"Reluctance or Resistance"

Do you find the process of moving as distasteful as I do? Do you experience reluctance when leaving a place that you know you'll never see again because if you do go back you realize that it will never look or feel the same? No, we can't go back, as the omniscient "they" say. But we can decide if our attitude will be one of reluctance or resistance in moving forward.
It's an indisputable fact that there will be numerous changes in your body and health as it ages. Like an old home or car, things start wearing out and eventually stop working. When we experience a struggle of our will by hesitating to accept the natural changes in our lives, we set up a pattern of resistance that manifests in tension and further dis-ease. One of my favorite American poets, Robert Frost, eloquently philosophized on the concept of reluctance in the last stanza of his poem by the same name, "Reluctance":

"Ah, when to the heart of man was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things, to yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end of a love or a season?"

Watching my very gracious, almost 88 year-old mother advance in years has been preparing me to "go with the drift" of the aging process and "yield with a grace" to the reason of it all, as I "bow and accept the end" of my mother's independence that foreshadows my own future. As we age, (especially if our movement has become limited) the thickest, most powerful and most resistant muscles in the body, called the iliopsoas, become like thick, tight and very resistant rubber bands that have lost their elasticity. These primary hip flexors attach to the lower spine and upper front of the pelvic basin at the top end. The lower attachment point is on a bony projection of the upper inner thigh bone (called the lesser trochanter) so when these resistant muscles contract they lift the upper thigh up toward the torso and remain contracted in all seated positions. Since we spend so much time sitting at a desk or on an airplane, driving a car, reading, etc., in order to lengthen and balance these muscles we should regularly practice backbending positions, such as this week's "Assisted Locust Pose" or Salabhasana. Backward bending postures are not considered safe for prenatal students because of the pressure across the abdomen, especially when lying on the stomach as in "Locust Pose."

• Physically---To soften the resistance in the powerful hip flexor muscles called iliopsoas, begin by moving the whole body through a series of "Salutations to the Son" described in the May 2009 blog series, OR a practice a more intense vinyasa flow from "Warrior I Pose" to "Kriya Warrior" as described in the February 2, 2010 blog. To flow into "Locust Pose" or Salabhasana inhale forward into "Plank Pose" from "Downward-Facing Dog" and then lower slowly onto the abdomen while lifting the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles and pressing the tail bone down and forward in a backward tilt of the pelvic basin. Place your toes under the heels of your feet and press the heels away from the pubic bone while inhaling to lengthen through the torso.
  
• For the "Assisted Locust Pose" it's necessary to ask a trusted partner to knee down very carefully and place their knees gently on the center of your upper back thighs while you exhale to engage your bandhas (the seals or energy locks in the pelvic floor and abdomen) and then reach both arms behind to firmly grip your partner's wrists. With a deep chest inhalation extend your spine up through the crown of the head, lifting the ribcage and entire torso off of the floor, engaging the bandhas (locks) during the exhale as your partner gently draws your arms straight back by holding onto your wrists to open the entire front body. At the end of each exhalation, relax all your muscles and allow your trustworthy partner to support and continue to open your shoulders and front body across the chest, ribs, abdomen and those very resistant hip flexors. Hold this assisted pose for several breaths and then release back onto your chest to rest on one side of your face before attempting the full "Locust Pose" that will be described in next week's blog. Then switch positions allowing your partner to practice yielding to release their hip flexors while you become the assistant for 5-6 breaths.
  
• Mentally---During this "partnering yoga" it is extremely important to bring present-minded awareness into the coordination of the breathing with the energy locks and the lifting action in the torso. Since yoga is a yoking of body, mind and breath, your mind must be listening carefully to your breath and the sensations in your body. Don't allow your partner to stretch you beyond your "edge" into pain. Focus your attention on the resistance during each lifting inhalation and release all resistance at the end of each exhalation.
• Spiritually---Resistance involves an action of the will that chooses not release and submit all opposition to a higher power or force that is stronger or greater. Resistance in physical postures (asanas) causes greater discomfort so we become reluctant to practice those positions when they may be the very ones that will provide relief for our discomfort. Once we have experienced the peace that results from yielding in the physical realm, we can then transfer that experiential knowledge to the spiritual. When practicing this assisted posture, try practicing submission while in the pose; and when assisting, practice humility by becoming subject to the leading of the one on the floor.
  

"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of your be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time; Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." (I Peter 5: 5-7, KJV)

Put away your reluctance to try something new that just may soften your resistance. Namaste, plf