Confessions of a Yoga Practitioner, Part 1.

Discovering the path I was born to travel.

At some point between age 14 and 16 yoga came into my awareness. It both fascinated and intimidated me. Asceticism and self-discipline were the words that stood out. Born in the early '70s to parents raised in Texas, USA, there was little for me to draw on, though it seemed to me that these words also described the life of Christian monastics. On first glance I saw that the background culture of yoga is polytheism, thus I remember it being labelled "heathenism".

I was deeply pulled toward spiritual life, but remember thinking that I wanted to try out other options first. I believed that devotion to God was an exclusive proposition. Sex for pleasure rather than as spiritual communion struck me as non-devotional. A career that was not of direct service to humanity, travel for leisure rather than a pilgrimage... these seemed the epitome of worldliness. Somehow I knew that it would never be too late to follow the spiritual path, so I would try as much of the social norm as I could take.

The transition from high school to college gave me an opportunity to do just that in the most awkward of ways. Coming from a childhood marked with a series of unsettled transition beginning around 9 years old, my attempt at gaining status and standing was an extremely bumbling pursuit. Though very natural for my peers, a "conventional" career path didn't last me all the way through my twenties. It felt like a lie, and everyone around me knew it. I was fascinated by ancient wisdom, longed to experience earth-based ceremony, to touch the Higher Mind. Nature-based healing techniques pulled my interest. The Hermit and Hierophant archetypes fascinated me, both solitary, wandering mystics. 

Just before the mid-point of my junior year in college a homeopathic remedy (a "constitutional dose")  brought me home with a crash. After my fourth yoga class ever the remedy kicked in and I could no longer pretend to be part of the mainstream. The truth of me could not be ignored: the academic world would crush my soul. In my heart I knew that my life was meant to serve others, and I could not pour myself into any study found in the halls of academia. I left a full-tuition scholarship with all my possessions, including pocket sized Tao Te Ching & Bhagavad Gita, to embark on self-study.

I soon came to martial arts. Right away it became clear that this is a practice of discipline. My soul perked up when I heard "if you want to make progress, practice three hours on your own between classes", guidance that echoes the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: progress will be seen in proportion to the level of effort given to it. I continued to travel but learned martial arts avidly. I took all free and introductory classes I came across, gathering fragments of different arts, and practiced them in a park.

Self-study eventually required funding. I got a job waiting tables in Harvard Square, Boston. Divine Grace opened my awareness to the Boston Shiatsu School after a year of passing directly below it from a taekwondo school to the restaurant. It was 1997. Thus began my commitment to Shiatsu Bodywork, the earthly partner of my Spiritual Path.

Sometimes I think about what a "hot mess" I was during these days. I tried to be a "good person", but was emotionally volatile, easily triggered, and identified more with the archetypes of science fiction than any human in society. As I moved around the country I encountered people who had stabile homes, lived near their families or close to childhood people and places. This was totally foreign to me. I didn't know how to behave in society. Seriously, I had no understanding of social politeness, and I'm fairly certain I was the wildcard at any gathering.

My friends didn't know what to expect from me. My constant companion was a sketchbook, which I schlepped everywhere to unload the contents of my subconscious. Anyone who asked about it was given access to it. It was the only way I knew to communicate with myself.

Martial arts helped me find focus, acknowledge the effect I had on others and learn to follow. Shiatsu pulled me out of aimless wandering and started the long process of becoming a person. It was not only a safe landing place, it was the school I had been seeking. I began to see the deep and wordless journey I had been on.

To be continued....

Take-aways from September 2024 travel

At the Shiatsu College:

Dragon mural on Red Lion Road, Norwich, England. 

I cannot overstate how wonderful it is to be among colleagues. Especially in the context of having been on travel and not being able to do the Shiatsu practice for 3 months, it is refreshing to experience the knowledge coming through me on a reflexive level. Cat Woodward is simply gifted in front of a group, albiet these are very enthusiastic learners, she has a comfort level in her own body that models the concepts she conveys. Basti Deans has a variety of the same that continually confirms my belief that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is based on reality. Clearly there are as many ways of being an effective Shiatsu Practitioner as there are people who practice Shiatsu.

At Philippa's Ashtanga Nirvrta training:

The message hit home that the most correct form is the best form at all times. In the past I have allowed myself a few repetitions of the Sun Salutation to "warm-up" with and take three breath cycles in Extended Side Angle B to let the space sink in. Nope. Philippa insisted that I find the exact form immediately. This teacher has more than 30 years invested in her practice and is onto the 5th Series. (I've been seriously working on the 2nd Series for almost 7 years.) How much more credential do I need to trust her to guide my practice? With Philippa's adjustments every day my practice, body and mind fee better.

