Prasarita Padottanasana

AKA, "Wide legged forward bend." I did it!! After only 3 months of practicing Ashtanga, I can rest my head on the ground while in forward bend!! Instead of dangling from the hip, I now look a little more like this:



I say "a little more," because in truth my legs are a bit wider as I am still working toward stretching/lengthening my hamstrings. This is a great exercise for me because I sit a lot at my job--this leads to tight hamstrings that tug on my lower back and cause lower back pain. Only a year ago I was getting weekly medical massage to manage the pain (which is now, for the most part, gone!!!) So now I get to work toward bringing my legs in just a wee bit and remembering to engage my quads by lifting the kneecap. I love how many muscle groups are involved in every Ashtanga pose.

As a second success, I also got into a headstand. I did create a "safety net" in class by doing it with a wall behind me, but I was able to stay in for >10 breaths, so I felt good about that.

The first time headstand was introduced to me, I was told to "create a tripod and walk into downward dog; get used to the weight being on your head." This explanation was really unhelpful for me. I placed the weight on my head and felt overwhelmed by it, then never lifted my feet. The second time it was introduced to me, I was told, "Create a tripod that is rooted to the ground. Your body lifts up through your arms, and it is there that your weight is supported. There should be very little weight on your head." It made sense. Engage the arms and back to support the body. Really, I only needed to focus my mind on this:



Rather than freaking myself out over this:



This was Part 1 of my mental shift toward this pose. Part 2 was a woman who was 5 months pregnant who gracefully lifted herself into a headstand. I sat and thought, "okay. If a woman with that sort of natural imbalance can balance her body on her head, so can I." I see more and more that in yoga, it is true that you can only do what you tell your mind you can do.

Part of the reason that I began this practice was to see what would happen if I invested my energies in what I hoped would be "preventative" care. Yoga has saved my back!! I always rolled my eyes at people who would say things like, "yoga can change your life." But it is true. Yoga can change your life. Here's to avoiding medical massage to treat too many hours in a chair.