Upward Energy

In the past few weeks I have been noticing a powerful upward energy in some of my postures. The tension of the posture seems to want to uncoil and propel my body upward.

I have felt it in Eagle pose. The twisting of the lower body and the driving of the pelvis forward make it easy for me to understand the energy in this posture. No matter how low I bend my legs, the potential energy in my legs and pelvis only builds, giving me the feeling that my body just wants to explode upward.

As my alignment improves in Triangle (bent leg), the upward energy is there too. Once my hips are sufficiently down and forward on the line between my feet, I pull my upper hip open (This is different than some people teach it. Some say to bring the back hip forward, bringing a twist into the spine. In the Ghosh lineage the hip should be completely open with no twist in the spine except for a small cervical twist). My back foot rotates open a little bit, and I feel a strong upward energy through my spine.

The other pose where I have noticed it is Crow pose. I have been holding Crow for 10 breaths. The first 3 feel normal with my mind on my alignment and balance. But as I hold the pose for longer, my heels come together, my feet want to rise, my hips want to rise, my back wants to rise. I straighten my arms as much as possible without straining and I feel that, if I had a bit more strength, my body would unfold into handstand.

Tony talked a lot about grounding energy (Chi) and upward energy (Prana). For the past month I have focused a lot on the Chi, trying to stabilize my balance. I was so busy trying to find the Chi that I didn't much consider the Prana. But now I am feeling it strongly. Very exciting!