Philippa Asher in Downward Facing Dog.

Landing in Portland:

This gave me time to dive into the new yoga material at Near East Yoga and deepen my connection with that community. Casey Palmer excells in his understanding of yoga philosophy. He teaches aspects of Ashtanga that are not commonly found in yoga shalas including immersion into the Yoga Sutras. Being able to spend any time in his shala is worth the trip and even worth the awkward practice hours. He's not currently staffed enough to hold a 4-hour Mysore practice window, but I saw the glimmer of an assistant-in-training.

Before leaving the Pacific Northwest:

I stopped into K2 Gym, a hidden gem in Everett, WA, featuring Jiu Jitsu, Boxing and Kettlebell Sport training, owned by Saiko Shima-Kolser a former KB Sport student. She set up a 75-minute time for me to teach Recover Smarter. I created this class specifically for her people, distilling the essence of my Ashtanga learning into anatomical terms and experiencial exercises. The class was a hit, opening the door for more visits and classes in the future. Saiko also asked for me to develop of a stretching routine for her younger athletes to do after training. I'm hoping to return to her gym with more information in the later part of January next year.

I want to skip over the car accident that happened in Spokane, WA, but the take-aways there are so rich it's not possible. Whether it was my fault for not stopping at an unfamilliar uncontrolled intersection, my impatience to return to Missoula and blind trust that another person would yield, or simply the Universe forcing me out of the idea that My Plan is the one that's going to happen, my car was hit in the back passenger door to the extent that the right rear tire was bent on the axel and the side airbag went off. I spent Sunday through Thursday of that week unravelling the emotional impact (no physical injury to myself or the other driver) and finding out just how the insurance claim process works. 

My metaphorical surfboard was made of Grace. The person who had let me stay in her spare room for the stop-over from Saturday to Sunday still had that room available for me during the next week. She also has a two-car driveway that my crushed Little One is occupying while it's fate is being determined. By the time I started looking for another car my surfboard became Faith, and this is what happened. By Wednesday I was looking for another vehicle, Thursday I found a replacement in Couer d'Alene, Idaho, and on Friday October 11th a loan officer at Clearwater Credit Union made the paperwork happen to get that car paid for. Because the car I had just bought wasn't ready that day, I loaded a rental car with most of my posessions and drove back to Missoula.

It was a stunning event. Not even knowing if the insurance company is going to declare my car a total loss is part of the amazingness of it all. I have returned to Missoula to get my stuff into the new home I arranged before leaving. Also, there was a world-wide walking meditation scheduled for Saturday morning, and I absolutely needed to attend. The folks who befriended and let me stay at their rustic cottage offered that place again, not knowing any of what was happening to me. At the beginning of the meditation, the leader declared "This one is for The World! It's a New World!" As I breathed and visualized, I knew that there will be nothing the same in my present or future life as what was with me upon leaving Missoula on September 15th.

It is now October 18th. I've been in Missoula for a week. It's been a busy time setting up a free class at the library, connecting with yoga and bodywork community and looking into future classes that I can offer both locally and away. The insurance debaukle is still unresolved as the insurance adjuster is out of her office until next Monday.

England trip travel notes

 Norwich, the largest city in Norfolk County, East England

Right off the plane I boarded a train to Norwich (Nor'ich makes it so the conductor doesn't give you a double-take). Exited the train and immediately smelled the place in vivid color. Monty Python depicted the smells very well, in period style, of chamber pots and food scraps being tossed out of windows onto the street. Conjures something like that.

Once I found the Air BnB, a Tesco (more later on this) and located an Apple store to get an electrical socket adapter, I slept 10 hours.

The next day, multiple discoveries:

• It's the place where the classic rural English accent must originate. Farmers Market = Fahmas Mahket, Castle = Cahsel, City Center = Ci'y Centa. Recall the old movie Labarynth, "tha' way goes strait to the cahsel."
• The place was built by and for horse carts, thus resembles our New England towns, ie. many spokes rotating around a central hub (Ci'y Centa & the Cahsel) created by concentric spirals. Ergo there are no straight roads.
• Food smells, especially pastries, are akin to road signs indicating when it's time for that meal.
• As the county market seat, it also is home to some 54 churches or cathedrals (two of them pictured below). This type of archetecture on cobble stone pathways is the style of Norwich.

Rather than turn on GPS and follow my phone, I decided to pull up a map on my laptop and study it in sections. When I got lost I would sit on a stoop, pull out the computer and reorient. In this way I learned some visual landmarks and main roads. ie. the football stadium, the hill up to the castle, Prince of Wales & Rampant Horse Streets.

