Stretching on the Web

Forgiving others isn’t easy, but it’s an essential part of healing.

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I’m sitting at the Indianapolis airport after an enjoyable weekend presenting workshops at CityYoga, Nikki Myers’ fantastic studio. I know of Nikki through her program, Yoga of Recovery, which gives addicts holistic tools for navigating the intense waters of their addiction and preventing relapse. She’s a living example of using the power of awareness and yoga to change a life from destructive to constructive, from suffering to happiness and even joy.
 
We had many conversations throughout the weekend, and it struck me how the yogic process of transformation that Patanjali outlined parallels the foundations of a 12-step program. Both Nikki and my mentor, Leslie Kaminoff, are fond of pointing to the Serenity Prayer popularized by Alcoholic’s Anonymous:
 
Grant me the courage to change the things I can,
The serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
 
Whether we struggle with substance addiction, eating disorders, or perhaps less obvious dysfunctions like giving over our power in relationships, thriving on stress and anxiety, or stubbornly muscling our way into every pose, we can all learn something from this deceptively simple concept.
 
Translated into yoga philosophy, we can align the idea of changing the things we can with tapas, or heat, the first part of the three-fold practice of kriya yoga. When we engage in tapas, we invoke our yang nature by taking actions that shine the light of awareness on our issues and work to dissolve the obstacles we find in the body, mind, and heart.
 
Then we practice Ishvara pranidhana (devotion), surrendering to the bigger perspective. Here we release our desire for the realities we don’t like to change. For example, the weather here is horrendous. My flight is going to be delayed for two hours and I’m going to miss a fun gathering back in New York City that I was really hoping to make. But I can’t force my plane to be magically un-delayed. So I have a choice. I can get upset and suffer or I can get a hot chocolate and enjoy this unplanned time to catch up on some writing. This step is actually one of not of acting. Instead, it’s knowing when to stop, step back from the struggle, and turn your attention to something that you are able to shift.
 
Finally, we travel deep inside along the clear path created by the first two actions, and enter into an inner contract called svadhyaya, the practice of self-study. In this place, we gain the wisdom to know which road to choose in any given moment.
 
As someone who once struggled with an eating disorder and extreme co-dependence in relationships, I can tell you that it takes a mountain of fortitude to be able to say no to the seductive pull of instant gratification and a false sense of security. Yoga doesn’t actually give us this strength, but it does offer the opportunity to discover where it’s been hiding within us, like stumbling across ancient cave paintings while hiking.

Asana and meditation help us to remember that we have the ability to remain in full integrity when confronted with our addictive tendencies. They also illuminate the darkness when our hands are about to reach out for some external–and false–sense of security. Above all, through the yogic journey we discover that we are truly everything we’re seeking when we reach for that drink or smoke, or are tempted to cling to that person: absolutely alive, confident, soothed, loved, and in mastery of our own happiness.  

So next time you feel like indulging your craving or addiction with something that’s not going to serve you, get to the mat. And, baby, start a revolution.
 
 
Core Pose: Low Lunge

From Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), step your right foot forward and place your back knee on the floor. Your front knee should be stacked directly over the right heel. Draw your low belly in and transition up to rest your hands on your front thigh.

In this pose, it is easy to be passive and sink so far toward the floor that you’re in danger of overstretching your connective tissue, which can cause inflammation and de-stabilize the joints. You can also pull so far out of the pose that you don’t allow the muscles to hit that sweet spot of increased flexibility.

Use your awareness to find the middle path of engaging your muscles, sending your hips back, and backing off to go deeper, as a light stretching sensation arises in the belly, or center, of the muscles (not within the joints). Remember to keep your tailbone long and spine lifting to maintain space in your low back.

Take 10 to 20 breaths here then return to Down Dog. Switch sides.

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