Trade fear for curiosity and reveal your brilliance
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Liisa Walimaa
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At a recent Arm Balance workshop, we discussed the common ways that the Sanskrit names for yoga postures (asanas) are derived. Oversimplifying, they can be named for anatomy (e.g. hasta = hand); animals (e.g. ustra = camel); objects (e.g. nava = boat); numbers (e.g. ashta = eight), characteristics (e.g. parivrtta = revolved), and sages and deities (e.g. Nataraja = Shiva, lord of the dance). Some of these are obvious and are conceptualized in the positioning of the body. The postures named after the individuals are a little harder to envision. Let's look at two of those.
Marichyasana, refers to a series of seated, bound poses dedicated to the sage Marichi. According to Hindu beliefs, Marichi was the son of Brahma, and one of the 10 caretakers of creation (Prajapatis) as appointed by Brahma. His role was to be the "father" of humanity, the Vedic Adam. The name literally means "ray of light."
Koundinyasana, refers to a couple of variations on a one-legged arm balance, including one sometimes referred to as "hurdle pose." They are named for Koundinya, who was a royal court vedic scholar, who lived during the 6th century BCE. After predicting upon the birth of Prince Siddhartha that he would become an enlightened Buddha, Koundinya became a devoted disciple and later, attained respect for his spiritual practice.
Although we are entranced by stories of the sages after whom poses are named, the nomenclature is new--REALLY new. Four traditional texts name 169 combined postures, with only two teacher names (Matsyendra and Goraksha) and one deity (Bhairava, a nickname of Shiva) used in their descriptions. In fact, MOST of the postures named after sages and deities are first mentioned in B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Yoga, published in 1966. Iyengar describes 200 postures, with 23 named after individuals.
With the growing popularity of asana practice, we Westerners demanded more asanas. And the modern yogi gurus delivered these challenging postures wrapped in colourful tales harkening back to history and tradition.
"Basically, no matter what realm or what circumstance, if you plant a mango seed, you get a mango tree. If you plant an apple seed you get an apple tree. The seeds that we plant in physical experience, or with our words and deeds, then ripen in patterns and produce the experience that follows that matches that seed." ~Jack Kornfield
“I’m not gonna sit around and waste my precious divine energy trying to explain and be ashamed of things you think are wrong with me.” ~Esperanza Spalding
PRACTICE POSE
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi
Marichyasana I
(mar-ee-chee-AH-sana)
see "Whosey-Whats-That-Asana" (left) for more about Marichi
- Calming the brain;
- Extending the spine and hamstrings;
- Opening shoulders, hips, and groins;
- Stimulating abdominal organs, including liver, kidneys, and bladder;
- Improving digestion; soothing flatulence and constipation (not advised if suffering from diarrhea)
1. Start seated with legs extended, sit bones grounded. Bend your left knee and place the foot on the floor, heel close to the left sitting bone. Keep the right leg strong, foot flexed, rotated slightly inward. Lengthen, twist slightly right to bring left ribs against left thigh. Gently unwind, and face forward, keeping the inner thigh firmly against the torso.
2. Lengthen your body forward, reaching your arms forward, palms facing outward. Exhaling, "swim" the arms around to the back body, capturing the left shin under the left armpit.
3. Continuing the sweep, clasp the right wrist in the left hand at the small of the back. Exhale and extend your torso forward from the groins, melting the lower belly toward the thigh. Draw the shoulder blades actively down your back.
4. Stay in the pose for up to a minute, and come up as you inhale. Repeat on the other side for the same length of time.
PROGRESSING to Marichyasana II: With practice and further hip, groin, and ankle suppleness, a variation of this pose becomes available. Building the pose by first bringing the right foot deeply into the hip crease to find half lotus, keeping the ankle and foot firmly engaged for joint safety. Then following the steps as outlined above, beginning with drawing the sole of the left foot to the mat. Breathe with complete inhalations and exhalations and move slowly. With time, the body will open appropriately to this intense variation.
What is Partner Yoga anyway?
Partner yoga is for everybody. It is not just for those with prior yoga experience or those who are currently in an intimate relationship. Find a friend who is willing to experiment with the practice, who is curious and supportive, and with whom you feel comfortable. Grab someone with whom you can laugh. Partner yoga is fun.
“Partner yoga is a way we can reconnect with the childlike joy and innocence of creativity.” It is a way to play together, to invent new and fascinating ways to connect with form and energy. There is no ‘one right way’ to do partner yoga: in our practice we can be curious about all the possibilities, open to where our creativity leads us. Partner yoga is evolving.
Experience with traditional hatha yoga is not necessary to be “good” at partner yoga. It is a practice of shared experiences, not merely of postures. When we focus only on the postures, we can become ‘posers’—ego-driven to achieving the perfect form or creating the sequence worthy of the highlight reel. When we expand our attention to sharing the experience with another, we learn about ourselves through each other. We begin to see with compassion the quality of our presence in our relationships, realizing the benefit of ‘being here now’ and the importance of communication, and discovering where we are resistant or unable to connect with our partner. It is the see-saw on the playground: approach it with the desire for both of you to have fun…then find the way to make that happen! Partner yoga is yours.
Join us for an afternoon or evening of movement and connection, relaxation and rejuvenation. Every session begins with breathing techniques to relax and connect. Next we move into postures and movement to deepen the connection, strengthen and release the body, and raise the spirits. You will also learn a Thai massage-inspired technique near the end of each session to benefit both partners. Every session is different and no experience is ever required. Partner yoga is brilliant!
Trade your fear for curiosity… Come play with us.