Backbending

Being vs. Doing

2012-02-15T11:45:00.002-08:00

How the practice of yoga leads to the state of 'being' versus 'doing' and fulfills the purpose of the journey.

A well known practitioner of Ashtanga-yoga used to jokingly say, "Don't make an ass of yourself practicing yoga-ass-ana." This is somewhat paraphrased but it drives home the point that yoga is not just for the sake of the postures alone. Paradoxically, however, it is from doing the practice and perhaps from being an ass that we can experience a deeper idea of what it really is all about.

Inherent in the practice is a unique method of using the breath combined with the body. As we move from one posture to another with a focus on staying longer there are pockets or moments of feeling relief. As intangible as these moments may feel they gradually bridge the state of 'doing' to the one of 'being'. One of the complaints about yoga in the West today is how it namely gets taken up for manic reasons without shedding the layers of pride, egotism and arrogance. Rather than letting go there is pride, conceit and vanity. Given that the West is generally known for being spiritually smaller than the East there is often a lack of practising yoga for a higher purpose. The journey lies in the way practice takes us from doing to being. But the question is how aware are we in understanding this?

Everything about the practice is a clear set-up to elicit stillness. These are with the breath, the focus points, the length of time a posture is held and the resting posture at the end of class. A typical class contains a clear beginning in which the mind is directed inwardly, a series of postures practiced to help the mind from going out and the resting pose finishes the class (the corpse).

The whole thing about practice is found in the Yoga Sutras. One of the sutras states that to lessen thoughts and to develop mastery is the meaning of yoga. This is Sutra II (re: Yoga is the cessation of thoughts). This simple statement contains a great deal of insight but also produces a few questions. That is, what does mastery really mean? Do we achieve this by struggling? Usually we think of mastery as getting the posture. It can also imply that one has developed a skill in getting into and out of a pose. However, what is not clarified is the struggle to remain in a posture without gripping one's jaw or losing one's breath. If yoga is about stillness then then this is not mastery even if the outer form looks like it.

Mastery is instead an overall process and not a finite by-product. It comes from moving, doing and to gradually being. We do not practice to count how many postures we can get done in an hour, but for the quality in learning "how" to watch the breath, the body and the thoughts. Essentially the postures of yoga are to set-up an on-going process in training the mind and the body 'to be'.

Another sutra that speaks to the practice is the effort put toward it become effortless. In Sutra 47, the efforts cease and the quality of the postures arises.

Yoga Sutra II, 47: "Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached." B.K.S. Iyengar,
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
The best way to understand this is that each pose while having an element of struggle also contains a level of relaxation. This, however, is diferent from pose to pose. The point of relaxation is not the same in the wheel as it is in the bow. If we only struggle and fight to get into the postures there will be no chance to relax, reflect and expand. This is why the end product or result is not stessed in the process. It is more like an elastic band stretching with great care.

In many ways practice is like learning to ride a bicycle. In the beginning there is a great effort, but as one learns how to cycle a natural rhythm gets created. As much as practice is about a struggle to maintain good health, it is also not a continous one without relief. Relief and the state of being are the balance in doing and the effort made. In any posture of yoga it is a perfect place to practice 'doing' and 'being' and 'being' and 'doing'. We learn to take both and become one with them.

That is how the postures lead to a state beyond just being an ass-ana!

Really Yoga: Understanding pain as a teacher and not the enemy

2012-02-09T10:21:00.001-08:00

It is true that pain, discomfort and disturbances surface by practising yoga. "Pain? .... but isn't yoga supposed to be a 'feel-good' activity?" I am not saying that it isn't, but for those already familiar with the rigors of the practice this statement might come as a relief. What I mean is that just because you feel uncomfortable does not mean you are doing it wrong. Conversely, having pain is not a qualifier toward a great practice. The trouble really lies in understanding that no spiritual practice (yoga, meditation or any other related subject) was meant to be an unobstructed ride. In fact, it is the most challenging and demanding path an individual can pursue (Georg Feuerstein, The Lost Teachings of Yoga).

With the increasing number of people practicing yoga (estimated over 40 million since 2004), it is bound to stir the hidden tension and stress in the body and mind. The practice is actually designed to reveal what is repressed and neglected. No one can climb up the mountain without overturning a few stones. The unexpected takes place, it looked easier than it is and it demands so much more than the 1,2,3 you’re done approach!

