kitewest sup yoga Asana practice is a beautiful metaphor for life. Our attitude on the mat can reveal a lot about ourselves.
I love Adho Mukha Vrksasana, handstand, but it’s not a pose I practice so often when there are occasional flare ups of an old injury. What these photos symbolize for me is ADAPTABILITY.
ADAPTABILITY lies at the core of PEACE. The inability or stubbornness to accept and adapt to change-be it the ending of a job, relationship, or even a life-brings about great suffering. But how does this relate to handstand, you might ask?
New students often fear going upside down. When everything flips, there is panic and a fear of falling. We lose the fundamentals of our practice, including core awareness, and the step by step process of getting in and out of poses. When that happens we are sure to fall. Knowing how, why and where to cultivate firm roots in our hands, stabilizing the shoulder girdle, re-establishing our proprioceptive sense of neutral spine whilst cinching in around the waist, reaching out of our feet and spreading our toes, and of course, breathing and steadying our gaze, all factor into our ability to adapt to change. Practicing handstands on different surfaces (concrete, grass, sand or sand/water), and dabbling in pose variations asks us to meet the moment, with all its varying conditions, mindfully and with ease.
Vinyasa krama is a step-by-step process that allows us to work through unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations with the greatest level of care and attention. By working from the ground up, we cultivate stability and strength in order to experience ease and grace……and the ability to hover in space, as with inversions.
When life gets messy, can you direct your attention to the breath to remain calm and grounded? Do you have the tools to respond rather than react? THIS is the practice.
What we learn on the mat applies to how we live off the mat because the way we do anything is the way we do everything.
How do YOU respond when your world gets turned upside down?
#relationshipsareyourmirror #mindfulliving #takeitoffthemat #consciousness #yogaisalifestyle #mindfulrelationships #breathe #vinyasakrama #ilovemylife #movethroughfear
By Alicia Cheung
