sandeyeWhat you cannot do
March 6th 2009 18:00
When I was a single digit kid, I could leap into any posture the TV Yoga series offered - not properly performing the Asana and practicing Yoga, but instantly showing off the position to perfection. When Yoga reentered my life a few years ago, I was far less agile. I had sinus problems, an arthritic back, and was generally 'old and tired'. I realized that there were some poses I would not be able to do - yet, if ever.
I was content to practice those I could do, ones that helped me generally stay fit and retain freedom from my back complaint. Then I started Tibetan heart Yoga practice and was faced with several of the poses I had put aside as 'cannot do these'. Struggling to actually begin to perform poses that were entirely out of my ability started me on the road to accepting any pose - not instantly as in my childhood, but gradually.
I still have much to master - as an example Surya Namaskar remains a 'cannot remember what comes next or when to breath' that I realize I shall need to pay specific attention to shortly. I plan to spend an hour or so practicing each step until I can recall it all and then applying proper breathing patterns one Saturday. Currently, I simply do the first couple of moves on repeat a couple of times...
Another example - the forward bend - oh dear! The muscles in my legs and hips simply do not stretch enough for me to bend more than a single inch (with a straight back)! I can see that to master this pose I am going to need to work on those muscles daily.
I wonder if I will ever be able to master every Yoga pose in my manual? Probably not - so I shall have to master those I can and continue to work on those I cannot - and keep introducing those from the current 'impossible' range - such as headstand (for some reason, I roll forwards onto the floor in front of myself instead of upwards).
I was content to practice those I could do, ones that helped me generally stay fit and retain freedom from my back complaint. Then I started Tibetan heart Yoga practice and was faced with several of the poses I had put aside as 'cannot do these'. Struggling to actually begin to perform poses that were entirely out of my ability started me on the road to accepting any pose - not instantly as in my childhood, but gradually.
I still have much to master - as an example Surya Namaskar remains a 'cannot remember what comes next or when to breath' that I realize I shall need to pay specific attention to shortly. I plan to spend an hour or so practicing each step until I can recall it all and then applying proper breathing patterns one Saturday. Currently, I simply do the first couple of moves on repeat a couple of times...
Another example - the forward bend - oh dear! The muscles in my legs and hips simply do not stretch enough for me to bend more than a single inch (with a straight back)! I can see that to master this pose I am going to need to work on those muscles daily.
I wonder if I will ever be able to master every Yoga pose in my manual? Probably not - so I shall have to master those I can and continue to work on those I cannot - and keep introducing those from the current 'impossible' range - such as headstand (for some reason, I roll forwards onto the floor in front of myself instead of upwards).
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