The Dancer or Natarajasana is one of those Hatha yoga poses so closely tied to an Indian diety that it's hard to write about it without mentioning its god or godhead. Natarajasana is named for Nataraja, or Shiva.
What is Shiva? Shiva is a representation, an archetype, of the primal force of transformation that is found in Life: nature, animals, plants, weather, humans, stars, galaxies. He is not called Lord of the Worlds for nothing! This power of transformation has a mysterious existence in all of this moved creation around us, endlessly partnering destruction with creation so that something new can continually emerge. It is a dance of infinite birth; Shiva is Lord of this Dance.
Infinity is symbolized by a circle, which is what the leg behind us should ideally form in the final-end pose as foot meets head. "Ideally" as this is an advanced pose that you can do for years and years and still not quite accomplish. Within the imagination, 'a circle within a circle' picture forms. Your leg not only begins rounding, but the top half of your body too as the back becomes more elasticized.
Shiva's power bestows the transformation of the body in all yoga poses. Again, he is not called Lord of Yoga for nothing! This fiery power on a metaphysical level also provides the gift of ego-destruction so that the infinite consciousness of an individual can be born; that the forever-solo dancer you might find yourself one day can reach its true self, shed of false constructs and facades. The OM symbol that you see above in Move Within Yoga represents this acknowledgement of the higher self layered deep within, the OM from an ancient mantra for this god.
Work To Do
In sitting head-to-knee or pascimottanasana, we have the opposite of crow (see below, April 2015). Whereas crow looks difficult but is actually playful and springy, sitting head-to-knee looks like an ordinary forward bend but really it's an advanced asana when the top half of the body correctly leans over the legs.
Rushing down misses the point. Succumbing to gravity, with the forehead immediately touching knees and the hands racing down to the feet or legs is absolutely not the point. Rather, as we lean forwards we lift up the midsection; raising the spine through the lumbar and thoracic to avoid rounding the back as much as possible. In the front of the body, we want to keep the solar plexus open and active, not cramped and constrained. This takes a lot of concentration and application, not a term you hear much in the Spiritual Industrial Complex of lotus flowers and unicorns. Application. And I am not talking about a computer program or 'app'. Application is the ability to observe in the face of resistance and, from that, an ability to master matter -- in this case our meat dresses, these meat machines, our bodies. It is the picture of work.
Being super-bendy or flexible doesn't necessarily help. In fact, this pose, when performed by really flexible people, can contribute to the idea that this is an easy pose. For flexible students, particular emphasis needs to be taken to lengthen up in the middle, become more active, and not slip into habitual habits and merely pleasant feelings of well-being.
I am not a fan of props, but for this one, I recommend sitting on top a block or cushion, especially for beginners. This will help lift your centre and bring the spine into alignment. Out-stretch your legs. I'm not hung up about straight legs for beginners or if you're feeling tight in the legs. In fact, there are arguments that bent knees are actually more beneficial in this pose. So bend knees slightly, raise arms overhead, and slowly come forward. You should feel like you're hitting a wall of resistance. If you don't, then you're not doing this correctly. You should come -- smack! -- into resistance. If you don't, then you are rushing to get further down. No! Meet the resistance and from there grow up and out. Then come forward. Again, you should meet another level of resistance. Do a third time. Then place hands on your feet, ankles or calves. In working through resistances, not rushing through them, we get to know the nature of matter.
A Mermaid Blessing
Whether you are caught up in the hustle-bustle pull of Earth or the power of the Sea, or feel like you're drifting aimlessly in the Wind or coping with the tumult of creative Fire and change, it's important to remember A Mermaid Blessing.
Based loosely on the Irish one, it will help you flow with Life, no matter which four element you are bound to:
May you always dive down deep
Never fearful what's in your path
May you always ride the waves
Instead of wishing for this and that
Riding and diving and playing
Experiencing all, all, that's around
May you find a porpoise to play with and swim with the fish around
Kaka about Crow
The crow is a lot less difficult to do than it looks. The Sanskrit name is kakasana, an onomatopoeia bringing the sounds of a caw-cawing bird alive. Hip-hop artists and back-up dancers have co-opted this pose, with twists and swirls and legs flying in the air, and those yogic variations are indeed a little more complicated to get into. In your basic bog-standard crow pose (below) you do need to play around with your hands, knees and elbows to get the just-right placement and adjustment in which to spring onto.