When I first started practicing yoga I had some flexibility but certainly not to the degree I later developed. I also lacked strength in many parts of my body as well as my mind. Studying under Indian Yoga Masters helped drill this latter point into my head. That is, the practice of the physical asanas is an indirect route to training the mind. Real practice for anyone and at all levels should not miss this. That's why I am not in favour of teachers who tell students that it is “okay” to practice a little, don’t push yourself too much and relax more. Maybe that student has made a habit out of relaxing and chronically does not challenge themselves and likes resting on their laurels. It is the human thing to do. That said, I am also not in favour of throwing a student into the lion’s den, pushing people over and watching them fall and calling it “building up fear tolerance”. In fact, I find it ignorant and counter-productive and makes people believe pain is good, Yoga is pain and without it maybe I am not working hard enough.

Because yoga has often been narrowed into the physical stream with pain as a trophy for many (i.e., I suffered this and achieved that) there is a slow landslide in understanding why, how and what it is all about. Paradoxically we work with the physical postures to move the mind, to awaken the dormant energies and to develop a better understanding of oneself, one’s habits and ultimately one’s purpose. Isn’t it a tired motivation to push for flexibility, strength and mobility alone? Yes, these are worthy and surely we should develop some, but it needs to be tempered with a greater intention. Hence why we get to have the privilege in calling what we practice Yoga.

Pain as many great teachers say is the greatest teacher of all (Jon Kabit-Zinn). And yet learning or rather finding out how to use and work pain is the bigger challenge for all of us. Yoga offers this in a real and tangible way. If we want to walk on this path wholeheartedly then it will challenge us in all directions revealing what it is we need to know and where it is we need to go.

I used to have a lot of pain in my knees when I studied with Shri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore. I brought that pain with me. Being early on in my practice there were many impurities and weaknesses to work with. When I studied under him it was the days of hands-on assistance, very few students and little popularity in Ashtanga-yoga. The approach was to let me practice, strap my body into the asana (ready or not) and continue to practice. Each day I hobbled into class Pattabhi Jois was not baffled at the pain I was in. Call it my ego, my impure body and mind or that I was not fit enough, I struggled like a worm trying to break free of its cocoon. Guruji (the affectionate name for Pattabji Jois) used to say, "little pain today, gone tomorrow." I don't think any one of us truly appreciated that until tomorrow became many tomorrow's later (even years later).

What I have personally discovered is the journey of yoga is built upon how to work with the breath, the body and the mind. As a teacher, I impose this method onto those who study with me. Working on the body through the body alone does not work anyway. As well, we often have been conditioned in the West to look for the teacher to give us the solution, but it is our own inner guide that must rise to the surface. The external teacher only reveals where we are stuck physically. And like it or not, it is up to the individual to find their own way home. That is why Guruji did not hold my hand or wipe my tears. He just let me practice and watched....supporting me with his energy and his gaze.

I do not find this a cold, uncaring approach. I find it is the student who has to do 80 per cent of the work and the teacher 20 per cent. Having worked through numerous layers of the body, my approach has and will always be in helping others develop a personalized system that works and makes sense for them. When one wants to do the desired lotus pose, as an example, it will not come from shoving the knee into the pose. It will grow like the lotus from a deep place and with an intelligent approach that starts from working from the outside in. If the goal is lotus then the pre-goals are in opening the hips, the lower back, developing stomach control and loosening the legs. The umbrella to this is the connection to the mind and its habitual clinging to the disturbances of the body. This umbrella will also shelter the bridge between them: the breath.

Breath directs thoughts, feelings and consciousness. Through the breath the body moves (not vice versa). Through the breath the mind moves (not vice versa). This is a fairly simple revelation but a critical aspect to practice. When working through intense pain this is the approach. While working through layers of physical resistance this is the approach. And even when having fun this remains the approach.

Knowing the technical aspects is also not enough. In fact, the techniques can be learned pretty quickly in just about any pose. But what takes time (a life-time) is the understanding of the multiple layers of the mind, the nuances of the postures and bringing the scattered mind to a still place.

Today we either have people saying pain is necessary for practice and let’s bull-doze through it. Or, feeling afraid of the pain and becoming paralyzed. The fact is as many Buddhists discuss life is pain, life is suffering and yet it is also beautiful (Chogyam Trungpa). Furthermore, 'sat' practice (meaning 'true' practice) will reveal many of our short-comings and limitations, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Having worked through many injuries with my knees, pain in my back and joints as well as accidents, it is because of pain that practice gets us ignited, but it should not remain because of it.

