Another Awakening
The life of a yoga student is one revelation after another. As soon as you think you've mastered one movement, you realize that you've compromised the integrity of another part of pose.
The more teachers you take from, the more frequent these revelations become. I haven't been keeping count, but I've been humbled so many times during this conference. None of these epiphanies have been as dynamic as what I experienced in Edward Clark's class.
After watching Edward Clark in the Tripsichore performance I wasn't really sure what to expect for his class on the Tripsichore technique--but I hoped I wouldn't be expected to stand on my forearms and put my leg behind my head.
Thank goodness he didn't expect us to be that advanced.
We talked about keeping the shoulders down and lenghthing the Uddyana to raise the chest both as we fold forward and as we come up from fold into Tadasana with the arms extended above the head. Not only is this far more beautiful, but it lengthens the back, front, and side body throughout the motion and feels a lot better than allowing the shoulders to rise up toward the ears.
From the top of that reach, we could begin to bend backwards through our height (without crunching the back). Since I've never really had much instruction on how to do a standing backbend, I was thrilled to begin to get a foundation. I have read many times that you have to bend from height, but I wasn't sure how to really achieve that height.
I was also really pleased when we used the same principle of lengthening the Uddyana to come into a handstand split, which is a pose that Tripsichore performs beautifully. I felt like we were really learning a little of the Tripsichore technique. I mean, I didn't actually get my feet off the ground, but I have something else to work toward now.
But the subject that prompted my major revelation was not part of the class topic.
Throughout my practice, I've noticed teachers make the same few adjustments on me. I tend to jut my rib cage out and collapse in my lower back, and sometimes my shoulders roll forward instead of down my back during Cobra and Upward-Facing Dog. So I'm very conscious of these things, especially if I'm in the first row like I was in this class. But I was surprised when Edward told me I over-extend my elbows. I've never had a teacher adjust my elbows--ever! So now I have a new thing to work on in my body, which is a really good thing.
So I'm not enlightened yet, but at this rate I might be someday!
Photos by Susan Slattery