Postures We Hate

If there are any postures that we hate, there are two possible reasons:

1) We are doing it wrong. Our physical alignment or our muscular engagement could be off, not allowing our body to settle into the posture. Each posture is designed to work with the human body, so (aside from the unusual exception) they should all work for all of us. If it feels wrong, chances are we are not doing it properly.

2) We have a blockage. Physical, emotional and spiritual injuries manifest in our bodies. They can appear as tight muscles, sore areas, fear or upwelling emotion. We all have these blockages. Common areas are in the hips and pelvis, the lower abdomen and intestines, the heart and chest and neck, and the shoulders. When we start to open these areas and are overwhelmed by panic, fear, anger, grief or other emotions it is because of a blockage. Be patient, back off a bit and work into it slowly and with courage. It will heal bit by bit.

I have had my share of postures that I considered my enemies. Warriors 1 & 2, Cobra, Locust, Camel. When I get tired of fearing the postures and skimming through them, I slow everything down. I go back to the start, build the posture from the ground up and try to relax as much as possible. I usually start very shallow in the posture but doing it correctly. Before long, my muscles grow strong, my joints open and my body comes to love the pose. Then the pose deepens. Next thing I know, I am doing the pose well and deeply on a physical level and also loving it and learning from it on a psychological level.

We should try to love every posture. They love us.