Pushing through pain only creates more of the same. Therefore, working carefully, gradually and with reflection is the only way to understand pain as a teacher and not to remain in pain. Practice is not about getting rid of but slowly ironing it out and down. Breathing, meditation, postures, chanting, reading scriptures and working with a qualified teacher creates a practice that teaches you how to work with your own body, your breath and your mind as it is, and in any given state.

Working yoga is having yoga work for you as a life practice and partner; sharing in all that comes.

Birds of a Feather

2012-01-25T08:54:00.001-08:00

one leg to eat cheese . . .

one leg to phone . . .

Recently one of my students sent me this; comparing how a bird can eat cheese with one leg and how I use the phone with one leg.

This little bird definitely has an advantage, I think, being able to eat with one leg. Birds are not missing much by not being able to make a phone call. They can deliver their messages first-hand.

The Practice of Doubt

2011-12-04T05:42:00.001-08:00

There comes a point in most practitioner’s journey when the questions of 'why' am I practicing and 'if' the postures of yoga are worthwhile begin to surface themselves. Doubt (one of the 9 kleshas) as laid out by Patajalim in the Yoga Sutras is an affliction or mental aversion. As my teacher Yogacharya Venkatesha told me it is best to deal with doubt as soon as it arises otherwise it will follow you and wreak havoc with your practice. But this is not to imply that it doesn't come up again later on. In fact, it may be masked by other feelings such as frustration, pain or recklessness. The main point is not how it appears but rather that it is acknowledged and dealt with. From the perspectives of the teachings of yoga it is a part of the path; not something to be thrown away or rejected. It can be used to strengthen practice and oneself provided it is properly understood.

First, in the Yoga Sutras the concept of doubt is a mental fluctuation arising from past karmas and deeply rooted in the mind. Second, doubt is not as solid as it looks and feels, but changeable and workable. At a time when you'd love to skip the sequence, jump the track and move onto something else doubt, frustration and impatience keep you stuck. In many ways this is something to be grateful for because the practice will not let you bullshit yourself. Either you have practiced the basics well and are ready to move forward or you have not. Simple. There may also come a time when one thinks they have practiced enough to be deserving of certain postures, but the reality of yoga and its evolution does not work with this equation. In my practice and after learning many of the advanced postures my teacher did not let me practice them when I studied with him. He lead me back to square one; i.e., to the basics. It was a painful place to remain for the ego.

The whole idea behind this was to never forget that practicing yoga is not about physical mastery alone. As well, it should include chanting and meditation, and become a life-time commitment. However, impatience and feelings of wanting it all now can cause a lot of doubt to surface. When someone asks me how long it will take to master a certain pose I usually say for the rest of their life. They roll their eyes and nod at my seemingly trite reply. However, it is the truth. Because even after reaching whatever goal you had set out to obtain the very nature of the mind is to be off in another direction and looking for the next thing to achieve. This has a lot to do with cultural conditioning and if learn to move faster and get there sooner you might get to the top. And yet, 'true' yoga does not gel with this myth.

It really becomes important to be reminded that the practice of yoga is not just an end result in physical proficiency but an inner state of transformation. Or, perhaps one should say being open to this possibility. Asanas are the invitation for creating and developing an inner fire, a heat called 'tapas' that ignites change on all levels. Patajalim stressed seated asanas not handstands and vinyasas. Postures like sukhasan (comfortable seating pose) or padmasan (lotus) are the ultimate goal in then learning to meditate.

The funny aspect of doubt is how it can bring to light the two extremes the mind jumps between. That is, feeling as if it is taking too long for any kind of decent result (usually directed at the physical level) and trying to compensate for this by over-practicing. Or, having the idea that practice owes you something for all your hard work and trying to rush through the sequence to arrive sooner and faster. Yet, the bottom line is nothing can be achieved from a haphazard approach. The sutras painstakingly remind us that practice needs to be consistent and constant.

Certainly this is not easy to swallow in a fast thinking and product orientated culture for which the West is famous for. But this is where yoga outshines other practices and disciplines. If you learn to hang in there you may just see all of this ‘stuff’ for what exactly what it is: the mind’s game to throw you off or away.

