Home Practice
Lit some candles this morning and skipped the kitchen light. Pretty dark at 5:30 AM, but lovely and easy to listen in to my body, with the visual distraction at a minimum. My hamstrings came in loud and clear. Home practice is such a shifting thing--some days it is very sweet; others, a huge struggle. This morning was a combo pack: the setting was lovely, but my hamstrings/lower back were very sketchy. It's amazing how an internal experience can feel frightening--after all, how much more "at home" can I be than in my own body? It always amazes me that there can be a challenge in there--a huge challenge. It is somewhat reminiscent of my climbing days: I'd be climbing along merrily, and suddenly something shifts--there're no holds, or my foot slips, a bat flies out of a crack in the rock--and my body goes into a kind of anxiety mode. Now, in my own home, on my comfy green rug, I can find (or create?) that same feeling in my own body.
posted by Karen @ 11:07 AM
1 Comments:
When you wrote "how much more 'at home' can I be than in my own body?" it got me thinking. I think that for me, my body is pretty foreign to me, even though I have been physically active all of my life. Even the fact that we refer to "mind & body" as if they are distinctly seperate entities points to this. I say "I am in my body"...as if my body is a vessel or vehicle for my real self--rather than a part of me.
So often, when I come to the mat, I think of my body (especially in certain postures) as something to be conquered or controlled. Like I can overcome my body.
I've had a recurring injury in my hamstring, right where it inserts into my pelvis, right under the buttocks, and when it flairs up--I can sense myself actually getting angry at my physical body as if it is an entity seperate from myself...hmmm. Something I will continue to think about...
Thanks for sparking that.
I will keep an eye on your blog.
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