Posts Tagged ‘beauty’

So, in this one, I’ll settle for just enjoying the pose to it’s fullest!  Dancer’s Pose, or Natarajasana is one of the loveliest postures I know.

In the balance postures, and in particular Natarajasana, which many find difficult, it is the focus that brings light to the posture… think:  80% focus, 20% physical ability.  That should take some pressure off!

At a recent retreat, the woman with whom I shared my ‘tent-alow’, a fellow Canadian and true yogini in almost every sense of the word, surprised me the morning of our first practice, when I happened to be on my mat directly to her rear, in the row behind.

Not classically built for flexibility, or so I thought, my roommate approached the posture as we all did, but then somehow, she seemed to leave us.  As the bodies surrounding her found their place of focus and some comfort in varying degrees of the pose, for the most part, extended, reaching forward… it was as if her torso, her heart within her breast, along with her foot, clasped in both hands, were being pulled towards the sky by a string held by Shakti herself.  Her body became a circle, arced round, strong, unwavering and perfect.

From my place in the posture, I could but stare in blatant longing.  When I asked her about it later, expressing my admiration at the sheer beauty of it, she simply shrugged, claiming it was a favourite, but added quietly, “I feel love in that pose…”   Mmmmmm… the power of yoga!

I found this wonderful video, which in addition to being a brief but thorough education in Natarajasana, addresses many people’s propensity to turn slightly, which allows for taking the posture deeper, but with the wonky alignment twists the spine awkwardly, while torquing the hip outward.

Ahem.  I suppose I’ll be taking a better look at my alignment.

It was a lovely practice today.  Short but lovely.  Only half an hour as girl-child was left on the computer… please don’t judge.  Ahem.

Anyways, this posture is near heaven for me.  It’s a posture in which I can remain for days… or at least, many, many moments.  I love looking down my abdomen, torso straight and strong not to mention the power in my thighs.  Oh, my thighs.  I just love the delicious tension in this pose… feeling the work in my core… and my dear bottom!

It’s a beautiful, strong posture and is known to offer many benefits, not the least of which is rejuvenating tired legs (the thighs, remember?!), as well as stretching the chest, neck, and spine and stimulating abdominal organs.  Additionally it’s said to improve digestion and aid in the discomfort of menstruation.

I’ll bow to a higher authority to provide the technicalities, but for the love of Oprah, this is one of my favourites!