Session 5: A Lion and a Swallow

During tonight's class our instructor mentioned that inside all of us there are two energies - a fierce, unyielding power (lion) and a nurturing, graceful swallow. I think we can all agree that of course that is true. Sometimes I'm super nice, other times I'm, well, not. But lately, I'm mostly the swallow and I can't help wondering if by the end of this whole thing I'm going to end up being one of those uber-nice, sickly sweet, peace-loving people that I used to avoid like the plague simply because I didn't understand them. I guess there are worse things.

Physically, I change every day. In tonight's practice I still needed to take a break at moments when I normally wouldn't need to (if my frequency was one class a week), but my abs are stronger, my arms are more defined, and I feel taller. Legit - I honestly feel like I've grown an inch. When I walk, my body is more upright. When I stand, it's with a surprising presence.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose) courtesy of Yogajournal.com

And so today it seems only appropriate to focus on the tallest of all poses, mountain pose. It's a pose that is often taken for granted. After all, we have been standing most of our lives, so how hard could it be?  My instructor walked us through this tonight and I can tell you, it's not. You can read all about how to do it in this article on Tadasana at yogajournal.com.

Just as with most poses, there are many ways you can approach this posture. The instructor focused on two (the theme was finding unity in opposition). You can muscle through it, pushing yourself harder and deeper just to get through or you can work on flexibility, finding length and space through alignment.



And perhaps the lesson which resignates most with me is that each day, each practice is different. Sometimes you muscle through it and push yourself to build strength and power. And other times you focus on breathing, on finding depth and space in places where you didn't have it before. It's the combination of the two - strength and flexibility, feirce and nuturing, ying and yang - that makes us whole.

To take this one step further, we all have good days and bad days. Understanding that we must experience one to experience the other gives you peace and that, to me, is beautiful.