Energy Musings. Here. Now.
This Week.
The hard work of our personal and collective journeys right now requires strength, honesty, clarity, discernment, love, patience, hope, surrender,focus and creativity. It also requires us to occasionally just have FUN, relax, be silly, rest and let go.
I am reminded of the Yoga Asana Pashimottanasana: Intense Forward Fold. uttana (उत्तान, uttāna) sandwiched in the center of this word implies “intense”.
For me, the secret of this pose relies in our relationship to this “intensity”. As the back of the body and the entire connective tissue band becomes actively stretched, we have the opportunity to meet this stretch, in particular its “intensity”, consciously and with increasing levels of subtle awareness. Relax too much in this pose and there is no intensity. You’ve missed the point (although you feel deeply relaxed and happy!) Pull yourself too deeply in this pose, and there is too much intensity. (and you risk harm, injury, pain and suffering)
Wherein lies the appropriate balance for YOU? This is the question to ask and what Pashimottanasana brings to us. Using the body as a metaphor for your life (as we know it is!!), Pashimottanasana brings balance and discernment into everything we do. Begging the questions: Where in your life, in your world are you “backing off” too much and Where are you over extended or trying too hard? For each of us it will be different. We have to be VERY careful not to judge others for where they are at or expect them to be where we are at. But Pashimottanasana teaches us this as well. If we practice in a group setting, each person is finding their own appropriate relationship to intensity and without judgement or expectations, ideally, the group understands this. In this way we create conscious community where each person is valued for where they are at.
True Yoga Asana is like that. Each pose teaches us well beyond the limits of the physical body. It teaches us how to live, how to be, how to relate, how to change ourselves and how to change the world.
This week consider your relationship to and your interaction with the Intensity that is swirling around us right now. And maybe use Pashimottansana to come into your true alignment.
Yoga Pose of the Week: Pashimottanassana: Intense seated forward fold.
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