I was finally able to get into crow pose today!!!!!! It was incredible. This weekend, Teri Leigh has been with us, talking about balance. Really getting into the intricacies of the asanas. Definitely interesting. I'm a natural skeptic, and so I came into the weekend with one eyebrow raised, but settled in quickly, deciding to just take it in and process (taking and leaving what I want) later. It was great to get a fresh perspective on the specifics of balance within major regions of the body. We can use one asana to dive into each one - standing mountain. Beginning with Muladhara - standing on all 4 corners of the feet with the outer edges of the feet parallel. Feeling a balance between support and fear. What she referred to as Vinyasa - engaging the adductors to balance fluidity with strength & control. Uddiyana Bandha - turning on the abdominal muscles and turning in the tail bone. This can help us find a balance in identity without being insecure or egotistical. Jalandara - aligning the head/neck with the spine and allowing the front and back of the neck to be open equally. A good test is the Ujjayi breath. Jalandara will bring ease to breath and, along with Uddiyana Bandha, afford us deep breathing. Finally Drrishti - the external and internal focus that creates intentionality and calmness. With Drrishti, our entire practice can become a prayer or meditation.
The overall idea being that, by utilizing these 5 'locks' or 'embraces,' you will learn to align your postures accurately for your specific body instead of working to look like an instructor or image of a person with a completely different body -- and therefore -- a different version of accurate.
The overall idea being that, by utilizing these 5 'locks' or 'embraces,' you will learn to align your postures accurately for your specific body instead of working to look like an instructor or image of a person with a completely different body -- and therefore -- a different version of accurate.