Sep 18, 2008, Deep Forward Bends

And psoas stretches. That's what I'm doing today. In their public lives, they are uttanasana, pigeon, anjeneyasana, uphavista konasana, hanumanasana. In their secret lives they are reconnecting with self, with deep inner self, after so much crazy outward facing activity in connection to the workshop, the wedding, etc.. Outward-Facing Me pose followed by Inward-Facing Me pose. Naturally.

The muscles of the deep inner hips can be the first to contract under stress. Emotions are held in our hips, they say, but I also think of the inner hip muscles, especially psoaz, as the freakout muscles. For me, when there's a lot going on, even if it's a lot good, the freakout muscles contract. The groins themselves get tight, pulling the thighs forward and narrowing first the pelvic floor, and then the lower back. This will inhibit the apana, or grounding energy, and you get that feeling of being all wound up, or pulled up. Did you ever hear the expression, "Don't get your panties in a bunch?"

The thing about living in the universe is that we can't control it. And anything unexpected, so anything, can be stressful. In response to this stress we usually either contract, or freak out, or we totally let go, disengage, space out, lose touch.

I don't know a lot about Ayurvedic medicine, but I believe this is known as a vata imbalance. Vata is the most unstable of the energies, in that it will be the first to go out of balance when anything changes - your location, as in traveling, or the weather, the seasons, your schedule, circumstances, anything.

That's why in the yoga practice we always go back to the bow. Humbly bowing before what we can't control is the medicine for feeling out of sorts with the universe, the feeling that comes from too much trying to manage the unmanageable. As embodied beings, we instinctively want to do, to create, to shape our lives. And this is as it should be. But it is good to know when enough is enough.

In my forward bends today I make the intention to give the reins back to nature, bowing to the place within me where the universe dwells. And when it's time, she'll no doubt hand them back to me, in keeping with the pulsation of all things.

But I hope it's not right away, 'cause I could kinda use a break...

comment

The Gut Brain

Strengthen

Back to Blog Archive

Back to the Secret Lives Homepage