It is said that the body doesn’t bring us to the yoga pose. The pose brings us to the body. Sounds right to me, and here's a quick story to elaborate and share the rewards of this wisdom.
One day, work had been frenzied. Constant low-grade stress of solving problems, getting tasks done, interacting in and calming challenging situations. My attention has been shifted from the internal space and time--where and when life happens--to lots of busy-ness. Intensely. All day.
I was determined to complete an hour of yoga after work. My mind was drifting, though, still stuck in the day. As a result, the body wasn’t cooperating. The poses were weak, uncomfortable, unsteady, dissatisfying. I recognized the risk of injury due to my distracted attention, which explained the low-grade fear that was causing further resistance and contraction. Expanding in yoga poses is safer and more productive than contracting. But this day, I wasn’t paying attention, with the mind focused on the past.
With recognition of the potential danger for injury, I drew a deep breath and focused on “filling” my body, so that the body felt thoroughly “occupied.” Attention was concentrated on all the extremities. The whole body was activated, from the toes/feet, hands/fingers, head/mind and everything in between. I was “all in.”
The poses became more comfortable, stable, easy, strong, and safe. I became more courageous and confident. The body more fully expressed itself in the most satisfying ways. As my attention would drift off, I returned to the breath, the body, the moment, and to myself—the experience of the self that feels most comfortable, stable, easy, safe, strong, and complete.
This valuable tool translates perfectly to life off the mat.
When we are feeling unsteady, contracted, weak, dissatisfied, and anxious, with the mind drifting elsewhere, a deep breath and focused attention on the body brings us back to ourselves. Returning awareness to the body, the breath, and the moment is effective and curative. There are endless opportunities to return to ourselves, such as focusing on each step we take, connecting with our bottoms as we sit, feeling our hands in the water as we wash dishes. And always a deep, smooth, long breath.
When asked what my favorite yoga pose is, I always respond “Mountain Pose” (tadasana). It can be done anywhere, all day long. It's just standing, but with full attention: feet grounding, thigh muscles engaging so the knees lift, pit of the abdomen lifting up and in, the crown of the head lifting toward the sky so the spine extends fully. As we start from the foundation of the feet and work our awareness upward, we feel lighter on our feet. The pose will bring us home, to calm, steady, ease. The best part: it can be done while waiting in line, standing at the copier, anywhere.
Riding the breath and returning to the body and to the moment is a practice in concentration and awareness. As we practice in “easy” times (through meditation, poses, breathing, etc) the skill becomes more accessible and productive in harder ones.
Awareness leads to self-realization of a complete human experience: confident, courageous, stead, and easy. Just as the poses can always grow, expand, and deepen, so too can awareness.
By observing and responding to our internal condition, we can shift to the best, most comfortable experience of ourselves. Moment by moment.
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