Slowly, Peacefully, Without Force.

“Be a lotus in the pond,” she said, “opening slowly, no single energy tugging against another but peacefully, all together.” I couldn’t even touch my toes. “Feel your quadriceps stretching?” she asked. Well, something was certainly stretching. Standing impressively upright, she raised one leg and placed it against the other, then lifted her arms and shook her hands like leaves. “Be a tree,” she said. I lay on the floor, exhausted. But to be a lotus in the pond opening slowly, and very slowly rising— that I could do.”

Slowly, peacefully, without force –that is how a flower opens and that is the same energy we can use to open our body and minds in yoga. The lotus does not open all at once with force. It unfolds the petals of its bud slowly and gently – using nutrients – minerals, sunlight, water - to shift from tightness and contraction into expansion and openness.

Similarly, in lotus pose (padmasana), we are invited to explore many different areas of our body that are generally tight and contracting – hips, knees, ankle joints, and the surrounding muscles and tendons. We will probably find some elements of contraction in the body--- stiffness, tightness, or pain---- from injury, over-conditioning without stretching, or lack of movement.

Whatever you find, can you be patient and use the nutrients of love, compassion, and discernment to open slowly into the beautiful flower? Even if you do not get the pose today, next month, or even next year, the way we do it that is slow, exploratory, with ease, allows us to break through what keeps us tight and contracted.

When I think back to when I first began with this pose in my own yoga journey, a lot of fear and doubt came up – as well as discomfort. But one of the biggest lessons to me from continuing to work with the pose over time was from sitting with the discomfort in short continuous increments and bringing more ease – just as the student said in the poem above. In Sanskrit, these elements are called abhyasa, which translates into constant, determined practice, and vairagya, which means detachment. As you take the journey with padmasana, use the tools of the breath to ease yourself into the opening and examine the mind on what may arise throughout the process – reminding yourself always the end goal is inner peace – and finding lightness in your body and an open heart.

Where are you closed, tight, contracted, and not receiving the nutrients you need to open and blossom?What is the root of this contraction and suffering? Where can you find more opening and ease in your body in any asana to encourage more nutrients to flow into the posture –rooting in the feet, lightness in the heart, ease and softness with stability and strength?

A blog post by Stefanie Vidal. Find her in class Wednesdays at 9:30am and Fridays at 6:30pm.