With A Side of IN-Sight
That is sight as in eyesight. I played around with using words like perception, interpretation, and observation but when all is said and done it was truly my sight. For as long as I can remember people have told me I have broad shoulders for a girl. I should say used to tell me, because people are somewhat more careful about what they are willing to say to an adult. (It should really be the opposite, because as adults we are a little better equipped at filtering out the useless things that pop out of people’s mouths.) That tangent aside, there was the fourth grade cheerleading coach who continually commented how nice it was for the tiny girls to have such a big broad base to stand on. Or the sales clerk in the eighties (my teen years) who thought it was so great that I had built in shoulder pads. You get the point. I think it was the “for a girl” that gave these comments such a negative connotation.
Now this is not meant to be a poor me story, but rather a story to illustrate the point at how powerful our mind truly is. And how, when we internalize perceptions, ours or someone else’s, they can have a tangible impact beyond the mental. They can truly effect how we perform both physically and intellectually. The feedback we give each other is important. So, I have broad shoulders. But how broad really? Football player broad? Just a little broader than most? Well according to my sight, truly, when I looked in the mirror what I saw was football player broad. In truth, I am not a big girl. Yes for my size I have big bones and I do tend to be very muscular. (I cannot tell you how happy I am that we now have a positive term for this – “athletic build”) And this is the vision I brought with me to my yoga mat.
I was always so frustrated when a teacher would ask us to do Pincha Mayurasana (Peacock Pose for you non sanskritters). I knew I possessed the strength, was skilled at balancing, and had the ability to concentrate yet this pose eluded me for nearly 7 years. I had used a block between my hands as instructed for proper alignment – NOTHING. Then one day, I was taking a video class that required us to do headstand, (now that I can do) but for some reason I stopped to check out the screen. Everybody’s elbows seemed so close together to me, and for some reason it was really bothering me. I mean it looked like they were squeezing their little heads with their arms. My thought “Now why on earth would they post this video with such poor alignment we all know that in headstand, just as in peacock, elbows are in line with your shoulders”. But I couldn’t resist. I placed my arms for headstand, squeezing my arms elbows a fair bit tighter than my normal. So much so that I was not sure my head wouldn't fit between my arms. But alas it did, and as I walked my feet closer to my torso I was amazed at how effortlessly I seemed to float up. Not only that, how much tension was relieved from my neck. Huh? A little mini revelation perhaps? Yes, I thought. “I have been doing this all wrong. Your elbows should hug in a little not quite in line with the shoulders.” (We’ve already noted in previous posts what a quick study I am)
What the heck if it worked for headstand why not try it out on my nemesis. Carefully I placed my arms – elbows “hugging” in, hands slightly “wider” with palms flat. Focusing between my hands, I began to walk my feet closer to my torso, and holy Toledo, up I went. But more than that up I stayed (on that great base for THIS tiny girl) feeling completely stable, as I felt my shoulders in perfect alignment with my elbows. What I saw when I came down from my conquest was not what I had seen before I went up. My elbows were, just as I had felt, perfectly in line with shoulders and my hands were in line with my elbows. (Textbook alignment principles.) It was just my shoulders were a little closer together than normal. Just kidding, I did get this one right away. And, seriously what I saw when I looked in the mirror later that day was not anything I had seen before. My shoulders were markedly smaller. This was not perception for me it was actually what I saw in the reflection staring back at me.
I think the heart of the matter lies in our mind/body's desire to have equilibrium and eliminate stress. Having balance is not just some new age or alternative medicine concept, it is in our biological and psychological nature.
I know, here I go again making a mountain out of a molehill. But again, whether it’s a minor accomplishment on the mat or some life saving heroic accomplishment from the point of ultimacy it is all the same. Can we use the offerings of life to remember who we truly are and move back into wholeness? It is not necessary to be beaten with a stick if a gentle tap will do the trick – consciousness is lazy that way.
Back to the program. The mind/body is seeking a state of homeostasis. In the case of my ever-expanding shoulders, the external messages I was receiving simply did not match what I saw in the mirror. In all likelihood, my childhood vision of my body prior to external feedback was probably pretty accurate. However, I believe over time, the contrast between my vision and the external feedback caused stress. In fact, I know it did. In order to bring back balance, and not being able to change the external factors, the body/mind altered my vision. So whether it was thinking mind, purely instinctual or truly a defect in my neural patterns, what I saw in the mirror changed to adapt to my external circumstances. Not just what I saw in the mirror, how I physically used my body. With all things in agreement stress was eliminated and I could prepare for my career in football.
Only when the “stress” (I know it’s only asana that is probably why it took 7 years) of not being able to become the Peacock got to me was I able to shrink my shoulders back to their proper proportion.
Again, a relatively minor case used to express a very important concept. What if the messages I was receiving were about my intelligence, my capabilities, or even my worthiness as a being? How might the body/mind alter itself to retain equilibrium? When we tell ourselves something doesn’t bother us while internally it is wreaking havoc, something will happen to bring about balance? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had more of a choice in what that was?
So, what limiting belief do you hold? What is it that you know you possess the tools to do yet just can’t seem to accomplish? When did the external messages become your internal dialogue? Are your limitations truth or some adaptation in order for the body/mind to have a “sense” of balance? When it comes to truth we must truly question everything – including ourselves.
Oh, and when questioning yourself, also ask, “What am I doing or saying that might affect someone else’s truth?” Sometimes what we view as innocent can have far more effect than we realize for far longer than we intended. Life – AWEsome lessons in tiny packages.
#neuroplasticity #inspiration # lifelessons #sovereigncoaching #pinchamayurasana #yoga #stilltruth #awarenessequalsempowerment #mindbodyspirit
This entry was posted in Mat Moments and tagged alignment, Inspiration, life lesson, truth, yoga on May 19, 2014 [https://movingintoalignment.com/2014/05/19/pincha-mayurasana-gave-me-back-my-sight-with-a-side-of- in-sight/] .