The World Turned Upside Down

[mamculuna]

"You are old, father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head
Do you think, at your age, it is right?

"In my youth," father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again." (Lewis Carroll, of course)

I went back to the intermediate yoga class this morning, and discovered it's gotten a lot more demanding, which is ultimately good. Yoga is definitely one experience that reminds you that your "reach must exceed [your] grasp, or what's a heaven for?" Making progress toward a difficult pose really is more powerful than doing one that's become easy for you.



Since I wasn't doing a lot of yoga in the summer while traveling and letting the tendinitis in my ankle heel (will buy new walking shoes in time from now on), I'd dropped back to advanced beginner classes for the late fall and early winter. But it was good to be really challenged in the long vinyasa that opened the session, moving fairly quickly from one pose to another without a lot of breaks. Our teacher used the wonderful image of each pose as a pearl strung on the string of the breath.

I was happy to see that I can do side plank pose now repeatedly (Vasisthasana), including the backbending version. I've gained some arm strength, but mostly have learned to keep my shoulders back enough that my shoulder blade supports me.

Even better was dropping back into a backbend or wheel pose(Urdhva Dhanurasana)assisted by the wall (got partway down) and then by two partners--got all the way down and back up, twice! The world looks wonderful upside down, and the trusting feeling of support from others is really healing. And I liked helping them, too.

You will definitely hear when I get this pose unassisted (you might not even need to go to Live Journal to hear it, I'll probably cheer so loud!)

I also find that in meditation during savasana at the end of class, it's much easier to fix my mind than it sometimes is when I'm just sitting. I think it's true that the practice of yoga does unite mind and body, and teaches you how to focus.

Now if I ever really achieve Samatha, you won't hear me cheering, of course. But sometimes it seems even harder than the wheel.

Comments

[carakarena.livejournal.com]

I admire you and everyone else who does yoga regularly. I have found it to be one of the most difficult things in the world to do with my body, and haven't yet been able to stick to a yoga class for any length of time.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Thanks--it's because it's so hard that I do it. That, and hoping still to be able to walk upstairs when I'm 90.

But maybe your problem has really been teachers who didn't meet you where you are. I'd suggest looking around for gentle beginner yoga classes, if it's something that you do wish you could do but just haven't been able to. The Anusara tradition (my own teacher's) is often good at meeting you at your level.

On the other hand, if it's really not appealing, it's not a big deal.

[carakarena.livejournal.com]

I think you're actually right -- I don't think I've had the best instructors. Also, in the past I've tended to take classes that maybe were too hard for me.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I can understand the desire to take classes beyond where you should be, but in yoga, truly, if you have a good teacher, you can really grow in the very easiest of classes. And better to work hard at reaching the top of that level than being in a class that's too advanced and makes you discouraged, and may even cause you to hurt yourself. Foundation is most important, I do really believe.

[carakarena.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. The classes I took had the setup where you can either do the real pose or the modified pose, and of course I would always try to do the real pose right away...duh!

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

My teacher is very good also (you can tell I love her) about giving us little mini-lessons on how important it is to practice all the aspects of yoga from the beginning, the yamas and niyamas. She keeps pointing out that ahimsa means not only non-violence toward others but also toward ourselves, and that santosha or contentment is a goal, much as tapas, or effort. The drive to deflect ego is why I think yoga is so much more congenial to me spiritually than the typical aerobics class which so often focusses on being better than everyone else, or at least on competing with your own past self.

If you try yoga again, you might like reading Donna Farhi's Bringing Yoga to Life, which is a good intro to yoga philosophy.

[gleefulfreak.livejournal.com]

Sounds wonderful! There's so much courage involved in backbending poses, opening up at the heart chakra. Being supported and guided through it is a real gift.

And yes, it's so much easier to keep the mind still after asana practice than when just sitting around. The asanas give the mind something to play with and gradually wean it off the outside world, I think, so that by the end both the mind and body are awakened but at peace.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I always think that musicians like you have a special way to key into that unity. Great image of the mind as baby, too. Mine is for sure.

[wombatina.livejournal.com]

i think that lewis caroll quote should go on my headstone (stand?) thanks for posting that. and yay to backbends. we did splits in my last class. we're getting what we secretly desire aren't we!