"Stand on your head, even if you're crooked, just to show it can be done." - Mirra
Those were the words of my meditation teacher a couple of weeks ago, intended to motivate people to provide an asana demonstration at the Yoga Centers 15th Anniversary party on the 17th. I thought that it was a very sweet encouragement, and it helped the asana teachers in the room let go of our "but what if we're crooked?" concerns about "performing" yoga in public. The idea of yoga as a performance is tricky, and makes many teachers uncomfortable.
What I have learned is that the general population - yoga students or not - finds inspiration in the myriad ways in which seasoned practitioners can move their bodies. It isn't about a "perfect pose", but rather showing people that it can be done. So, with that in mind, I volunteered to demonstrate one of my favorite poses, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana.
Before you look at the pictures, I want you to know this: About three years ago I started to develop pain in my sacro-iliac joint. I didn't even know what that joint was at the time, I just knew that I had a weird pain there that didn't go away with massage, my yoga practice, etc. It got to the point that I could not find relief in any regular position: not sitting, not standing, not lying down. Only Supta Badda Konasana (well supported) helped, so I would spend 40 - 60 minutes per day in that pose, just to be pain free.
By the end of the summer, things were on the up and up. I had researched the condition a great deal (it's called "Sacro-iliac Dysfunction" and it is not unusual in long-time yoga practitioners), I kept a journal about it, I experimented with retraining my body, etc. Then I went to a lovely workshop with a well-known teacher who was visiting Seattle that fall. We did backbends - my favorites - and since I still didn't know what it was about yoga specifically that had led to the development of my pain, I did not know how to protect myself during the practice. After that workshop, I could barely walk. I thought I would just have to avoid all future backbends, and probably have that pain for the rest of my life.
Then, two months later (November 2004) I attended the first of my classes in the College of Purna Yoga. It was then that I met my teacher, Aadil Palkhivala. One of his main goals is to help us avoid the things that he learned the hard way. I learned how to nurture my body, how to stop pushing it so much and how to encourage healing. I learned that the cause of my pain was not yoga, but the way in which I approached my practice (I was always testing my limitations, and pushing past them - rather than letting them grow with time and patience). I learned how to correct my posture from the inside out, and what movements were exacerbating my back's circumstances. I learned to slow down and enjoy all of the wonderful things that I could do without pain...even on the days when it was only Supta Badda Konasana!
Now, two and a half years after my first practice with Aadil, I can backbend freely. I have to stay very focused and present (which I would recommend to everyone!), and work hard in order to avoid falling into habitual movement patterns (which indicate areas that need strengthening), but I can move! My back only flares up occasionally, but the daily pain has passed, thanks to improved asana technique, regular massage therapy, some physical therapy, and chiropractic care. Not to mention meditation and a careful diet.
So now, ladies and gentlemen, I present photos of me coming into Eka Pada Rajakapotasana...a pose that is not recommended for people with sacro-iliac pain. A pose that I have reclaimed.
Want to see more asana photos? Go to my studio website:
Very Beautiful, both the pose and the philosophy.
I feel bad I haven't answered your email yet. I would really love to get together with you (hopefully, soon) but right now I am so sick I can't hardly bring myself to shower, let alone leave the house.
We are trying a new drug tomorrow, hopefully it will help!
Posted by: Duchess | March 23, 2007 at 11:07 AM