the movement
honor ancestors, serve descendants, nourish all
What do you call this shape?
In the picture above, I am making a shape with my body where my hands and feet are on the earth and my butt is up in the air. My five-year-old niece might say I’m making a triangle. My nine-year-old niece might say I look like a Pyramid in Egypt. Some folks call this shape Down-Dog. Some call it Adho-Mukha-Svan-asana, that’s Sanskrit for Downward Facing Dog Pose, due to the similar stretch we see in canines do when they are getting up. Some call this shape Parvat-asana which translates as Mountain Pose. When you see this shape from the side that name makes sense visually because you resemble a mountain with your butt as the peak.
How do you embody change?
The key word in that question is embody. I recently learned I have some deeply embedded neural pathways. I experienced the tremendous effort it takes to undo one neural pathway.
For over two decades I have heard and called the shape above Down Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana. Three weeks ago, I was given new study materials for a course in yoga studies that labeled this pose Parvatasana. As I read the course materials and listened to the lectures I would hear or see the word Parvatasna but in my mind I’d immediately re-tag it to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Two days before the practical exam the instructor gave all the participants kind, but firm advice,
“Yoga is vast and there are many names for many things, ultimately you will use the language best suited for your students and clients, but for this course it is as if we are looking at specific ‘pages’ of yoga and for the exam we want you to use the language we have given you.”
Message received. For the 48 hours leading up to my exam I directed all my efforts to undoing the Adho Mukha Svanasana neural pathway to make the opportunity for a new track for Parvatasna. One might think this is not a big deal (and in the big scheme of the universe it is not a big deal) and yet I was surprised at the focus and effort it took to change. Even when I thought I had it sorted in my mind, I’d test myself and practice verbally teaching a sequence. Oooof, I would have to use all my concentration to ensure the articulation of “Pa” sound of Parvat formed in my mouth before the “Ah” sound for Adho.
Photo: Gratitude to community member Steve Shigaya for capturing this sweet moment of his longtime fury friend, Tomo in downward facing dog stretch.
Focus and Defocus
Focus. The roots of Yoga teach us about concentration. In the process of meditation, the stage Dharana is featured by effortful focus on one subject. While there may be many thoughts under that one consideration, you keep your mind trained on the matter at hand. In the final hours in preparation for the exam, I knew I was in a state of Dharana. I was channeling my life force energy on the content of the course and was acutely aware of making sure to use the word Parvatasana.
Defocus. The roots of Yoga equally teach us about expansion. In the process of meditation, the stage Dhyana is featured by effortlessness. While your mind dwells on one single thought you defocus. Prior to the start of the exam my instructors gave me 5 mins to “use the loo and get a drink of water and whatever else I needed before I started.” I was nervous, but attending to biological needs always helps. I had one minute completely alone before we started. I knew to take deep breaths, and after a few deep breaths something inside me shifted. The only thing I recall before the exam started was a deep knowing that if I breathed deeply from here on out, I would truly hear what they ask of me. I would be able to communicate to the best of my ability. By the grace of my instructors, I did stay in the expansive state of deep breathing, listening, and responding.
Photo: Gratitude to community member Ken Steiner for capturing this beautiful view of Tahoma also known as Mount Rainier.
Embodied Freedom
The morning after the exam I am on my mat and my breath is like a steady stream washing sensations, thoughts, and feelings through me. From all fours on the floor, I pull back to Adho Mukha Svanasana, just like a dog stretching to get up. As I draw my pelvis back and up my spine gets the streeeeeeeeeetch and it feels delicious. I stay. I root through my hands and feet, I widen my back, I reach my heels to the floor, I stabilize, and breathe. My body feels solid and strong. My mind is steady. For several breaths I am constant like a mountain (Paravata). Ah-ha the moment of alchemy, a new neural pathway connects Paravat-asana, Mountain Pose.
The effort it took to undo my dependency on one neural pathway gives me freedom. The horizon gets wider with the freedom to see there is more than one path. The invitation is to move and breathe, to practice and play, focus and defocus, concentrate and expand. Let’s explore all the pathways and foster freedom from within.
May 2023