At the beginning of each class, I ask students to sit in easy pose on their mat and “arrive” to the class. This is a practice I have picked up from mentors in the past, and it is a vitally important part of my practice. The act of arriving is not simply getting out of your car and walking into the building. That may be physically arriving somewhere in the literal sense, but if you are in the studio in body but elsewhere in your mind, your practice suffers. Have you ever gone through the motions for the first twenty minutes of a yoga class, just trying to keep up with the poses while you’re thinking about where you came from and what you are doing after class? This means that while you might be physically in class, you have definitely not arrived yet.
There are a few steps you can take to arrive in a space or situation. First, consciously choose to allow your thoughts to take a step back in your mind. Bring your focus to the present moment. Trying to block thoughts or “empty the mind” is futile; the mind is a machine which is made for thinking and you cannot stop it. But what you can do is decide not to cling to the thoughts as they pass through. Being mindful means noticing that you are still having thoughts but you are not feeling like you need to follow them down the rabbit hole, sort to speak. Arriving means you are only paying attention to what is happening in the here and now, leaving the “no longer” and the “not yet” on the back burner for the time being.
The second step to arriving is to awaken your senses. This means taking an inventory of what you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel. Walk yourself through each sense in turn, simply noticing each sensation. You may think to yourself “I hear the wind” or “I smell my own shampoo.” You may also notice unpleasant sensations like an uncomfortable fold in your clothing or an ant crawling on your foot. Do your best to only notice sensations without trying to fix or adjust them. Of course, if it is essential to your ability to concentrate that you brush away the ant or adjust your clothing, do so, but the main idea here is to simply notice and appreciate each thing as you experience it through the exquisite senses you are gifted with.
Checking in with your physical body is another way to arrive. Scan your body and simply notice how it feels. Do you have a tightness somewhere, a soreness, heat or cold? Is the state of the body lethargic and heavy, energetic or jumpy? Again, try to sit with any feelings that you come across without trying to fix or adjust anything. Be present and accepting of the body that you are in right now, not the one you wish you had. For those who have suffered trauma or struggle with anxiety, do your body scan carefully and with self-compassion. You may only choose to focus on body parts that are safe zones for you to check in with, leaving areas of the body that you are not ready to work with for another time. Part of being present is knowing where your boundaries are and respecting them.
Last, fully arrive by bringing the focus to the breath. If you are arriving for a yoga class, this is the time where you may drop into your yogic breathing, practice a three part breath or ujjayi breathing, whichever suits you best. Pranayama is simply breathing with intention. If you are practicing arriving as a part of your meditation or mindfulness ritual, staying with the natural breath patterns is best. Again, be an observer here; what does the air feel like as it enters and leaves through your nostrils or mouth? What parts of your torso inflate or change with your breath? Is the breath hard or soft, quick, slow, shallow or deep? Many people find it very difficult to focus on the breath without changing it in some way. It takes time and practice to be able to simply observe without adjusting. If focusing on the breath triggers anxiety for you, try starting by placing one hand on the belly and just focus on the movement that the belly makes as you sit. You may also choose to leave the breath work for another time and go back to the body scan or five senses.
Practice arriving often, daily if possible, and in a variety of places and situations. Arriving is a tool that you can use at any time, and is especially handy when you are in a stressful or challenging situation or you are feeling anxious; another “tool for the toolbox.”
I hope to see you “arriving” in a yoga class with me soon, but until then - Namaste!
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