The basis of the yoga postures lies in training the mind to move with the body in a continuous stream of prana (or known as the breath). Ultimately, it is not about touching your feet to your head or sitting in lotus as it is about understanding the scattered behaviour of the mind. Usually the mind is good at undermining your practice especially if there are bigger expectations than those which have been achieved. Saying this, however, does not mean that a healthy dose of vim and vigour should not be taken into one's practice. It is more about awareness and seeing the mind’s silly game. In fact, having a sense of urgency in that this might be your last practice is helpful especially if there is a tendency to be passive or in auto-pilot.

Many years ago my teacher actually told me to think while practising, stay longer and be still. It is very similar to Shri K. Pattahi Jois’s well known phrase in which he said, "Practice and all is coming". By this he did not mean practice mindlessly or blindly, but practice with vim, vigour, sincerely and with all that you can devote yourself to. Practising like this will take one further than expected and throw out the mind's limitations, and fears. It is like George Bernard Shaw who said,
“I want to be thoroughly used up when I die,
for the harder I work the more I live.
I rejoice in life for its own sake.”
I feel practice can become like this. That is, for its own sake and not for the sake of only a physical goal. My own teacher’s simple but powerful statement has always stuck with me. By 'think' he meant learn to concentrate. As well, you can go on looking for results or enjoy your practice as it comes. B.K.S. Iyengar (a Yoga Master in Pune, India) was good at repeating something in the same effect. “Do not practice from memory. Forget yesterday’s practice and focus on today’s practice." He was also adamant that one should not practice only what they know, but enter into the arena of what one cannot do. The former helps build confidence while the latter reduces arrogance and unnecessary pride.

I personally believe when doubts surface and the question of 'why' is it taking so long to reach a certain place that it is a means to better understanding one’s habitual state of mind. If one can catch themselves openly in the self-doubt record and bring it to light, the same doubt that produced thoughts of inadequacy may also become the same force that allows one to change their approach, and continue to practice. Becoming a Master is like being a student all the time. Those who do surely are battling doubt and have learned to practice well.

~ Om tat sat.

Comparing Asanas along the Path

2011-10-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

In yoga it is taught that comparing ourselves to others is not a good way to walk along the path. Frankly speaking having a bit of what I call 'heathly' comparison is not a bad thing. Furthermore being competitive is not necessarily wrong either. Let me explain.

First, with respect to comparing outselves I am referring to comparing asanas across the board so that we can learn not just about the posture itself, but how it works in our own bodies. Done wisely and well, this helps us better understand why when I bend my knees my back moves forward and when I lift one leg the other turns out on an angle. Second, I have never had an interest in beating someone else out I do have an interest in improving myself. I would like to stay competitive to my former selves rather than continue with the same stuff, unchallenged habits and general automatic pilot tendencies. I wish to reflect on what I am doing, why and how.

When we look at the postures of yoga we often see them as being separate from the others. There is a fascinating discovery in coming to know, however, they are much more integrated and a part of each other. Comparing asanas and movements help us not only to understand how the body works, but also how the mind gets trapped into thinking about ‘one way’ of practising. There are many ways to practice hence the large number of Masters that have emerged over time.

If we look more closely we may see that the forward bend, backbend and standing straight pose have certain elements in common. These present three different (and polar opposite) movements. When standing straight there is pressure on the heels and the legs are strong. In the standing pose of yoga (samasthithi) the buttocks and thighs are contracted, the abdomen drawn in and the sternum lifted. In forward bend, the legs are strong to support the stretch along the back, with the chest moving out as the shoulders roll down and the abdomen is moving inward to support the lift and stretch in the back of waist. The spine is folding downward but essentially resembles the same way it may appear while standing. In the wheel (a familiar backbend to many), the feet are strong and the thighs are pressing upward. There is more pressure on the waist and back, which is not felt while standing or folding forward. However, the movement of the abdomen as well as the arms lengthening as if they were beside your body while standing is similar. Gradually folding back and into a forward pose can begin to feel like a continuum; different beads on the same mala (a garland used for meditation).

In my classes, I teach people to sit in a vajrasana (kneeling pose) or sukhasan (a comfortable cross-legged position if required) between the postures they are practicing. The purpose of this is to return to a calm inner place and to feel the affects of the asana. An equally important objective, however, is to lead the student indirectly to the threshold of their own mind. If the teacher points out to the student where they are not breathing and where they are approaching the asana with a “fixed” perception it usually does not penetrate the students' mind. This is why at a certain point (unlike the conventional Western way of teaching), the yoga teacher lets the student explore on their own. Self-discovery and self-reliance are two of the best gifts that yoga can offer. I do not believe that the teacher's role is to try to define anyone's practice. Suggestions and insructional points are a must, but the entire premise of a yoga class is to create an atmosphere conducive for self-exploration.

