Discomfort and Joy
A bead of sweat rolled down my nose as I pushed my big toe into my fingers in an attempt to fully extend my right leg out in front of me while balancing on my left leg. The look on my face as well as some of my fellow yogis must have been intense. “Remember,” the teacher said, “We do this thing called yoga to find the joy within.” This brought smiles to our faces. Oh yea, now I remember! I thought to myself. She continued with her pep talk as we extended the same leg out to the right while looking left, still holding the big toe with the middle finger and thumb. She said we have to be able to smile through the discomfort because the payoff of the practice is joy, compassion, and happiness. She didn’t mention the sculpted muscles. For most Ashtangis the physical benefit of this vigorous style of yoga is only icing on the cake. It’s the transformation that happens on the inside that is so remarkable. It’s good medicine. After five long yogi breaths we returned the leg to center, released the toe and tried to resist gravity while slowly lowering the foot to the floor.
Today is a “led” class which means that the teacher instructs the entire practice and the students move at the same pace. The rest of the week the classes are taught “Mysore” style, which is from Mysore, India, and the instructor works with each student individually within a group setting to cultivate a personal practice. Each student practices at their own level and pace. The teacher gives you more postures as she sees that you are ready for it. This is what initially drew me to Ashtanga – the idea of having a set sequence of asanas (postures) that I could easily do at home. Many of the yogis in the room have worked with Jodi for years and can do some extraordinary things, like dropping into urdhva danurasana (upward facing bow) from standing. This is not something you would want to try until you are really ready for it. And forget about using the wall as a safety net for inversions. Not on Jodi’s watch. You are only allowed to do inversions when you are strong enough and balanced enough to do them without the wall to hold you up.
My neighbor to the right is a newby to Ashtanga. Feeling a little bit of pity for her, I couldn’t help but notice her exasperation when after 90 minutes of practice we were still being asked to move through vinyasa, a word used to describe a sequence of three postures used often in yoga to heat and strengthen the body. By this time the windows of the studio were completed fogged up, and everyone was dripping with sweat. At the end of class I had to ask her, “So what do you think?” Her eyes widened as she said, “I’ve never been to a yoga class like this before… there are some really impressive things going on in this room!” Another satisfied customer…
Right Here, Right Now
Sitting in the park today, I observed a young couple spending time with their young daughter. She appeared to be around two years old. The parents, in their early twenties, like so many other people today, had cell phones permanently affixed to the side of their heads. It wasn’t long before the child starting crying, realizing that mommy and daddy were not paying attention to her.
While the child wailed in vain to be noticed, I thought about how cell phones have made it so much easier for us to be focused on anything else but the present. As yogis, we go to great effort to train our minds to be in the present, but these days it’s not uncommon to see people peek at their phones in the middle of a yoga class. Why is it so hard to just be where we are?
Eventually the child’s mother, probably out of frustration with the child’s screaming, ended her call. The child was happy. Children seem to have no problem being in the present, exploring what is, not what was or what might be.
It reminded me of a class I recently attended with a friend who is not a regular yogi. After class, I found myself critiquing the sequence and style of the teacher when my friend commented, “Yoga is so luxurious. Just being there, and breathing.” She’s right. That’s what yoga should be. Luxurious. It’s time to be present, to take time for yourself, to put away your worries and your cell phone. Eventually, with enough practice you can learn to practice the yoga state of mind anywhere, anytime, and there’s no time like the present.
Hamstrings: What’s the Big Deal?
The physical practice of yoga increases flexibility and strength in our bodies, and many of the basic yoga postures, such as downward facing dog and triangle pose, stretch and lengthen the hamstrings (a.k.a. the back of the thigh). Recently I was asked, “Why is it important to stretch the hamstrings?” The hamstrings are one of the largest muscle groups in the body, and if they are tight it can wreak havoc on other areas of the body, particularly the lower back. Lack of freedom in the hamstrings can result in restricted movement in the lower back and pelvis. While that may not sound like a big deal, it is one of the major causes of pain in the lower back because the body will compensate for lack of mobility in one area by overextending in another. In this case, the hamstrings will pull down on the pelvis, which in turn causes strain in the lower back.
Our bodies are complicated, yet efficiently designed, machines. All the parts are connected and they must work together to keep it functioning optimally. If one part isn’t working well, it will eventually be felt in another area. Therefore, it’s important to stretch and lengthen the hamstrings in order to protect the back and allow freedom of movement in the entire body, making walking, running, even sitting, easier.
