Stretching your Legs

The other day in one of my classes I got that inevitable question: "So, what exactly is the purpose of Downward-Facing Dog? What does it do?" Probably the best answer to the question is, beats me...what's it do for you? Not many students appreciate a teacher being smart ass, even when that answer is perfectly true.

I knew that wasn't the desired response though so I gave it my best, describing how Dog was at once a power pose, requiring strength throughout the body, that it focused attention on both arms and legs bearing weight, that it was an inversion, with the head lower than the heart, and a forward bend, and in a way a back bend as well, and that it worked to stretch the whole back of the body, and that it could serve as a point of reference during practice by returning to it again and again to observe any changes.

Mostly what she gathered from that is that it's good for stretching out the backs of the legs. Which it is. But actually if what you want to do is stretch your legs there are better, easier ways to do it. Dog gives you too much at once to think about for it to be the most effective leg stretcher out there.

What I actually think about Dog, and any other pose for that matter, is that it provides a context within which to view your own death. You can stretch your legs at any gym or any street corner before you begin your jog. But the secret of Dog is that stretching your legs doesn't really matter at all because we're all going to die. With or without tight hamstrings it's going to happen. Stretching your legs at a gym obscures the reality of your death. You can tell yourself that you're making healthier choices by stretching and therefore will live longer and therefore don't really need to think about death at all. Death is something that happens to other people.

Stretching your legs in a yoga class or practice though eventually will lead you to observe the reality of your own death. Because it draws you in to observe the reality of your physical existence with all of its possibilities and all its limitations; observing the tidal movement of the breath and recognizing that eventually the tide flows out for good. Why else would we practice Corpse Pose at the end of class except to practice for our future? We die at the end of every class, only to return again to breathing and movement, return to life and the opportunity to live the life we choose to live. We get to practice dying so that we can live fresh, because we don't get the opportunity to practice life. We choose and we move and we breathe...and we live. Maybe with loose hamstrings this time.

copyright 2007 J. Autumn Needles

Summer Reading

I know summer's almost gone, but I don't have a lot to say at the moment. On the other hand, this year I've read many books which have had a great deal to say, and which have been both informative and transformative. So, I thought I'd share. Here are a few of my favorite, most recent, and most unforgettable reads:

Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison
How to Want What You Have: Discovering the Magic and Grandeur of Ordinary Existence by Timothy Miller
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon
The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker's Guide to Extraordinary Living by Stephen Cope
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg

Other than maybe too much of a fondness for long subtitles (a trend?), these books are gems and well worth a read. This is absolutely NOT a comprehensive list; only a list of books I've read very recently that have struck my fancy and found their way into my permanent library-quite a rare distinction. Are other lists forthcoming? Maybe. In the meantime check these out.