Relaxed, Awake Awareness

In this week’s class we explored what I think is an often overlooked yet very beautiful quality of our inner practice. It is the cultivation of ‘’relaxed, awake awareness’’.

It is a quality of presence that is both relaxed and present. Attentive in a spacious, open way.

We often associate relaxation with sleepiness since for many of us the only time we really relax consciously is when we go to bed. Beginners to yoga often fall asleep immediately at first in Savasana as the sleep association is so overpowering. Over time and with practice, a natural and beautiful quality of presence can develop, of being able to hold the relaxation whilst remaining gently attentive.

At the same time it’s also possible that we associate focus with tension, for example in working life. Over time and with practice we learn that we can be attentive whilst open and spacious; almost effortless.

This subtle state can arise in Savasana and meditation (and also spontaneously in other postures or moments of life) of resting in wakeful awareness.

In deep rest the body is ‘as though night’, completely at rest, whilst the mind is ‘as though day’, still with a flicker of wakeful awareness, present and awake to the inner landscape of rest

This subtle state is a gem in our deepening path of yoga…