“The greatness of the man’s power is the measure of his surrender.”
― William Booth
Weekly Focus: Grace
Grace can be defined as a simple elegance, a refinement of movement or do honor to someone or something. How do we give ourselves grace and accept the hard work we have put in? Can we acknowledge our own effort? Doing your best also means recognizing the effort you have put forth. This allowance of grace may create an ease to surrender after the effort of our exploration or play (lila, last week’s theme). Give yourself permission to find rest, to honor your effort and to recognize that “your best” is relative to your day-to-day.
Align/Flow: Padmasana // Lotus Pose
The “classic” image of meditation – lotus pose — we sit in a cross-legged position with each foot resting on the hip crease of the opposite leg. Traditional yoga asana (postures) is said to only be for the purpose of preparing the body to sit in lotus and stay here for meditation. Keep that in mind if you are trying to access this pose. That means an entire class would be utilized to prepare and warm up the body for lotus! If it seems daunting to sit in such a knotted position never fear, you do not need to sit in padmasana to become enlightened. We recommend sitting on a blanket to help with hips mobility, and possibility only moving into half lotus (only one foot rest on top of other leg). DO PAY ATTENTION to your knees, and give yourself grace. If you feel any pain, back off, as any cross-legged seat is a fantastic alternative.
Stretch/Restore: Ardha Padmasana // Half Lotus Pose
A more accessible version of lotus pose, this seated posture only has us set one foot on top of the opposite hip crease. If you have the time, prop this pose as best you can and see how long you are able to breathe deeply here. Here are a few prop suggestions:
- Sits bones elevated on blanket or bolster
- Sit at the wall to support the spine
- Sandbags rest on thighs