najayama yoga

najayama yoga
artwork by michelle bellerose

NAJAYAMA YOGA: THE YOGA OF ALERT OPPORTUNITY

I'm a novice yoga teacher (CYT200) involved in an on-going synthesis of structural anatomy, bodywork, spontaneous movement and shaking, posture strikes, and lone wolf exploration with qi (differentiated somatic energy) and reiki (undifferentiated universal energy).

The goal is not perfection, glory, or achievement, but long burn presence in the moment, ease in the body and the response-ability of mind which create the space and grace for growth, change, and understanding.

bhujangalika: not the usual music for yoga

michelle bellerose is a certified yoga and qiqong teacher and composer of original music for movement and restoration. advocating a slower, more mindful approach to mat work and the self-responsible harnessing of inner serpent force. the practice, principle and cultivation of this mindful harnessing she's called NAJAYAMA YOGA. she also writes a blog on holistic arts and sciences called MAVERICK MEDICINE BABE.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

avoiding collapse in the groin

one of the most disadvantageous developments in yoga classes is the cult of competitive prowess and lust for achievement. it encourages too rapid movement from the introductory configurations of the postures into the more extended, deeper and advanced scorings. with the rapid expansion of the teaching pool, instructors now habituate in a climate of self-consciousness. encouraged by trend, spiritual pride, and the appetence of the times, a misdirected focus on one's stage presence and choreographic charisma at the front of the class has arisen. this apparent inability to focus attention on what students are doing, to offer clear direction and leadership rather than participate and befriend, and a disinclination to engage students who need to pull back to less spectacular but more structurally sound interpretations, has become the norm. the net result is a negligent reinforcement of sloppy execution, and an indulged lack of mindfulness and distraction that leads to chronic overstrain where the body appears 'strong' and a lack of sensitive engagement in zones of laxity or proprioceptive amnesia.

a good example of this occurs in the warrior, or virabdrasana series. too many of us expand our lunge before having developed adequate leg strength. this, in turn, creates an irresistible gravitational droop that causes the torso to collapse its weight down into the groin/hip hammock. this creates compression strain on the front hip joint, exaggerates the lordosis of the lower back, destabilizes the subtle sacro-iliac complex, causes a protrusion of the abdominal cavity into space that in turn constricts full respiration and contributes to an emphasis on shallow and anxious upper-lung work. the general energy of collapse can also extend to include the feet on the mat, as the arches loose vibrant engagement. the feet tend to look for ease by resting in a slight supination that stresses the connective tissue and tendinous sock of the outer ankle.

far better to resist the call to greater glory and shorten and widen the stance. this allows us to avoid sinking deeply into the groin and hip sockets, to maintain pointed consciousness about not carrying the lunge position of the knee forward of the ankle, and permits us to work gently and persistently toward the better goal of taking a longer draught in the pose from this more secured and stable vantage. finally, awareness should never be lost of the beautiful ascending articulation in the spine and rib basket that arises from a balanced tip of the pelvic bowl and the full and deep respiratory refulgence of an upper body no longer collapsing into the groin, searching for a way to take the edge off of overworked, unprepared legs.

No comments:

Post a Comment