Emotions and Jumping Back

[Guest guest]

Regarding hip opening and emotions: as others have stated, I've found, in

my own practice and in teaching others, that emotions of all kinds can be

related to all areas of the body, depending on one's

experience/conditioning/etc.

 

To me, the important thing is to be open to whatever emotions arise in any

given asana during one's practice. It is a gift when they arise; an

opportunity to understand oneself better and to potentially resolve hidden,

previously unresolved emotions.

 

Regarding jumping back from a sitting position: it took me a couple of

years to feel comfortable doing this jump-back. For me, the important

things are: setting up right (ie., hands right beside hips, spine upright,

bandhas engaged); lifting hips up and back as head drops forward and down

(the latter can bring up fear - it did for me for a while); keeping the

bandhas and abdominals engaged throughout the movement; and pressing firmly

down on both hands as the body lifts up (ie., opposing forces: hands press

down, bandhas and body lifts up).

 

Sometimes I practice the movement in the bathtub, as the water buoys the

body upward, helping you get the feel of the lifting up and swinging back.

 

Something to remember is that, the head will drop down toward the floor (as

mentioned above) as you move your body to jump back, but only to the point

of where it is for chaturanga, because that is the pose in which you land

from the jump-back. Therefore, practicing landing in chaturanga when

jumping back from standing (eg., during a sun salute), is valuable and

helpful for learning this part of the sitting-down jump-back.

 

One other thing that I think helped me to learn the sitting-down jump-back:

slowing down and controlling the jump forward through one's hands; ie., eg.,

when jumping from downward dog into paschimottanasana. If one can control

this movement (including the bandhas) and land gracefully (starting by

crossing one's legs to get through one's arms and working toward coming

through with straight legs), it translates in to more strength, awareness

and "lift" when jumping back.

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

-Heather Marie

> Message: 5

> Wed, 27 Oct 2004 11:51:28 +0200

> "TORBEN" <th1

> R: R: jumping back

>

>

> Thank you JoAnna

>

> I tried your advice this week - and it helped - thank you .

>

> But can you also come with advices for how to jump back from sitting

position ???

>

> Torben