After spending an extended Father's Day weekend with our whole family, including two young grandchildren ages four and eighteen months, we noticed their awe of all things up in the air. At times we looked up to watch seagulls soaring, and then red-tailed hawks gliding effortlessly above the rising warm air thermals. The girls giggled and squealed as they chased floating soap bubbles, and then ran after crows and pigeons darting to and fro! They even pointed their tiny fingers to draw our gaze upward to follow zooming jets that left a misty vapor trail behind. We noticed a brightly-colored kite with a long, red tail swooping and diving across the summer-blue sky, then a large black and gold blimp floating by, and later two helicopters circled before hovering over something in the ocean. Not one of these forms above us went unobserved! It seems that our grandchildren had a fascination with the flight of birds and other objects in the air.
Yoga practice has really boosted my powers of observation and awareness so that I was prepared to notice my granddaughters' attraction to flight. And aren't we all just a bit enchanted with the element of air and lightness. The very thought of heaviness or excess weight, being loaded down with burdens simply doesn't hold much appeal to most. As you practice this week's pose (asana) called "One-Legged Pigeon Pose" or Eka Pada Kapotasana, focus your attention on a sense of lightness while moving into the position.
Yoga practice has really boosted my powers of observation and awareness so that I was prepared to notice my granddaughters' attraction to flight. And aren't we all just a bit enchanted with the element of air and lightness. The very thought of heaviness or excess weight, being loaded down with burdens simply doesn't hold much appeal to most. As you practice this week's pose (asana) called "One-Legged Pigeon Pose" or Eka Pada Kapotasana, focus your attention on a sense of lightness while moving into the position.
- Physically---For a warm-up of muscles and joints, practice floating lightly through the twelve postures that makeup the "Salutation to the Son" as described in three consecutive blogs, beginning on April 27, 2009 and ending on May 11th. Notice how each segment of the breath coordinates with the full body position and becomes a moving meditation in which each motion flows fluidly in sync with the breath---utilizing the inhalations to open and extend the entire body and the exhalations to fold or press the body into a closed position.
- After establishing a sense of lightness of being, you'll be more likely to float lightly into "Pigeon Pose" from "Downward-Facing Dog", described in the May 4, 2009 blog, rather than dropping heavily into it, letting gravity take over your body. Begin by first inhaling the right leg straight up and back above the right hip. Ground through both hands and the left foot, keeping the hips squarely facing front. At the top of the inhalation and the point of greatest back leg extension, begin the exhalation while drawing up the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles and bending the right knee with a flexed foot in order to protect the knee from torque as it floats down and forward, to land lightly on the outer edge of the right foot and leg. With an extended and smooth exhalation, slowly release the torso forward onto the inner right thigh, hinging only at the groin and not bending forward from the waist. If the right outer thigh will not ground onto the mat, slide a folded blanket or pillow under the right hip to keep it square and level with the left hip. Then take in a deep breath while extending the spine and drawing up the energy locks (bandhas described in the May 11, 2010 blog) to support the body while you extend one arm at a time straight forward. At the end of a long and thorough exhalation many students enjoy placing one hand on top of the other as a support for the head, while others have the flexibility in their hip flexors and shoulders to lower the forehead completely onto the mat with extended arms. Remain in this passive variation of "Pigeon Pose" for 5-6 breaths in order to allow time for the tension in the back of the right hip and thigh to fully release, soften and expand. Never rush into or out of this position! Those deep piriformis muscles cross over the sciatic nerve and are very strong hip stabilizers so they require time---at least one full minute---in this sustained stretch in order to release the spindle reflex.
- To switch into "Pigeon Pose" on the left side, inhale and draw up the locks while bringing both hands under the shoulders and the toes of the back foot under the heel. While pressing into both hands and the back toes, lift the entire torso and the right leg back and upward, then exhaling the right foot slowly back to "Downward-Facing Dog". Here's where the lightness of being created by drawing up the energy locks becomes crucial. Engage your bandhas and hug the leg muscles to the bones for a sense of lightness.
- Mentally---Maintain a soft facial expression by smiling at the thought of flight. Focus your attention on floating lightly into "Pigeon Pose," but once there, focus on using smooth ujjayi breathing to release and relax. Read the January 17, 2009 blog on victorious breath control called pranayama.
- Spiritually---Be inspired by the way birds were designed to remain aloft in the air, first by moving powerfully but smoothly into gliding position and then holding that form to float on the air currents. Balance your yoga practice by flowing lightly between positions and then being content to remain in the pose as you hover on the current of your breath.
