| Drishti – Focused Gaze |
| Ujjayi – Breath |
| Bandhas – Foundation: Core, Hands and Feet |
| Tapas – Heat |
| Vinyasa – Flow |
The foundation of any solid structure begins with small, simple structures and builds upon them.
Maybe y’all already joined us for a class and heard us refer to the 5 Pillars of Baptiste Yoga. Outlined below, we’ll dive into these Pillars in more detail in future posts. Happy reading, and stop by again soon for more.
Drishti
We begin with the gaze, your drishti. What are you setting your sights on? Are you looking up? Down? Everywhere except where you’d like to be headed? From the first moment you step on your mat, we ask you to steady your gaze (drishti) and be intentional with where you aim your sight. Put your attention ON what you want to have happen and be for it.
Ujjayi
Are you breathing? If you are breathing you can do yoga. The Baptiste Yoga practice links movement to breath, bringing power, vitality and freedom to you as the result. Ujjayi pranayama calms your nervous system and turns up the heat from the inside out.
Bandhas
Establishing your physical foundation through activation of your body locks. Your core, hands and feet all have bandhas. Bandhas are “locks” that you engage to pull your body’s energy inward. PULL IN, PRESS DOWN & LIFT UP to integrate. Create muscle to bone connection.
Tapas
Tapas can be defined as “fiery discipline” or “zeal”. Tapas is what occurs when you put drishti, ujjayi and bandhas into action. In Baptiste Yoga we practice in a heated room (90F/32C) and use our ujjayi breath to create heat within the body. This heat is a tool for transformation of mind, body and spirit.
Vinyasa
Moving your body in synchronicity with your breath allows you to access a new level of awareness of your body, your power, your capabilities. Vinyasa means to flow. The Baptiste Yoga we practice at All Y’All Yoga flows from pose to pose, stopping briefly to refine alignment, integration, intention.
Step into your Power
At All Y’All Yoga, we offer many Baptiste Journey into Power class options a week and we love to talk about the 5 Pillar so you’ll get to know them for yourself each time you step into your Power with our Friendly Neighborhood Yogis teaching. You don’t have to take our word for it, either. Yoga is existential, experiential, experimental – in other words, find out for yourself.
Love y’all. See you on the mat soon.
