Many things in life come full circle---the hands of a clock, a cycle of breath, the "Salutations to the Son." Like any round-trip there is a starting point and a returning point---ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We humans require constant care as newborn infants, and then eventually we age to a point when round-the-clock skilled nursing care is needed. Even the law of Karma (meaning action) says, "What goes around, comes around." Another example is found in the perfect golf swing that is part of a full circle made possible by the amazing mobility of our ball-and-socket hip and shoulder joints.
Last week I mentioned an advanced seated posture called "Lotus Pose" or Padmasana. Before the body is ready for this very open-hip position, those students who have tight hips may need to practice this week's "Lying Down Hand-to-Foot Variation" or Supta Hasta Padangusthasana to gently encourage greater mobility in the hip joints.
According to the anatomy text that I was required to purchase for yoga teacher certification, the articular surfaces of a joint never fit together perfectly. The better the bones fit together the more stable the joint becomes. Looser joints, such as the shoulder, are more mobile but less stable. So apparently---to put a positive spin on it---my hips are quite stable. Our hip joints must be stable in order to support the weight of the upper body, so the cup-shaped acetabulum or socket was created to be deep and fit snugly on the head of the femur or thigh bone. The head of the thigh bone is covered with cartilage and the whole joint is enclosed in a fibrous capsule lined with a membrane that secretes synovial fluid for lubrication. Yoga practitioners of middle age may experience the limitations of a degenerative disorder called osteoarthritis, which involves the abrasion and loss of cartilage at the surfaces of joints, often with outgrowths of bony ridges at these eroded spots. This may be experienced as a catching sensation in one or both hip joints while practicing this week's full circle rotation with mindful awareness. Always pay close attention to what the body is experiencing during any physical position!
Last week I mentioned an advanced seated posture called "Lotus Pose" or Padmasana. Before the body is ready for this very open-hip position, those students who have tight hips may need to practice this week's "Lying Down Hand-to-Foot Variation" or Supta Hasta Padangusthasana to gently encourage greater mobility in the hip joints.
According to the anatomy text that I was required to purchase for yoga teacher certification, the articular surfaces of a joint never fit together perfectly. The better the bones fit together the more stable the joint becomes. Looser joints, such as the shoulder, are more mobile but less stable. So apparently---to put a positive spin on it---my hips are quite stable. Our hip joints must be stable in order to support the weight of the upper body, so the cup-shaped acetabulum or socket was created to be deep and fit snugly on the head of the femur or thigh bone. The head of the thigh bone is covered with cartilage and the whole joint is enclosed in a fibrous capsule lined with a membrane that secretes synovial fluid for lubrication. Yoga practitioners of middle age may experience the limitations of a degenerative disorder called osteoarthritis, which involves the abrasion and loss of cartilage at the surfaces of joints, often with outgrowths of bony ridges at these eroded spots. This may be experienced as a catching sensation in one or both hip joints while practicing this week's full circle rotation with mindful awareness. Always pay close attention to what the body is experiencing during any physical position!
- Physically---After several rounds of "Salutations to the Son" or even "Cat and Cow Poses" to warm the physical body, lie down on the back on a flat and level surface, making sure that the flat, triangular-shaped bone just above the tail bone (the sacrum) is flat on the floor to safely support and stabilize the hip joints. Take a deep, three-dimensional ujjayi breath while opening the arms straight out to the sides, palms facing upward, and then exhale the arms to wrap around the right knee as it bends and draws close to the right shoulder with the left leg extending straight out of the hip into the flexed left foot. Remain in this bound position for 3-5 deep and smooth breaths, using the exhalations to pull the pelvic floor, abdominal muscles and the right knee up and in toward the spine.
- Using a belt or canvas strap on the ball of the right foot, or using the yoga toe-hold on the right big toe, on an exhalation straighten the right leg up toward the sky, and then hold for 3-5 relaxed breaths. The left hand may be placed on the left groin as a reminder to engage the muscles of the left leg to extend out through the heel as the right straight leg is extending up and toward the right shoulder during the exhalations. Then exhale the straight right leg to the right with the toes pointing to the right in an external hip rotation for 3-5 smooth and deep breaths. Next, exhale the straight and extended right leg across the body to the left, pushing through the inner ball and big toe of the right foot with an internal hip rotation for 3-5 breaths in a counter-pose of "Lying Down Hand-to-Foot Variation" or Supta Hasta Padangusthasana.
- Finally, still holding the right foot with the yoga toe-hold or a strap, begin to circle the straight right leg up to 12 o'clock on an inhalation and exhale the straight leg down to three and six o'clock in a clockwise direction, moving with the breath for 3-5 full cycles of breath. For balance and mobility, reverse the direction of the full circle to move counterclockwise, inhaling to three and 12 o'clock and exhaling on the down-swing to nine and six o'clock for the same number of breaths.
- Before resting in "Corpse Pose" for a minimum of five minutes, repeat "Lying Down Hand-to-Foot Variation" or Supta Hasta Padangusthasana with the left leg, rotating for 3-5 full circles in both directions with the breath orchestrating the rhythm of the swing.
- Mentally---As always, remain very focused on the rhythm and quality of each breath as the clockwise and then counterclockwise movement of the leg progresses, but pay very close attention to any sensations in the hip joints as each leg is revolving inside the cup-shaped socket. Keep the eyes watching the foot of the revolving straight leg (padhayoragrai drishti) as it slowly circumscribes a full circle in the air. Notice a difference in mobility between the left and right hip, perhaps increasing the number of circles for the tighter hip joint.
- Spiritually---During all yoga practice it's vital to remain quiet and calm within each conscious breath in order to open the channels of communication to connect/yoke with the Lord. "Be still, and know that I am God...." While circumscribing your physical circles be reminded of your mortality and the "circle of life."
