Monday, September 24, 2012

"Force is Not an Option"

There's an old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."  Anyone who owns horses---and we do---will verify that they can be very stubborn creatures, but they have nothing on a man!  For example, our young black gelding, appropriately named "Storm," will not walk up a short four-foot ramp to the upper corral where his feed awaits, and has even been know to wait stubbornly for four days without eating until someone finally takes him out of the lower barn area to walk him up and around to his flake of hay.  
Similarly, my husband learned of the miraculous healing power of Resveratrol ten full days before he actually was willing to try it!  (Please read last week's blog entitled, "Miraculous Fruit of the Earth.")  It took an act of God---a fly or bee buzzing near his right ear---to break the stubborn refusal to "drink."  As this man that I dearly love brushed whatever was buzzing near his ear (Who knows?  We could have been near a vortex!) his hand bumped the cancer-damaged cartilage of that ear and he bent over in pain for several minutes.  When the time was just right, I asked calmly, "Now are you ready to try the Resveratrol treatment?"  By then, my wise husband finally saw the reason in trying this.  Within two days of making a paste made with the contents of one Reseveratrol capsule dissolved in a drop or two of red wine and then applied to the cartilage of his right ear, even he had to admit that the healing had begun.  And yet, this stubborn man was not to be embarrassed, cajoled and certainly not forced into "drinking the water" until he was ready.
Trying new poses can be similar to "drinking the water" for anyone who is unwilling to attempt something new and even slightly uncomfortable.   Of course, it is never advisable to move into a physical position that involves a muscle or joint with previous injury.  Also, we must never force our body into a pose by moving beyond the "edge" of discomfort into pain.  This week's "Horse Pose " or Vatayana Variation is best practiced with an open mind, heart and ultimately hips, and is beneficial for prenatal students hoping to experience a natural childbirth. 
  • Physically---As with most challenging positions, it's best to prepare for this intense, external hip and knee rotation by warming the muscles and joints with several (3-5) rounds of "Salutations to the Son" and perhaps seated hip-openers such as "Head-to-Knee Pose" (Janu Sirsasana described in the June 29, 2009 blog).  
  • Begin the  "Horse Pose " or Vatayana Variation by sitting very tall and erect on the edge of a sturdy chair.  Inhale and draw the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles upward and back toward the spine as you reach for the shin of the right leg.  Holding the flexed right foot with the left hand gradually release that foot high onto the right thigh as close to the right hip as possible without experiencing pain or extreme discomfort.  Remain here for 3-5 long, deep and smooth victorious (ujjayi) breaths, extending up through the crown of the head on the inhalations and relaxing the right hip joint at the end of each exhalation.  With both hands now on the chair beside each hip for support and the left thigh remaining parallel to the floor, on a long and slow exhalation gently lower the right bended knee  (with a flexed foot to protect the knee) toward the inside of the left foot.  Keep the back erect with a slight forward tilt of the pelvic basin, but avoid bending forward as you gradually release the tension in the right hip flexors externally rotating the right knee down  the left and toward the left foot.  Only go as deep into this modification of "Horse Pose" as your body will allow without moving into pain.  After 5-10 rhythmic breaths in in this pose carefully lift the right knee and exhale the right foot onto the floor, now keeping the right thigh parallel to the floor as the left flexed foot is placed high on the right thigh to reverse the position and open the left hip.  After relaxing in your best version of this challenging hip opener for 5-10 smooth breaths, be sure to rest on your back in "Corpse Pose" (Savanasana) for at least five minutes.
  • Mentally---Pay very close attention to the sensation in the hip and knee of the leg that is released toward the floor and do not push beyond your personal "edge" into pain.  Use the slow and deep rhythm of each breath to keep your mind fully present in your body.
  • Spiritually---As the physical resistance of the body is released in the hips and knees, allow any spiritual resistance to faith and trust to be subdued and to melt into the earth with each exhalation.  Trust and willingly "drink the water."
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."
(Philippians 3: 20-21, KJV)