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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Power of the Pyramid


I didn't understand what was going on... the Goddess pose was simple enough, yet my body was shaking and vibrating like a car with a wheel out of balance... our local circus community has been getting more and more into multi-tier human pyramids, and this day I was fully engaged in the practice. In the next few moments we deconstructed the pyramid into its component parts, and by instructing my bases to tilt their pelvises by only a few degrees, all the shake was gone, and I was my rock-solid self again!

In the past I've strongly favored partner acroyoga practice over group pyramids, but this day, Christmas Eve in fact, I learned many many new things from my full participation in the pyramid construction gang :)

First, as a base, typically with the weight of 2 or more humans bearing atop me, it required really perfect form and bone stacking technique. I've always marvelled and taken some small joy in the fact that with acroyoga basing, pure strength can compensate for slight misalignments and imperfect technique. But as the loads increase (one person, two people, etc.), the required strength becomes excessive, and the only "solution" to these human puzzles becomes rock-solid, perfect alignment.

Additionally, when the mid-tier or fliers places their loads on the proper structural points (sacrum through to feet, shoulders through to hands), it absolutely re-inforces perfect form; its like having an awesome yoga teacher push and pull your body into the correct alignment.

Which brings me to the second realisation, which has been entering my practice more and more via acrobatics: the "active" nature of poses. Once a yogi has achieved a decent degree of flexibility and body awareness, most asanas can be held with a minimum of muscular exertion... now enter "tightness drills." Whereas previously I had achieved a "lazy headstand" with near perfect bone stacking and balance, now I was being asked to hold that rock solid while a partner pushed, pulled, and prodded my legs with significant force. This required a new practice, known to acrobats and gymnasts as "one piece."; i.e. making the body completely rigid so that any force exerted on it would move it as one might move a marble sculpture. Now, instead of simply stacking and hanging out, I am focusing on tightening every muscle in my body, from fingertips to shoulders to abdomen to thighs to toes. This is a whole nother form of asana practice; and it also is very much required in pyramid basing.

The final realisation I got was that of micro-alignment and communication. While doing a mid-level pyramid asana, I was in Goddess pose with one foot on the sacrum of each of two bases. By instructing the bases to alter their pelvis angles by only a few degrees, I was able to transform my pose from shakey wobbly to rock solid. Similarly, when Todd was performing a headstand atop my back, his instructions to widen my shoulder blades by about a centimeter made a massive improvement in his ability to achieve the inversion. These accurate anatomical communications between all levels of the pyramid allowed us to achieve some pretty spectacular structures.

Always learning, always growing.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Toxins 101

"So, what are the benefits of getting a massage?" she asked. I reeled off a list, ending with "and drink lots of fluids afterwards to help flush out the toxins that are released." To which she responded: "what exactly do you mean, toxins?" I found myself struggling for an accurate medical answer, especially since I have a very holistic view of the term.

After many days considering the question, I present to you, Toxins 101:

When one is confronted with difficult emotional issues, coping behavior can include overeating, junk eating, drinking, drugging, or shopping. Each of these coping behaviours creates a form of toxin within our bodies. How, you ask? In detail:
  1. You have an un-resolved issue that you are angry about.
  2. Intstead of dealing with the issue, you consume toxins (food/drink/stuff).
  3. The consumption behavior helps you to numb and ignore the real issue.
  4. The toxin binds with the emotional issue.
  5. The toxin and the related issue are converted to fat, which is deep storage energy for the body.
  6. Through either vigorous massage or vigorous exercise, those deep fat/emotional stores can be broken down, re-entering the lymphatic system and bloodstream as toxins.
  7. When they enter the bloodstream, the original stored issue is re-released into the body, often causing unexpected emotional outbursts (crying while running, for instance)
  8. This, then, is the path of the toxin: imbibed, converted, stored, and released.
You might ask, "how does shopping create toxins?" To which I respond: As above, so below. Or via the Greeks: the macrocosm (the universe) mirrors the microcosm (the self). In otherwords, when you purchase/acquire un-needed excess and place it in your environment (clutter), your physical body responds in an equal manner (toxin). The same for junk food.

On a personal note, I've also recently re-committed myself to sobriety; this radical step is really gifting me some laser focus on how these issues manifest in my own body. Sobriety is forcing me to confront my feelings and to create action around them, even when the tasks are emotionally challenging. But just like exercise, it sure feels better on the other side! :)

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

teaching the teacher

"Ready for class?" I asked cheerily as the gleaming sun rose across the water. Then I saw the grimace come across his face: "Um, my body kinda needs a rest day... maybe tomorrow?" Had my simple vinyasa really broken this god?

In my first group yoga class, I had the privilege of working with two tri-athletes with well-tuned physiques and strong frames. I put them through a fairly simple sequence whose climax was a full wheel bridge... but the real bodywork was the extended poses of Virabhadrasana (Warrior I and II), sinking them deep into their lunges, teasing out optimal hip, leg and foot alignments. Then right when the shakes start to hit, moving them into Vrkasana (Tree) and Natarajasana.

After class, my brother came up and said "you know, some of those alignments you were asking for were *really* hard, like grounding the heels in down dog... you might want to say "try this if you can, but its OK if you do this instead." That immediately reminded me of the advice from my yoga mentor, who said "its about finding the perfect pose for each individual's body". This morning, I meditated on this again, and came up with the following three guidelines for my future classes:

There is no such thing as "wrong form" for a given asana. There is only:
  • The optimal human form for that asana. Recognize that you are not the optimal human; you are the optimal you.
  • Visualize the best possible form for your body and strive towards that.
  • Create the best form possible for your body as it is today & now.

As I was thinking this, I reflected on my own circumstances; I've spent the past nine months pushing myself into more and deeper physical extremes of yoga, gymnastics, and acrobatics. This has made my damaged wrist (see illustration) all the more evident... I've dealt with it in three ways: by ignoring the pain, by rehabbing it into health, and by adapting my practice to this altered state of wrist.

Following my own wisdom, and treating myself as my own student, I'm going to be focusing more and more on rehab and adaptation. This is the core of true yoga teaching.

Oh, and that breathing thing :)