Touching something deep

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings." – Rumi

This week in class we are exploring the dynamic play of Muscle and Organic energy. For those who are unfamiliar with this:

Muscle Energy- A contracting energy that moves from outside to in beginning from periphery to core. You can describe the sensation like that of hugging the muscles to the bone, or drawing up from the earth deep into your center. This action creates stability and strength. The idea is that you have to be strong in order to be soft.

Organic Energy- An expanding energy that moves from inside out-- beginning from the core and expands out evenly in all directions through the periphery. This action is finding depth from which to move from. In this energy you find freedom from the deep and powerful stability of ME. You cannot expand without first hugging in. You cannot be free until you are stable. You must root to rise.

A way to play with this to “get it” is to come to a lunge and rise up onto your finger tips. Lift and spread you front toes (that is muscle energy) and draw your legs towards the midline (squeeze them together like your hugging a wall between your legs) focus on pooling energy from earth into your pelvic floor—simultaneously bow into your heart and feel your spine round and belly tone. From this place of deep muscle energy--consciously from your centermost experience--radiate energy out pressing from the center through your front shin and back heel and lifting the heart while pressing the hips back (elongating the spine in both directions). Do that a few times—inhale ME and exhale OE.

The idea is that in every pose you reach in and touch something deep, something strong, and from that place of inner recognition of profound power--expand out and find freedom.

This concept is really helpful in poses like down dog in which we could check out in several ways. As we check out the shoulder may collapse, or we may roll out onto the outer edges of the hands and the wrists could hurt. Essentially we could be in the pose and not really be in the pose. Another thing that happens is when the legs check out and the heels roll into each other. It is important to note that none of these things make you bad, and doing the opposite doesn't make you good or right. What can happen though is that by seeking something powerful within yourself and touching it, tasting it, and so throughly understanding it---you become that very power. Then from the penetrative power of that understanding you have so much depth to come from that when you do expand out, when you do "stretch" it is a satisfying, illuminating, and touching experience.

In down dog to have that deep remembrance take a block between your legs. Be soft for a moment and know what it is to be soft and feel the sweet hum in all your muscles. Feel the anticipation building, the desire of freedom budding in every cell of you body. Then starting with your hands let the muscles in your hands accept the strength of muscle hugging to the bone squeezing arms towards each other isometrically and then press it back down to the earth sending the heart to the thighs. Keep that and then work your legs--spreading toes and feeling the shins hug in while you firm your thighs up and press the thighs back. When you connect to this work your tail bone down to the heels--strength and steadiness, grace and fullness.

Pulse with this a few times. Hug arms and legs to the midline simultaneously and then press out from the heart to hands and from hips to heels. You can also try this another way engaging the dynamic play of opposites in back and front bodies. Inhale come onto the toes lifting heels and round the spine like cat pose, then take that strength and press it out through the hands and down through the heels. Pulse with the breath and discover how deep you can dig in and how dedicated you can be--to touch something inside yourself that you never knew was there. You will discover gems. You just have to be willing to shine them!

Play with this dance this week. Reach in and find your power, and extend it out playfully, joyfully, and completely.