Something New

While we were traveling, a friend took me to her usual class at 7th Heaven. The teacher suggested rolling on top of the front foot in pigeon pose,
whereas I have been using a flexed foot.
I've been trying it this new way since- they way the muscles in the outer thigh and hip are effected is really quite different.
I'm going to have to contemplate this for a while- Pigeon is like a brand new pose.

Yoga Without Drama

When a church-member fell and dislocated his shoulder, it was explained to me that though "popping it back into place" is excruciatingly painful, there is a huge drop off in pain that follows. There is a dramatic solution followed by relative peace.

When I first started going to a massage therapist, I would come in with some painful knots or cramped muscles, and expect some kind of equally dramatic resolution to the problem; some kind of breakthrough or the kind of "pop" back into place one experiences on occasion in Chiropractic. Instead what I usually got was a moderate easing of the tension; relaxation rather than release.

This physical experience started to work on my sense of how other kind of tension can be resolved. Much of my life I had thought that psychological or social tension could only be resolved through a climactic dramatic event. If you've ever watched The O.C. you know that all problems are resolved through embarrassing scenes at important public events. I likewise assumed that my problems required some kind of cathartic blow-up or at least an opportunity to monologue and have a good cry.

But in my yoga practice I began to learn that many problems in the physical body can be resolved by backing off when you meet your edge. I had a pain once in my hamstring and so stretched it and stretched it hoping for release. Finally I realized that actually the pain was caused by over-stretching. Nothing was going to heal it but rest (well, maybe some ice and a little Arnica gel). Pushing harder was never going to resolve the problem.

One of the most challenging things I ever had to learn in yoga was how to soften a muscle. (I am still working on this, but at least I understand now that it is possible). I had some chronic upper back knots for awhile and assumed I would have to wait for my next massage to have the knots "broken up" but as I didn't have the funds for a massage just then, I asked my yoga teachers for advice and found a couple Yoga Journal articles on the topic. Whereas I was stretching my arms forward to release the back, they were all suggesting that I stretch my arms behind me to just allow the muscles some relief. One even suggested I "soften the muscles." This is quite a different paradigm. I want some hero to swoop in and to break up the knots, but am learning that for many problems in my life I can just focus my attention on allowing the area in crisis to soften.

Certainly there are times when one's life or relationships are out of alignment and only an act of will and strength can pop them back into a healthy place, but even when one gets chiropractic adjustment, it is important to have the muscles as relaxed as possible for the adjustment to work, and if the muscles are tightly held, there can be more pain in the recovery.

I start to apply this to the rest of my life as well. Maybe I don't need a dramatic ending to my conflict with another person, or to my inner struggles. Maybe I just need to soften. Sure it's a more exciting story when the resolution involves a dramatic event, but I no longer look for drama as the first solution to the tensions in my life.

Variation

When we were working on peacock in triads yesterday, one of my partners apologized "I know it's cheating but I turn the block short-ways because my shoulders are tight" I replied with a chuckle "If you are making a conscious choice it's not a cheat it's a 'variation'." Then it sunk in- that is exactly what a variation is.

Toes

Yesterday when my teacher asked us to lift up our toes in Down Dog, I looked and they were actually off the floor! I assumed that for me this would always be one of those imaginary things that I would never really achieve, just creatively visualize. Hooray for toes!

integration

Recently my Anusara teacher focused class on integrating the strong and the weak parts of the self into one whole. She did such a lovely job, really she could be a preacher. It was like an idea that had been amorphous in my mind, though it under girded my evolving thinking about my practice, suddenly was clarified. If you believe in the wholeness of the self, then your weak, tight, or injured places are not the bad parts of you holding you back from the perfect pose, they are just part of the self which must be integrated into your practice as much as the strong, flexible, healthy parts of yourself.

Growing in your practice is about finding your own expression of the pose, the expression which includes all your years of practice and the strength you have built, while protecting your weak wrist or twitchy psoas. It took less time for me to learn to get into Crane than it did to learn (the hard way) that if I straighten my arms fully I risk an injury that is going to keep me off arm-balances for months. I'm proud of my bent-armed bakasana because it allows me to practice not only strength and balance, but self-knowledge.