February 27: Turn that Frown Upside-down with Urdhva Dhanurasana

There is something about Bali that makes meditation feel superfluous to living.

This is likely because the heat and energetics of the place request you to stop and meditate frequently throughout the day.

Asana Practice: During my asana practice, I find that I want to rest in child’s pose or lay in savasana mid-practice.  I’m rarely inclined to do this at home in Boulder, and its rarely an option in a class setting. This shift, is teaching me how to engage more deeply with the energetics of yoga.

The energy and spaciousness I am learning to cultivate is largely due to the moments I take to feel the energy of the moment moving through me.

Today, for example, after I did Urdhva Dhanurasana (“wheel pose”), I noticed a natural smile moving through my face.  I watched, and to my surprise, my body fought against the gift of a smile.  My facial muscles began to tense, desperately gripping to an old pattern.  Without having an agenda, and without being in a hurry, I was able to follow the natural wave of energy after a wheel pose to its natural conclusion, a smile.  My normal routine is to quickly move in to my second wheel pose as soon as my body recovered from the first.  I had been missing the opportunity to surrender completely and thoroughly in to the energetics of a very powerful asana.

I did a second wheel pose and watched.  Again, I was greeted with a subtle lift in my face.  The gift of a smile was bestowed upon me.  Taking the time to truly surrender after the pose, and to have the awareness of the effect, began to heal a deep wound.  I began to release a deep resistance to happiness.

Lesson Learned: Give the energy of a pose space in order to feel the full effect.  Experience the unraveling of old habits and the clearing of channels by riding an entire wave of energy before moving on.