BALANCE

After a productive shopping spree at the Nordstrom sale Friday night, I thought it appropriate to use the theme of balance - allowing myself to 'shop' but not spend so much I put myself in financial jeopardy. (By the way, I did find and buy a great pair of dangly earrings -- way out of my fashion comfort zone, but so much fun to wear.)

My plan was to work on different balance poses in this practice. What I realized as I sat at the end of class, was that balance goes so much further than just poses. There is balance between the energy I draw into my poses and the organic extension of the pose. I knew that, but then I took it a step further and could find balance between the work the different body parts are doing.

Think about the standing leg in Virabhadrasana III. If all or part of the rest of the body is just 'hanging out' as we move into the pose, don't you think that standing leg might get a little 'irritated', not to mention tired?

I also noticed the impact of holding a limp foot in Natarajasana -- if I'm holding on to a 'dead fish' of a foot, the energy that transmits to the rest of my body is pretty ineffective (as in nil). It is so much more effective if we give life to that foot - energize it! We worked with that thought as we did the pose a second time with an improvement in everyone's pose.

So, balance in the working of ALL parts of the body in these poses. I have often said to students, 'all parts of the body work in this pose'. But, I have never realized it so fully as yesterday. (That thought also applies to the softening aspect of poses -- because, for some of us, softening is not so easy; it's work.)

What a fun class to teach. Loved it.

Hope your Sunday is relaxing -- if not, then maybe Monday,