Yoga allows you to arrive on your mat exactly where you are in that moment. Not where you were yesterday or where you want to be, but with an acceptance of right here and right now. That is kind of what yoga is…creating a space for the moment to arise within you and be noticed.
Yoga teaches us that competition, with ourselves and with others,often has the opposite effect to that which we are striving for. As with trying to hard we are not able to let go. It is often the letting go of expectation and of trying into the acceptance of just being that allows us to really move forward in our yoga practice.
This weekend I have been practicing with Douglas Keller. Internationally respected yoga teacher and author of books such as ‘Yoga as Therapy’. I will be happy to acknowledge myself as something of a groupie and each time I study with him, whether by Webinars or in person, I am impressed afresh. He not only has such a depth of knowledge but a truly amazing way of explaining things.
This weekend we explored the role of the psoas muscle amongst others within the pelvis. This included the indepth exploration of the physical anatomy, possible injury and common complaints and complications we may see in our students. Plus also how to modify and adapt more traditional asana (postures) to really work into particular areas of the hips. So I am now sat in Euston station with a head about to pop with all the information I’ve tried to cram into it and 41 pages of notes to read on the train home!
For example, We were exploring ways to activate core stability and the abductor muscles (that open the legs) to allow the hips to let go. Going back to that trying too hard actually gets you less far idea. Often in yoga we try to open the hips by exactly that..trying. Instead we played with techniques to allow the adductors(the muscles that close your legs together) to let go. Instead of them jamming and congesting the front of the hips as they often can.
Take for example a posture like Baddha konasana (bound angle) sitting down, knees apart and soles of feet together. Often people will try to push their knees closer to the floor to open into their inner hips and stretch the inner thighs. Instead we learnt to activate the outer thigh muscles…extending knees apart (laterally) rather than down (towards the floor). Even sometimes lifting them slightly to allow release in the front of the hips. Working with different adaptations in this asana (posture)…with blocks, partners and resistance we gained inches in inner thigh lengthening. More than I’ve gained in the last few years of practice by trying.
Sometimes we need to learn not to look at the seemingly obvious and try to hard. Instead to explore, investigate and learn, as Doug has through his many years of practice. Then to use this knowledge to allow us to release and let go. It’s fantastic to feel so inspired by a teacher who is so able to share his depth of knowledge in such an interesting way. Plus seeing such immediate results cannot but be inspiring. The only problem being that the more I learn the more I realise I don’t know. Now I just need to find more time to study, play and explore letting go & releasing in my inner hips, while my mind assimilates all this knowledge I gained this weekend. Then I can go and learn more 🙂
