There are two places in my practice that I think I can call my favorites. Maybe I experience "pratyahara" (a withdrawal of the senses), maybe I experience pure bliss, weightlessness, or just a feeling of overwhelming calm. I'm not sure how to describe the feelings because they are so strong and pungent and rich that I can't really put my finger on exactly how to define them. And yet, they are so simple it is silly.
The first moment is in Prasarita Padottanasana A. I feel like I'm crawling into a 2 x 2 cave, head first. I feel like an ostrich with my head stuck in the sand. All I can see is the tip of my nose. There is nothing else. And I want to stay here forever. Time stops, gravity stops, sound stops, thoughts stop. I am not me, or 23, or fat, or skinny, or hungry, or smart, or rich, or poor, or in NY, or wearing black pants, or practicing. Nothing exists. I am just there. And it feels very safe and calm. It feels like I stuck my head up in the clouds to soon and I was invited to stay--but only for a few minutes--before being thrown back down to the earth. And then I finish my fifth breath and try to hold on to the feeling, but lose it every time.
The second moment is when exiting uthplutih at the end of practice. Yes, in theory I should lift up in lotus and swing right back into chaturanga without touching the floor. But until then , I am swinging forward onto my knees, rolling forward onto my elbows, launching my tail into the air and stretching my legs out behind me before lowering into chaturanga. Same feelings as described above but also like the flying dream where I am floating above oceans and cities and houses and trees and mountains and clouds and then I slowly loose altitude and crash into the sand.
Beauty! Great post.
ReplyDeleteI'm at a place in my asana practice where I'm a bit too much in my head. Those feelings of warmth and calm have been few and far between lately, and I'm just coming back from injuries. Reading this really inspired me.
Hi, by the way. I've been reading your blog from France, where I live and practice. I'm delurking all over the place today. ;)
Hi, Elise:
ReplyDeleteFor me it is Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana for some reason. I think it is only after it I truly start practicing. Before - I am all over the place. Interestingly, Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana does not have the same effect on me, though it is practically the same pose.
It is an interesting observation! I have not thought about it until I read your post. :)
I love the feeling of getting really really really small in Marichyasana D. And the foot in the belly in all the poses with half-lotus. And when my hands are really tight in Supta Kurmasana and teacher comes over and cranks my legs way tight behind my head (wish I could say my neck...but only one leg seems to stay there right now).
ReplyDeleteAs for the exit from Uth Pluthi, I ADORE that ending that you described. I don't even care about the swing-back on that one because it feels so beautiful to hold it as an arm balance (truly, an arm balance becaue your torso is resting on your triceps as you hover there).
Oh, and one more thing I love, is jumping my legs around the backs of my arms in Bhujapidasana. I am working on gluing the heels of my hands to the floor so that I can jump right into the pose, and it feels really good, like "whoosh", like my arms are magnets attracting my legs.
Hmmmm...I just noticed...I have NO Second Series poses listed as lovely moments. Maybe that will change someday?
Thanks for sharing! Makes me really appreciate practice.
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