I was reading over my studio's newsletter for June and they had my teacher as the "Teacher Spotlight" for the month where she says:
Susan "Lip" Orem - on Overcoming Obstacles
Tight shoulders. Hamstrung hamstrings. Hopeless hips. Scoliosis. Depression. Aggression. Fear. Ego.
Ramanand Patel says, "Things that are easy for you are a gift from God. Everything else is a happy adventure." Facing a forward bend without a bend in it doesn't feel like a happy adventure unless we give up the idea that we have to OVERCOME it. We have to be brave to embrace our limitations. We don't have to be fearless. We only have to be willing to take a deep breath and be still. Listen for the sound of hitting our edge and back up until it is a whisper not a shout. Sit with the difficulty without judgment. Again. And again. And again. Get on the mat and be grateful we are able to get on the mat regardless of the conditions. Yoga is hard. Have courage.
This seems to be an ongoing theme lately in my life, embracing and respecting my limitations and not beat myself up if I can't go further in a pose. I admit I have come a long way. I don't think twice now reaching for a strap in Marichyasana I or getting up to grab a bolster for Supta Virasana<---most uncomfortable for me. Props are my friend. I took Lip's class last night and it was fun as always. The focus was keeping our hips aligned. Shoulders too, I don't know how many times I've caught my shoulders hunched in Warrior.
Oh oh oh speaking of shoulders!! I did discover something WONDERFUL in Shoulderstand though. I read in Fit Yoga that usually when prepping for this pose in Plow, we draw our shoulders away from our ears, I know I do. However, once I go up I find my throat feeling crunched in and breathing becomes a challege. This article says to do the opposite and bring them closer to your ears. I have to dig it up for the exact wording of the piece but I remembered this last night and tried it and by golly it worked! My neck felt sooo much better and I was able to focus more on my alignment. Ah ha!
Hey did you notice that Yoga Journal's site has changed the layout for the Poses Page? Not bad.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
I get it
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3 comments:
Hey, thanks for the tip on shoulderstand! I'll go check out the YJ poses page now :-)
Nice, I really like the new pages!
I also forgot to say that I think it's great that you are coming to a point where you can accept yourself and the stage you are at right now. It's doesn't mean you're giving up or being soft. We continue to learn and grow :-)
Kudos to you for playing a bit w/ shoulderstand & making improvements. I've taken a class or two of Ramanand's during a yoga retreat & he's really a master.
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