Explain one way to piss off your yoga students? (7mks)
Downward 👏🏾 facing 👏🏾 dog 👏🏾 is 👏🏾 a 👏🏾 resting 👏🏾 pose 👏🏾.
Out of curiosity, read research, I have been keeping count of the number of Downdogs in a full Journey into power class. Average 30! Yes 30!
Downdog 1: I am stiff, I move around looking for a comfy stance.
Downdog 2-6: Warming up, this is good. I like this.
Downdog 7-21: Fire baby !!! Also, I am done with these ridiculously long downdogs. I thought my arms were stronger by now.
Downdog 22 &23: Thank you Jesus 🙏🏾
Downdog 24 & 25: Yes! Please!
Downdog 26 &. 27: I thought we were done but it’s ok! Class is almost over.
Downdog 28 – 30: Yaaaaassss so yummy!!!
The downdogs, in and of themselves, did not change. My energy, relationship and stories about them at different points of the practice is what changed.
It is quite easy for me to wax philosophical in the “complicated” poses. Thinking and overthinking about whether I am doing it right or what does this mean for me off my mat. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing to be in curiosity around these things in the practice but here comes the balance of it all. When my mind is everywhere but this downdog, I am missing out on finding ease, finding surrender, finding strength and finding rest.
Downdogs like all other asanas are simple, but not easy. Sometimes, I spend my downdogs thinking about thinking about to do lists, wondering how my shoulder muscles look, how my bum looks, thinking about the next downdog or holding in a fart. Sometimes, I am in that downdog doing a downdog. This is why I practice Yoga. This is why Yoga is a practice. It’s not only during downdogs, that my mind is everywhere. Thinking up stories of why I can’t stand tomato peels in my food. Why my bff didn’t respond to my text. Why I won’t be selected for this opportunity. Why I don’t actively pursue my writing. Why I kept on procrastinating on posting this post. Why my mum is calling. Why, why , why!!! While the answers can be entertaining or give me awesome material for an instagram post to seek validation for said whys; these stories are in the way of my seeing things as they are. By extension, my way of being becomes reactive rather than responsive. My practice then becomes, to drop my stories and see what’s really there.
As to whether or not Downward facing dog is indeed a resting pose, depends on the intention or goal of every single downward facing dog we practice and a willingness to simply take Downward facing dog.
See you when I see you,
Julie,
An Alleged Yogi.
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