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Monday, November 23, 2009

Theater in the Rump




Since the workshop at the Yoga Circle last weekend with Manouso Manos, my upper thighs--and even up into the lower pelvic region including the lower butt and pelvic floor--are like a theater in the round where the upper thigh bone is the stage and all of the muscles surrounding the bone are the audience. (So yes, there are really two small theaters--one on the right side and one on the left.) This is a highly interactive theatrical experience where the audience--the muscles, skin and other tissue all around the stage--affects the performance happening at the upper thigh bone. Even the position of the genitalia makes a difference!

I don't think I can accurately describe how I was aware of the hips before, I can only seem to speak about how it feels right now. Today it feels like there is so much to work with to affect the position of the upper portion of the thigh bones. My memory of the old perception is that it was thin and somewhat intellectual. But now the thighs feel thick with power, substance and potential. I can do a lot to affect the position of my hips.

On Saturday Manouso said that we were going to do Parsvottanasana about eighteen times--on both sides! (A rough version of the pose is shown in the picture above, except we did it in the workshop with our fingers touching the ground.) And on about the sixteenth time, my experience opened into a radically wider perception of my hips, starting on the left side. The left foot was back and the right was forward. The action was led by the top of the left thigh bone going back. And at a certain point my perception widened from working with a smaller distinct area in the center of the thigh, to an awareness that spread all the way into my pelvis.

After that class I felt like I was all butt and thighs. And even today I feel like I'm walking around with a lot more understanding of the region around my thighs and up into my pelvis. It's kind of fun to walk around like this.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great description!

I've had similar experiences. Especially feeling like you are all butt and thighs. ;)

My most recent experience of this kind of thing was after last Saturday's intensive session of inversions.

Where I felt it most of all was of course, my core. It was more alive and real to me than its ever been! My shoulders, too, were exhausted but exhilarated. And yet, the biggest surprise was the next day in yet another yoga class, where my legs shook uncontrollably in the simplest of poses as they said "good morning".

Hehe.

So, "core" not just meaning the abdominal and back muscles as I previously would've defined them. But more "whole of body" in a brand new sense.

Anonymous said...

Yes. Great description!

I've been thinking about similar awarenesses lately.

About how everything in the leg originates from the hip joint and how much my thigh muscles and core are in "charge." It's been while I'm reteaching my body proper alignment in plie.

It's one of the gifts, I think, of returning to dance a bit older -- I am a whole lot wiser about how my body actually works. This is in large part due to so many intervening years of yoga.

Eco Yogini said...

Andrew commented the other day that because of yoga, he feels he is MUCH more aware of his gym-body work out stuff- YAY. he still practices after the gym three times a week and I was SO glad to hear him say that. :)

word verification: entsilly....

Anonymous said...

Awesome.