A good deal of hill walking every day, some of them quite steep! Pedestrian ways abound in Norwich. Every few blocks a little segment of a map is posted to orient people, as many destinations include streets that turn off at irregular angles, or are actually more like alleys.

London, third largest city in the World
London, huge. Emerging from the Underground/Tube after four-and-a-half days on foot in Nor'ich, I immediately felt the modern vibe, ie concrete sidewalk. A bit more space between stinkiness, but still very present smells.

I had reserved my entire London stay in one of the YHA hostels. Due to human error, I ended up getting moved to a different location, which turned out to be much better proximity to the yoga training and several blocks away from the bustle.

If Norwich has the homogenous, east country accent, London has all the rest of the accents applied to the English language. Like from all other countries and parts of the UK. Employees/volunteers at the hostel gave me the most impressive concert of nationalities I could have found anywhere.

My yoga training was in the highly-touristed Central London where in one block I might hear 3 different languages. Once I figured out how to walk to the yoga venue I was able to start exploring. In London, between two points a mile and a half apart there are infinite routes.

Within the first few days I made a few discoveries:

• Because my 5-day training started each day at 7am and ended when I completed my yoga practice (around 9:30am), I saw several different "Londons": the early-day-no-stores-open London, when the public works employees were cleaning up from the night, morning deliveries arriving. Few other people on the streets, just a few cars; after practice was the late-breakfast-early-museum London, when lines in cafés and tour groups were happening. Mostly tourists, public works employees on the many construction jobs, and a few locals, who stood out by their annoyance at the slow-moving lost visitors. (One evening I saw the mid-dinner-early-bar London, when the "scene" crowds were gathering for the night. The streets smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. Unabashedly slow-moving crowds.)
• A city of many nationalities, major thruways that strongly resemble alleys, beloved park-like squares, double-decker busses, milling crowds, it's amazingly pedestrian-centric.
• Free museum tickets available online! Most museums offer free collection access with a few select exhibits requiring payment. Though tickets are not required, without one the lines are long. I visited the British Museum, the Portrait Museum and Tate Modern.
• The self-catering kitchen is one of the benefits hostels. I was able to buy and prepare fresh food every few days. With the purchase of some super cheep storage containers, it was easy to stay close to my preferred diet.

Food in London
Grocery stores = are everywhere. Tesco is the easiest to find, maybe 4 blocks apart in some places. Low in price and quality. Sainsbury's Local is a step up and present in every neighborhood, while Marks & Spencers (M&S) Foodhall has the greatest variety, quality and are fewer/farther between.

The "made without gluten" selection = are built-in to grocery stores and proportional to the store's stock. Restaurants included dietary need initials (V, NF, GF, DF) and a key on the menu.

Cafés and Bakeries = everywhere. A croissant can be had at any one, but each has a unique selection of other pastries, pies, cakes and savories.

International cuisines = countries I haven't heard of are represented in Central London food. Certainly European, Mediterranean, Indian, Chinese, Mexican... it's a mecca for someone with an adventurous palette.

Clotted cream = The American Keto Culture is missing out big-time. This is very minimally processed rendered milk fat. It's delicious, and isn't part of the American diet because of pasteurization (it is made with fresh milk). There are two main dairy regions in the UK that source the entire country.

Places beyond Central London

• Trafalgar Square. The large plaza surrounding the fountains was filled with Hare Krsna devotees on the Sunday I first saw it, a huge line around the block to get into The National Gallery art museum. The second time I walked through it was blocked off for a movie being filmed in the plaza. This is a place of transit, hardly any touristy things, not even a Tesco.
• Hyde Park Corner. On the day I happened into this area there was a Gay Pride rally. Very cool to see the London gay and trans youth decked out. Seems that the trend is goth meets S&M, by the way. And rainbows everywhere.
• Regent Park. Once I finally walked the other direction from Central London, the next place north is Regent University and the lovely public park. The only place I had to pay (20p) to get into a toilet. After a particularly sweaty practice at Ashtanga Yoga London I went to this park to get fresh air and let my clothes dry out.
• Camden Town is where one of the Triyoga locations sits. I was able to connect with some of the teachers there briefly before wondering farther into the city center, which is an absolute hipness bonanza. Canal-front multi-storied shops, eateries and general touristy gear. This is what Boulder would like to be but never can. The marajuana and psilocybin culture is well-tended here.

Cool and fun moments

Caffé Nero in Norwich City Center. Once I had slept and found the Apple store, I needed a place to sit, charge up and get online. The ladies at this specific shop were just lovely! It was my first scone and butter (clotted cream not available), and a green tea as rich as could be.

The Farmers Market stalls in Norwich are a fun little catacomb of shops that I would certainly visit again.

