Like Water

This week was amazing.  I learned so many things in these past few days.  I'm feeling extremely grateful for all the teaching I get to do and all the people I have the honor of meeting through my work. 

Currently, I have the priviledge of teaching two private yoga sessions each week.  When I first started teaching yoga three years ago, I was intimidated by the idea of sharing my knowledge of yoga with others especially one-on-one.  While the concept still seems scary to me, in actuality, it is one of the richest and most rewarding experience I've had so far in my journey.  It means I have to come prepared to offer guidance and hold space.  I have to reign in my spontaneous, go-with-the-flow side and create a little more structure.  It's an excercise in self-discipline and growth.

This morning, I learned that the best medicine for stiffness in the body and unwillingness to move fluidly is to prescribe movement that resembles water.  I've always been attracted to the water.  My "happy place" is a beach with no people in sight.  The water is a clear blue and the sand is nearly white.  I am alone there and completely at peace.  It is where I go in my mind when I feel anxious or overwhelmed.  My client this morning was experiencing extreme stiffness in the low back and hips.  The image of water immediately popped into my head.

Instead of focussing on alignment principles and holding a pose statically, I encouraged her to move freely.  In Kripalu Yoga, we refer to this concept at times as 'meditation in motion.'  We allow the body to move freely and with as little constriction as possible.  One example of this is incorportating Sufi Circles. Sufi Circles are torso circles with the hands on the knees while sitting in easy pose.  I like to encourage students to imagine they are surrounded by a giant tank of water while they move.  Your intuitions is your guide.

My student this morning said on several occassions:  This is exactly what my body needs.  She was referring to fluid movement.  Move like water, I told her...surround yourself with water whenever you can...go toward the fluid, avoid that which is retrictive.  I think we made some serious progress today.  Keeping this in mind, I will return my awareness to water whenever I feel the urge to control my surroundings or tighten my body when I go into protective mode.

Be. Like. Water.