While it may appear like an abstract view for some, it is certainly more of an approach that will nurture what yoga intends to provide. That is, a path to know what works, what does not, how your body reacts and to discipline the mind from its continuous identification with "me", "I" and "other".

One of the greatest points that is often missed is that the teacher guides the student toward being their own inner guide. It is the understanding you have all you need to practice and to travel along the path. What has not happened is the knowledge that this is actually the case.

Meeting Your Edge at the Wheel

2011-10-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

"Consistent practice leads to changing perspectives. An altered perspective leads to taking greater risks and not just meeting but going over the edge."
While practising the postures of yoga teachers often talk about meeting 'the edge.' This is usually referring to the place where you feel challenged or that elicits fear and/or resistance. It can also be meant to refer to the place where you are holding back, not letting go and wanting to make it happen in 'your' way. We may perceive our edge as the limit in which we can only physically bend so far. But what about the internal edge? The places of fear and the areas we do not like about ourselves?

The edge really can be understood in a number of ways. However, the main point from what I have understood with my teacher is that this is the place you need to stay; not run away from. Moreover, it is not so much the external edge as it is the internal one we need to turn our gaze (the drithis) toward.

In teaching backbending and in particular the drop-back from standing to wheel the edge or external limit is often reached very quickly. In other words, it is such a challenging move for many students that fears and feelings of doubt surface rapidly. This is the internal edge and quite often the place where many give up or run away. Looked upon from a different perspective it can also become the perfect place to explore 'the edge' and therefore our perceptions.

The zen story about the overflowing tea cup reminds us about how we need to shift our perspective. If the teacher keeps pouring tea into a full cup it will continue to overflow; there being no room for growth or expansion. The same is true when we come to the teacher with fixed notions or want to force the body into a prescribed shape with only an external viewpoint. Lacking an internal focus or awareness in both conditions is like the tea that spills over the cup, onto the floor and into the sewer.

So when the edge appears and we are faced with how to move beyond it, it may become counter-productive if in fact we are not able to undo, let go and challenge our 'known' perspectives. It is like being too full, however, at the same time still wanting more. People tend to forget that the whole purpose of yoga practice (including yogasana) is not to continue to "get stuff" but rather to let go and loosen up. Practice is far from being about acquiring more tools as it is about un-doing and un-learning.

Trying then to push past the edge usually does not work. It will surface again in another posture. Forcing it will not work because the physical muscles have not been trained to endure it and the mind is not familiar with what is happening. Iyengar once wrote you cannot tell the knee to bend with the brain. While everyone may want to learn the classic lotus pose it is not doable with this approach. Iyengar suggests in a very poetic like fashion to study and understand the intelligence of the knee; slowly removing its stiffness. The limits we come across in practice whether in the back or the knee (re: the physical edge or mental one) can be understood as a relative point in time, practice and space. It is subject to change. But more often we tend to perceive it as something solid and not subject to change with time and practice.

OF course writing all of this is really just a bunch of words. How does it apply to actual practice? Here are a few ideas to kick around. However, do bear in mind that not every suggestion will be suitable for all. In fact, the cookie-cutter approach leaves many people thinking yoga is only for the born flexible. These are only a few starting points from how to approach the standing pose into the wheel.

Contract and relax the muscles of the buttocks and legs. This is one part of two. The second part is to allow the spine to rise and fall and become aware of this being the natural tendency. The contraction/relaxation should be done over a series of breathings not up/down in rapid movements. It works better to hold the pose, breathe and contract followed by relaxing while breathing and isolating certain muscles over each other. Re: the legs contract and the buttocks relax.

Train your mind to never stop feeling and thinking of the breath. Every move (whether it is big or small) is generated by the breath. This is how it really goes whether you are aware of it or not. Learning to “wait for the breath” and then combining with the body is challenging. This method will aid you in learning to stay longer without letting the mind direct the posture. It is a way of understanding how the prana (the vital force) is more powerful than the physical body and its fluctuations.

