The Beauty of the Curve

OFF THE MAT

Weekly Thought Offering:
You don’t know that everyday you are presented with wonderful opportunities to make major steps in your growth. Were you to look at and see this, the goal that seems so difficult and elusive would soon be in your possession.
Awaken to this fact and be done with worldly miseries

- Lester Levenson

Weekly Journal Prompts:
The goal that seems so elusive is….
- Something I currently feel as a “worldly misery” preventing me from my goal is…..
- How this is a wonderful opportunity is….

Weekly Mantra:
This is an opportunity

ON THE MAT
Pose:
Tadasana / Mountain Pose
Valve: Unaligned spine
Physical Focus: Finding a stack of the spine maintaining curves
FLOW: TO BE ADDED 9/18


Hello Sadhakas!!!!!
I am OVER THE MOON to welcome you all to week one of our time together. I couldn’t think of a better pose to kick off our time than Mountain Pose. It also happens to be the first pose I chose for us to focus on when I opened my studio over a decade ago. The reason then is my reason now. At the heart of every other pose we do, lies this pose. Sri Iyengar once said that within every pose lives tadasana. I have found that to be so true and such a brilliant touchpoint to have for a fully aware & grounded practice.

Why?
Because Mountain Pose asks us to find length, to find strength, to find stability tempered with the ability to remain agile. All imperative qualities to seek in all other moments of the practice ON & OFF THE MAT ! Speaking strictly physically (if that’s even possible) it also technically asks that we find space in the spine- also an invaluable tool in every other shape and transition in our physical practices. Even if we are doing a pose or action that requires a lot of flexing or extending of the spine- we still want to do those things from a place of spaciousness and not compression.


As we get to know how to align the spine this week something funny may happen. If you are new to this work you may think your job is to “straighten up” to remove all the curves. But that is NOT the case. A common pitfall, but not actually the goal. The spine has 4 amazing and necessary curves. All of which have a job and all of which are needed to keep the others happy.
So this week as we are seeking alignment we are actually seeking the ability to follow and respect the natural curves that exist and are there to keep us healthy and free of pain.


OFF THE MAT we will explore the same-
It is a practice of seeing differently. Seeing the forest for the trees. Seeing the curves as there to keep us moving forward toward our goals not stop us from getting there. Not seeking a straight line toward what we want but coming to expect and respect the curves as part of the divine intelligence of the plan to get us where we really need to go as fast as possible.

I cannot wait to chat with you more about this this week ON THE MAT and in our Whatsapp chat!

With great respect and love,

Nicole

Music to Flow By





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Butterflies and Ripples