Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Will Somebody Please Hand Me My Feet?

One of my students blurted this out as we went into bow pose. Her inadvertent exclamation had the rest of the class rolling in laughter. We could commiserate with the way that certain yoga poses seem out of our reach when we are first introduced to them. But with both practice and proper alignment technique, many of the poses are much more doable than we might think.

Of course, the laughter is what really opens our hearts to possibility. When we dedicate ourselves to our practice and our values but don’t take ourselves or life too seriously, we are often able to delve into our potential. We can take more risks, accept the results without judgment, and embrace the supportive atmosphere as other join in.

Anusara Yoga starts with the premise of internal goodness in each and every one of us. That belief creates a gentleness and warmth that can support us when our patterns or our limitations arise. Such aspects of ourselves and others are not “flaws,” but are rather part of the divine nature of being human. When can learn to laugh as we grope around for our feet in bow pose, we will often find that our heart blossoms when we lift our legs, feet, and heart up to extend into the pose.