding my breath. How can I adjust or modify to let me find ease?”
• What would happen if I bent my knee deeper?
• Make micro-adjustments to asanas. For example, if you come into a twist, move into it in increments, deepening as you go, rather than going to your edge, holding the pose, and then likely holding your breath
• Make modifications
• Try to practice each pose as if you’re coming into it for the first time
• “How will my shoulder feel if I use a block?”
• What is the quality of my breath? Slow and deep? Shallow? Tense?

So, remember how I said that the practice of yoga is not just about the poses? Well, those same poses are super useful in giving us a place to begin the practice of inquiry. If we’re curious about what our physical body is up to, it gives the mind something to focus on, a tangible place to examine. And from here, you can start peeling away the layers and go deeper in reflection.

• “Why am I resistant about bringing my knees down?”
• “What image of myself am I trying to project?”
• “What am I scared to let go of?”
• “What do I hope to cultivate in my practice?”

A question I like to often let guide my practice of inquiry is, “What am I practicing when I’m practicing.” I love this question because it allows me to explore the physical asanas – I’m practicing engaging my psoas muscles. I’m practicing grounding my feet down. But it also allows me access to the deeper level – I’m practicing letting go. I’m practicing being still. I’ve discovered not so pleasant answers from this inquiry – I’m practicing fear. I’m practicing ego. But the inquiry allowed me to see it, understand it, have compassion, and practice something I did want to cultivate instead. I’m practicing joy. I’m practicing forgiveness.

As many of you know, I start each class I teach with an intention for the practice and close by asking students to call that intention back to mind and extend it to their “practice” off of the mat, because our yoga practice is all well and good, but I don’t think it would be nearly as meaningful if it didn’t allow us to discover life and discover ourselves and how we encounter life. So, as I see it, when we inquire on our mats, it is giving us a window into ourselves and how we respond to the world.

Join me on Saturday, June 25^th from 1-5pm for YOGA LAB, a practice FULL of inquiry and self exploration. We will practice:

journaling & self-inquiry

breath-work & meditation

deconstruct poses / subtle body work

energy exploration

extended asana practice

self-guided “organic” movement practice