While practising consider the central theme(s) of yoga beyond the flexibility of the body. It is the teachings about how the mind is a container of fluctuations. This should not be misunderstood as suppression or denial. It is through the physical body we are working. However, it is not through the physical body alone that you will move the body deeper. It is by channelling the energy, the prana, focusing the mind and then shaping it with the body.

Breathing and Backbending

2011-10-03T02:14:00.001-07:00

Photo: The Indian Sky (Mysore)
It is surprising to realize that our longest standing companion, who has been with us since birth and will only leave us at death, is often the most taken for granted and neglected aspect of ourselves. The breath (the vital source) that moves the body provides the energy and drive to sustain it in all postures. The breath is always there even if we are not. One of the most common approaches to practice is to think of the breath after stretching the body. However, in yoga it is the other way around. The breath is first and last.

Improper exercise and quite possibly the aerobics era made breathing obsolete. Learning how to breathe is the first lesson of yoga and especially if you learn it in India or from a guru. Most people in North America are introduced to yoga with the Bums to Steel approach; later on recognizing that yoga is actually a whole of practices, thinking and even ritual. In fact, yoga is far less exercise as it is mental discipline. Yet, we start from where we know and what we can understand said B.K.S. Iyengar in many of his teachings. And that place has to be the body before getting to know some of the more subtle and/or obvious aspects of practice like the breath.

Here is an exercise that will increase awareness and an appreciation for the breath (the latter is perhaps more important).

Exercise: Take any posture of yoga and practice to observe your breath. Is it short? Is it long? Can you suspend your drive to force the body and listen to the breath? Are the breaths the same duration? Which one do you favour (the inhalation or the exhalation)?

Generally speaking if you are not breathing you are probably trying to force your body into the position with your mind. Depending on much strain you can take this approach might work but only to a certain degree. It is actually a very limited approach and why many people end hurting themselves and not understanding why. B.K.S. Iyengar said a very interesting thing which was recorded in The Tree of Yoga (a series of lectures recorded by his students). He said if you take the lotus pose and tell your brain, “Let’s do it.” Your knee will break. Your knee cannot be drive by your brain and your knee does not have the mobility to simply fold over. What is needed is an ability to study the mechanics of the knee and to systemically remove the stiffness. It cannot be done in one or two moves. It might even take a few years to understand the knee mentally, emotionally and physically.

Because every yoga posture is a point of concentration when you stop the breath you will also lose your focus. Becoming aware of these habits is a central the purpose of practice. This is why it cannot be overemphasized that it is holding a physical posture which is harder than just “getting”. You breathe to feel your body, to relax your mind and to open yourself to the experience. Whatever comes up mentally, emotionally and/or physically is the raw material for practice.

For example, if there is pain this is a sign you are doing something wrong. If there are strong sensations you may need to deepen your focus on how you are breathing. If you feel emotional you may have noticed you stopped the breath, which is a sign of control or withholding.

How this applies to the practice of backbends is multi-faceted and invigorating. Some backbends are simple while others are complex. They are rooted to our mental patterns and hidden tendencies. Ultimately whatever you are working with in practice is your canvas. It is your mental attitude, expectations and desires, which have labelled them as being either good or bad. That is why yoga is not just grapping your ankles and you're done. The pose cannot be judged from the outside because it is ultimately an inner experience. Just because the gal beside you in class looks super ‘flexy’ does not mean she has reached the depth of the asana on the mental level. Although we have come to judge the posture by the physical practice this has left out what it really is about.

Here are a few methods you can apply to your practice using the breath:
1. Practice to observe without judging yourself (re: "I should be doing more." "I am not very good at this pose."
2. Develop the opposite reaction (re: if you are not breathing in wheel you begin to tell yourself to first relax and breathe).
3. Discover if you gravitate to either your 'in' or 'out' breath.
4. Free yourself of thoughts of ‘trying to do’, ‘forcing’ and a competitive attitude (yoga is meant to be a practice to reduce externals and to focus on internals). Don’t ‘try’ just ‘do’.
5. Return to number 1.

For more advanced thinking try these ideas:

Visualize yourself not as physical body breathing but as a breathing body;

Understand that you cannot move well or fully (or really at all) without the breath;

Slow your mind down and move only with your breath.

Above all, have some fun while practising. One of my first yoga teachers said yogasana is like 'play'. People get very upset with themselves when they cannot perform well. But where does this kind of thinking get you? The practice is like a game; sometimes you do well, other times you do not. Perhaps you even learn more if you don't always win or succeed in 'getting a posture'.