But the operative word, again (see April's "Fifty Shades of Play") is play. Don't take it too seriously or think that you can't do such an 'advanced' pose. Who says this is advanced? Sometimes students get really overwhelmed about how it looks and the fear factor arises. Then a litany of mind-chatter emerges. I hear a lot: 'I don't have upper body strength'. Let me tell you, you gain strength through doing this. It's not a prerequisite.
Start by crouching on your tippy toes and with your feet close together at first. Widen out your knees and place palms down, fingers slightly turning inwards. You can simply breathe in this starting pose for half a minute or so. Catch your collective breath and listen to where your body is advising you to adjust feet and hands, as well as your knees. Play around with the placement of knees on shins. Then begin to shift weight on your palms and start by lifting only one foot off the ground. Free-breathe with just one foot in the air. Then lower and raise the other foot. Continue to swap legs. Your heart may be racing. This is a heart pose so that would be natural. Just watch the breathe and try not to get caught up with it. Your bottom will be in the air.
As you switch legs and get comfortable with that, practice leaning the top half of your body forward. This forward jutting of the torso and head is absolutely key as a counter-balance to your bottom. It will help you support your body and you won't need to continually keep the pressure in your hands and arms. Then the next time you bring up one foot, try bringing up the other and there will be a spring as you come forwards. Once you balance with both feet up, the pose feels daring, like you are suspended in space.
Fifty Shades of Play
You would've thought "Fifty Shades of Grey" was the first time some women had heard about sex. Your average prime-time TV show contains more sex scenes, props, and banter than a porn movie 50 years ago so it's quaint to see so many American women worked up about this movie. The furore has died down since it opened in the U.S. in February when the excitement was at fever-pitch with loads of girls-night-out post-cinema parties, combinations of S&M and Tupperware parties. Pass the salsa, and the rabbit. Eat your taco dip while you watch a demonstration on how to turn on your toy. Then, go place your order -- in private, away from your squealing friends. Personally, I couldn't think of anything less sexy.
But you get the feeling these parties aren't meant to be sexy or sultry or to ignite passions. Rather, they seem more like giant excuses to play. The movie, based on the best-selling book, is about a man and woman who have sex with a lot of play involved, albeit not to everyone's taste. But playing and sexuality are entwined, and what limits both are blockages in the sacral (See 'Sacral Flow,' Nov 2014), that second chakra which is about flow, compassion, and sensuality. It's hard to let loose and play and feel alive when you're blocked, tight, and holding onto old emotions, residual garbage from past experiences and relationships and encounters.
It's also difficult when you live in a society that seems to push us to take care of the boring, tedious bits of life first and then do the pleasurable stuff that makes us happy. Having relocated back to the US, you do see a workman-like quality in American life that you just don't see in Europe or London where there is a lot more whimsy in the air and in the streets. But adults worldwide are a bit deluded and have it all backwards, doing the boring stuff on to-do lists first and only then maybe, after all the work gets done, 'rewarding' themselves with an activity that has to be easy to consume and digest, and instantly gratify because they are so tired from finishing all their work. You wonder why people comfort-eat? Do drugs? Drink themselves silly? How can you build space around you to create or truly relax into play when you view these activities as 'rewards'?
Children do not do this. I never met a child who headed straight to the tedious stuff. Children do not willingly do stuff that doesn't bring them joy or excitement or thrill every cell in their bodies. I began an experiment not too long ago with my 'to-do' list -- anything that I felt had to be done immediately fell to the bottom of the list and I wouldn't do it until I absolutely had to. The priorities were all my hobbies that brought me joy, the people who I could enjoy play-time with, and creating space to create. Are you afraid you'll enjoy your life too much? Don't worry the dishes will be there later. You will eventually have to pick up the kids and fold the laundry. The weird thing is all that manages to get done. If your body is screaming at you to go for a bike ride or try on a dress -- or better yet make a dress -- go for it without the mind interfering with oh, not now or I'm not good enough to make a dress or I don't know how to do that so well. All that mind chatter disrupts your body's flow. This is how anxiety issues develop.
And who cares about your to-do list. Do you really think you'll get some kind of collective award for doing stuff that doesn't excite you? Really? Do you think anyone cares? Here's a secret: No one does. So you might as well have as much fun as you can. Don't worry. You'll get your share of pain and sadness and disappointment but if you're going to swing to the other end -- you might as really go for it, make yourself deliriously alive and happy, whatever it is.