Create Space for Something New
power yoga 101
For two years, I’ve lead a Power Yoga 101 workshop > a one hour dive into The Organizing Principles of Power Yoga and True North Alignment as the foundation of Baptiste Power Yoga’s Journey into Power sequence. I joke that this workshop could be one hour or 30 years long. The best things I know start like that, though. Like someone hands me the tool box and over time I examine a new tool and discover it’s application and maybe next week I take a longer look at a different tool.
The intention of this blog is to give a brief recap of the main two pieces of Baptiste Power Yoga Methodology we examined and to answer questions that emerged from the workshop.
In yoga asana practice, Tadasana, also known as Mountain Pose, is the true north of all yoga poses because it allows you to tune into your body and hold it as a clearing for possibility… Lose Tadasana, your true north, and you lose your power ad what’s possible in the pose. When you find you’re off center, restore integrity by coming back to the true north alignment of Tadasana, and begin again. That energetic center is where you access your power. - Baron Baptiste, Being of Power
As a student at Shakti put it, The Organizing Principles are like the “mission statement of True North” and True North Alignment is like “the strategy or action plan.”
5 Organizing Principles:
Be intentional in creating the physical foundation of the pose and being up to something bigger than yourself
Balanced Action- create Stirha Sukha
The 5 Pillars- put in and keep present drishti, ujjayi, bandhas, tapas, and vinyasa
Total Body Integration- pull in, press down, and lift up to integrate. Create muscle to bone connection; pull into centerline & core
Total body expression- Press, lift, & move fully to express out. Move from center & core.
Explained in the Q&A!
Build an Inner Fire
From the skin to the muscle to the bone, hug in
Pull the pit of the belly in and up
Draw the front ribs together, expand the mid-back
Expand from the inside out
Soften Like Air
Thoracic spine draws in;
Upper arm bones back
Shoulder blades move toward the spine and press into the body
Expand from the inside out
Create Space for Something New
Draw in to create full expression out!
True North Alignment
Ground Down Like Earth
Feet:
Both feet face 12 o'clock
Ground down the 4 corners of the feet
Stretch the toes out on the mat
Legs:
Inner ankles back, outer ankles down
Outer shins in
From the skin to the muscle to the bone, hug in
Flow Like Water
Soften the joints
Keep the pelvis neutral;
Lift the front of the pelvis as the tailbone descends
Q: Should I keep in mind the True North Alignment parameters with all poses we do? We only ran through a few, so I was unsure if it's applicable to everything.
A: As described in the video, the TNA cues apply to every pose in Journey into Power as an overall integrity in the poses. The cues will usually be felt more than seen. In some cases, both feet won’t face 12' o’clock , like in Triangle. The value of TNA is really in its ability to work from the ground up creating opposition in the body based on the elements and muscle activation to protect the body and offer a more powerful expression.
Q: I did notice that I have trouble keeping in mind all of the parameters for True North Alignment (e.g., placement of feet, ankles, shins, pelvis, etc. - it's a lot to keep track of!). Did you find that these things came more automatic/natural to you with time and practice?
A: Think of the first time you learned to do anything! It takes practice, hearing cues, experiencing them in your body over and over for it to come together instantaneously. This practice is for a lifetime! The bird’s eye view of True North Alignment is the Organizing Principles and these really speak to the feeling of True North being “natural” or felt without getting hung up on where to move your ankles, place your arms, etc.