‘We all in theory know how different we each are.’
One of the things that has become clear to me over the years is that students often can’t figure out why they’re unable to do certain yoga postures. They try and try but to no avail and often times end up sustaining unnecessary injuries to their lower back, hip, shoulder, elbow, neck, wrist, and knee, in the process. Yoga is supposed to be a healing practice that allows one to learn discipline and steadiness so that we can see where the root of our actions are stemming from.
Often times our choices are based out of a place that leads us to physical or mental injury because we have difficulty enduring the discomfort it takes to make the wise choice for ourselves. If you’re the kind of person who can’t get away with eating a piece of cake without suffering negative consequences then you will understand the following example.
It’s more difficult not to eat a piece of cake than to eat it during a late night sweet craving session. Enduring a 20 minute ‘cake calling my name’ moment can feel really hard, but withstanding that discomfort in the long run can be a better choice. Choosing to give in to the craving and shovelling the cake in your face, can lead to a day after filled with self-loathing and regret which is far more injurious than the 20 minutes of discomfort it takes to do the wise thing in the first place.
Then there are those of you that can eat cake with no consequences at all and for you there’s no problem so go ahead and have cake. You see though? We all have our version of cake. For some of us it’s cake, or wine, maybe cigarettes, or a negative relationship. Or on the mat our version of cake could be putting a foot behind your head or doing the splits, even though those poses leave you with physical and mental pain each time. The trick is to know what works for you personally and what you should leave behind.
But that’s the thing, what works for us won’t work for the person next to us and that’s a hard thing to discover in a yoga asana class that’s taught to a broad audience. Sometimes it seems we should all put our hands and feet in the same place, or that every single one of us should be able to do every single pose and that it’s important to do so. That’s so silly though when you think about it, we all in theory know how different we each are.
What is needed for each of us is an understanding of our own unique skeleton’s range of motion as well as our own personal muscle, tendon, and ligament flexibility and strength. If you can figure that out then you can pick poses that challenge you and your ability to endure discomfort without leading you past discomfort and into undue injury and harm. Your body can be positioned in a way that’s wise for you personally. Little adjustments and modifications to poses can be made to get those most out of them both physically and mentally.
Not everyone has hips that will allow for a foot behind the head or even a simple cross legged seat without props. Not everyone’s spine will allow a big back bend to happen. And not every student has a nervous system that is ready to be pushed into big twists or heart openers. Knowing these things is necessary to create a wise personal approach to practice and pose choices even in public classes. When I found out I can’t safely put my foot behind my head and that I have some chronic Psoas stuff that makes back-bending unwise in certain ways, I was able to use that information to heal my injuries and use the physical practice in a way that allowed for far more learning and personal growth than any fancy pose I’ve ever achieved or attempted.
It’s personal and why you can’t do certain poses, and to learn this requires an exploration and loving acceptance of your physicality. July 8th – 10th at triyoga Camden we’ll do exactly this in my workshop series titled “Why Can’t I Do That?”. Come and find out.
Join Alexandria Crow in Camden…
why can’t i do that?
your unique physiology + how it relates to asana + beyond
08 – 10 July 2016
book now
Alexandria Crow’s yoga experience has been about transformation. The physical challenges of yoga provided a natural familiarity for the former competitive gymnast, while the philosophy of yoga has given her tools she uses to approach life with a fearless attitude. Alex shares her personal experience of the transformative nature of yoga with her students. Her approach to teaching stems from her belief that the practice is for everyone. Alex completed extensive training starting with the YogaWorks 200-Hour Certification Program, followed by a lengthy one-on-one apprenticeship with James Brown (former lead teacher trainer for YogaWorks and founder of American Yoga School) over the course of almost 1,000 studio and classroom hours. Since 2010, she has been leading 200 and 300-Hour Teacher Trainings in Santa Monica, CA, and various cities around the United States. www.alexandriacrow.com
