 ORIYI News -
January 2003 |
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4 - Yoga Day with Judith Jones
A rather hasty agreement in November to write a brief account of Judith’s yoga day in Calcot on the 12th October was followed by a desperate trawl through my memory: what did we actually do? But of course, what we did is not important compared with what each of us learned – or were reminded of; things that have stayed with us, modifying, and hopefully enhancing, our practice. Thus, what follows is a very personal recollection of 12th October. Judith started off the day with an explanation of the invocation to Patanjali, after which we joined together in the invocation. We were reminded that yoga asanas are not mechanical postures but are informed by an inner awareness; an awareness which, in its turn, is enhanced by physical practice. Beginning a yoga session with the invocation goes some way to ensuring that the practice is undertaken mindfully. After seeing our Trikonasana, Judith asked us to practise with the ball of the front foot (the right foot when extending to the right), up on a brick. We had to feel how this helped to keep the leg lifting from the firmness of the heel into the hip. We opened the right groin from the forward action of the right buttock, and lifted the lower abdomen (right) up towards the left hip. When this hip was then taken back openness came in the abdomen. I felt for the first time that an upward flow of energy in Trikonasana was a real possibility. Maybe it is because with the toes up the arch of the foot doesn't collapse and the inner leg stays up? We also practised Supta Padangustasana ( repeatedly........! ) in a way which also helped me to get this same feeling of openness. Judith also brought with her from Pune an analogy to help us through Parsvottanasana: The leg is like the shaft of a key, the foot is the part that fixes into the lock. The hips are the "prime mover". They are where you turn the key - the handle of the key - which you use to turn and unlock. With the left leg back, heel into the wall and the right leg forward, place the hands on the floor. The left leg is the shaft of the key. Extending the left leg, heel firmly down into the wall like a key inserted into a lock, turn the left hip forward and left abdomen to the right from the action of the hips. With the right leg forward and the front of the foot raised up onto the wall, (or a brick) the front leg is now the shaft of the key. Press the hands into the floor (or bricks) to free the hips. Push the right heel into the floor like a key in a lock, extend up through the right leg and turn the key to bring the hips level. This is to learn the action of the legs and hips. The same idea can also be applied to Virabhadrasana 1. The back leg (the shaft) turns from the action of the heel pressing firmly down and the hips turning to unlock. The action of the key in the lock, the shaft and the handle turning the key all go together. Each yoga day – each lesson – you hear something different to help. Maybe you’ve heard it a million times before, but suddenly it makes absolute sense and you’ve taken one more step forward. Sylvia Fairclough |