December 10, 2013

Stillness in the movement

Stepping into 3rd year of yoga. I am still not fully able to understand my recent yoga obsession, often when my friends ask me about my experience with yoga, I was never able to give a convincing answer.  Practicing mostly Vinyāsa style, all the sweats, hard work, took one year even to touch my toes. I think I never had patience to do something which required so much of dedication and hard work and with very little 'visible progress'.

Yesterday it was a Vinyāsa flow class with candle lights and it was themed around, heart opening ( back bends), something I really don't enjoy, facing all the fears, letting things go, accepting my limitations. As we were preparing to do the Dancers pose (Natarajasana, shown in the photo), which can be sometimes very agitating, trying to go deeper in back bend with the other leg and getting a sense of balance in the other leg, not my favourite pose. My teacher gave a beautiful explanation to make peace with this pose, not to be agitated by trying to find the stillness in the movement. When the heart rates goes boom..boom..boom..and the blood starts flooding and rushing around the body, can I still balance things calmly in one leg? I think this is one of the thing yoga is teaching me silently for the past 2 years.  2013, was externally most agitated year, accidents, losing friends, reset in relationships yet internally very much at peace, may be thanks to yoga. 2013 was more like December in Europe, cold, deep silence of the snowy days and yet lot of celebrations and lights all around.