Ups and downs are a normal part of life. They seek to balance one another by providing an outer limit to our emotional extremes. As philosopher and poet, Kahlil Gibran put it in his classic text, The Prophet, "Your joys are your sorrows unmasked."
It certainly does seem that these two emotions follow closely on the heels of one another. Yet sometimes we panic and forget that God eventually lifts the mask of sorrow to reveal the divine purpose for our suffering. The wisdom of Jesus clarified the correlation between these two emotions when He said, "A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world." (John 16:21, KJV)
As you move physically up and down in this week's targeted yoga pose, "Lizard Pose" or Utthan Pristhasana, try to remind yourself that the discomfort of the down will eventually be followed by a joyful up. This extremely effective hip-opener can be beneficial for prenatal students, but only under the supervision of a certified and experienced prenatal yoga instructor.
- Physically---To develop a smooth and rhythmic pattern to the breath and effectively warm the muscles and joints, begin with several rounds of "Son Salutations" described in three consecutive blogs starting on April 27, 2009. When you've developed enough internal body heat (called agni) rest in the "Downward-Facing Dog" posture (asana) for 3-5 deep and smooth breaths, using the nose only, of course. During an inhalation, switch your gaze (drishti) from the toes (padhayoragrai) to your right thumb (angusta ma dyai) and at the top of that inhalation lift the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles (the bandhas). During a long exhalation, lunge the right foot forward to the outside of the right hand until the knee is aligned directly over the right ankle. Remain on the ball of the back left foot and actively hug muscles to bone while pressing the back heel away from the left hip. Remain in this position for 3-5 deep and smooth breaths with the right inner knee pressing lightly against the outer right shoulder. At the end of each exhalation give the right thigh and hip permission to soften and release.
- To move into "Lizard Pose" or Utthan Pristhasana, if your hip joints are tight you may need two blocks or thick books within reach to use as props that will be placed directly under the shoulders. On an exhalation, release one forearm at a time to the floor or onto your props with the elbows aligned directly under the shoulder joints. Keep the hips and shoulders squarely facing front while continuing to lower them inside the right upper arm. Remain in "Lizard Pose" on the right pressing into both forearms and wrists and the back heel to lift slightly up and down with each breath. After 5-6 (in time building up to 8-10) rhythmic breaths, inhale to come up onto the palms of the hands, and then exhale the right foot back into "Downward-Facing Dog." Rest here for 3-5 deep and smooth breaths before lunging the left foot forward inside the left hand for "Lizard Pose" on the left.
- Mentally---As with all challenging yoga positions, at first the mind is focused on maintaining a rhythmic pattern of conscious, ujjayi (victorious) breathing and developing skeletal alignment of bone over bone. Use the healing and opening energy of each breath to soften and release tension in the hips and thighs while moving slightly up and down in rhythm with the breathing pattern. The gaze and attention is "Third Eye" naitrayoh ma dyai drishti while remaining fully aware of the gentle up and down movement, much like the actual lizard or gecko moves.
- Spiritually---While practicing the gentle up and down movement of this posture (asana) we can remind ourselves of the old adage that behind every cloud there truly is a silver lining. God often uses our pain or sadness to prepare us for the joy that follows. Be encouraged by the continuation of Jesus' promises for our joy as recorded in The Old Testament Book of John:
Don't allow yourself to go too deeply down into depression (or too deeply in a pose into injury) before lifting yourself up with the joyful promises of God found in His Words in The Bible. Namaste, plf
