As I taught my classes this week, I noticed how everyone in class struggled with balance postures. In my 8 years of teaching yoga classes in Arizona, I've noticed this many times before. As soon as students realize we are coming into a balance posture such as knee to chest, or Tree or Warrior 3, they grimace, they sigh, they hem and haw, and most of all, they moan and groan! "Ugg...Not balance, I really hate balance!!"This week, I really began to examine why. I also began to talk to classes about it. Helping them to understand, beyond the physical reasons. Beyond the fact that it's challenging, out of our control or it feels "uncomfortable", why do we dislike balance so much? Beyond the physical limitations of the body, what about the mental, emotional and spirtual ideals of bringing things into balance. Of just simply trying to keep our life in "balance". On a day to day basis, from the time we wake up in the morning, til the time we go to bed at night, we are struggling and juggling and trying to keep everything in balance. Chances are, if things aren't in balance off the mat, then they probably aren't in balance on the mat either. This is why we struggle with balance postures on the mat. This is why we gringe when the teacher says drop the hand and turn the hip up into Ardha Chandrasana the half moon pose. If we aren't mentally, emotionally and spiritually balanced in our personal lives, we can't possibly expect to get on the mat be grounded, be centered and have physical balance in the one-legged postures in our personal practice.
Maybe though, just maybe, if we can find solitude and acceptance and peace in the balance postures on the mat, maybe ~we can take a little bit of that with us off the mat and out into the world. Maybe be ok with how you are doing it, just for today let it be perfect just how you are doing it...on the mat and off.
Peace, peace, peace...
Namaste~Andrea
