Like many of you, I was quite sure I had a strong foundation, the ground upon which I stood was solid. Until I fell. Now as I hobble around on one foot and two crutches I am made aware of the many ways in which my foundation is in need of attention. I am becoming increasingly aware of how important the heal of my foot is. As I maneuver myself to standing on one foot I am finding it easier to root down if I direct more attention into my heal. This surprisingly is a cue I use often in my classes and one I thought really understood.
The rebound of energy as I root down seems to come with more ease when I direct the energy down thru my heal. That rebound of energy is what allows stability and ease in postures. Often times the student is either propping or collapsing as they move thru the asana rather then just yielding. It is in the yielding that you are able to find the rebound of energy and thus the ease.
To prop is essentially to push away, ignoring the wisdom in the body. To collapse is just the opposite, both leading to a failure to receive the full benefit of the practice. Thru the action of yielding their is a sense of ease, as you surrender to what is.
I have also come to realize how much I push away unconsciously thru the ball of my foot now into this boot I am wearing to keep my ankle still and supported. I must say this at times causes me more discomfort then the sprain and the break in my ankle, the pain shoots up thru the ball of my foot and feels like a hot poker stick.
The bottom of the foot, is in all actuality still the back of the body and as a girl with tight hamstrings I may be zeroing in on the culprit. It is funny, because one of my focuses on my journey, you know the trip where I fell and broke my ankle, was to devote my practice to my hamstrings. Once again be careful what you wish for.
So I guess now I need to look at the anatomy of this action on a more physical level as it affects not only my hamstrings and calf's but also the mind body connection. This could be quite interesting.
So today as you approach your mat, set an intention to be aware of your foundation, that being what ever part of the body is in contact with the earth. Notice what your tendency is. Do you habitually push the earth away, or do you simply collapse. Neither of which are allowing the energy of the earth to effectively move up thru the body.
As you prop, the muscles are rigid and hard, the jaw tight and the mind unyielding. There is alot of force and effort and very little release. If you are collapsing, the muscles are not developed, the body is limp and the energy is depleted. Work between the two and see if you can't find a place in each asana where you are able to yield, with ease and confidence, trusting that your foundation will support you, that your energy will sustain you.
Find that sense of ease, and notice how your awareness grows, your confidence in your ability improves, and you energy seems endless. You may feel as tho you can stay in each asana forever!
As you prepare to leave the mat notice for a moment what your physical tendency was. If you are a proper do you tend to push away from life, reality, the help of others, or maybe your own goodness. What is it in your life that you are avoiding or ressisting? If you are a collapser in your physical practice what messages is that sending to you in the way you deal with life? Do you tend to give up before you ever get started or maybe when things get ruff do you tend to give up and go into a place of defeat?
Sometimes it is easier to make adjustments in our physical practice and observe the effects it has in our daily life. So for me now I will take a deeper look into what it is that I am pushing away from, resisting in my life. The lessons on the mat are always so much more profound when we carry them out of the class room and into our life. I cannot wait to see what this is going to reveal.
See You On the Mat!