The health store in Norwich, known by fellow shiatsu students. It wasn't on my map at any resolution. This is what confirmed in my mind that Diagon Alley, from Harry Potter books, is a real place. I felt this little nook actually did open and close in the spaces between doors. They sell 100% Dark (Real) Chocolate in multiple flavors! I got Orange and Cocoa Nibs, and plain.

My bunk mate at the Central London hostel. We both arrived the same day, Laura is an American Mid-Westerner who had arrived for a month-long Shakespeare workshop. We hit it off right away and for the 5 days she stayed kept tabs on each other's daily activities at the beginnings and ends of days. She is still there. We've exchanged an email, and I hope we can continue to correspond.

Healing & Cleansing Part 3

The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

I encountered the above axiom in a movie about someone overcoming excessive substance use. It is quite pertinent to the subject of cleansing, especially when improved health is the anticipated outcome. 

If you've read all the way through parts 1 & 2 you may be wondering if I'm going to leave the story a cliffhanger. This is the third act, where something unexpected enters the picture: Intuition.

An aside for context. Carolyn Myss was an inspiration for me in the first few years of my Shiatsu practice. She was the first person I encountered (in 2002) who talked matter-of-factly about Energy Medicine, the chakras and the reality that mental/emotional conditioning can cause undiagnosable health concerns. I saw her, a Medical Intuitive, as a spokesperson for the reality I was living. In a 2017 TED talk  she acknowledges that there isn't proof that our small daily choices effect our health, but asks the audience to "listen with your heart and your gut, and see if it doesn't settle well there like good chicken soup."

It is the time of year in the Northern Hemisphere for life to cleanse itself, this last installment of Healing & Cleansing is intended to pique the intuition. To call out the deep mammalian sense of knowing that the opportunity to let go of any excess is now, and to trust that the space created in that release will become an avenue for positive change. This is a deliberate shift from healing as the first priority (something has happened to draw complete focus to the health), to cleansing as a method to prevent ineffective habits from building into bigger issues.

Fall Cleansing can be done on any and all levels. Be it literally cleaning house, clearing through mental/emotional turbulence, or switching less nutritious foods for more nutrient dense options. Best to do this well ahead of the holidays/cold season, when the energy of change is all around us. We can move easily in and out of doors to shuttle materials away from and into our homes. And to take some of our mental/emotional conundrums out for fresh air and motion.

Start where you have the most understanding of what will improve your health. Meaning, if it's obvious to you that there is too much sugar and not enough vegetable content in your diet, make a shift in this respect. If you need intellectual proof to help change your thinking, then start a research project. Reach out to a therapist if you know emotions are the hardest barrier. Then find ways to make these changes sustainable. Small and consistent changes give our whole being time to adjust to new experiences.

Acknowledge what you can control now. Because you may not have had complete control over what originally compromised your health. We all make use of strategies to stay intact through potentially damaging times. However these survival tactics need to be reevaluated as soon as danger is passed. In the natural world, our fellow mammals all have methods to shake off trauma and reground themselves. We humans seem to have lost this impulse, but it's still necessary.

Hand-in-hand with this is to admit the truth about strategies that have become bad habits. This may look like statements of ownership such as "I got into the habit of eating convenience foods when I didn't have time to make my own lunch," "I used to let myself overthink situations when I had less security at home," "I let one side-track derail my entire self-care routine," "My thinking became rigid when I was always having to defend my position," etc. This simple act of self-awareness can open a world of new options that would otherwise be unavailable.

Be prepared for the urge to relapse.

• First off, remember that 100% is the easiest choice. This takes all the guess-work and anxiety out of figuring out what is "moderation," especially when choosing better food/drink habits.
• Second, recognize that if a habit has been with you long enough to negatively effect your life, it has it's own routine, and will attempt to reestablish that pattern when you're not paying attention. Similar to what most meditation teachers say, simply notice the deviation and return to your present goal.
• Third, have an Anchor always available for the moments when the body/mind/emotions are throwing the craving code so hard you would abandon all progress for that one indulgent moment. An Anchor can be anything. A fidget toy/worry stone in your pocket, a mantra or affirmation, an essential oil, a book, alarm clock set for an earlier time, a new water bottle, literally anything that keeps you in mind of the new habit you are actively establishing.
• Fourth, when you overcome the urge to relapse, applaud yourself! The accumulation of memories in which you chose a healthier route may some day become your Anchor.

This last installment is the most vague because taking proactive steps for health is a very individual process. Each of us has a unique relationship with our intuition. Indeed, intuition is a "knowing" that will guide us to improved health and connection in life. My suggestions are meant to stimulate your internal awareness. Keep listening to your own instinct for health.

By the way, if you watch only the first 7 minutes of Caroline Myss' TEDx some inspiration will arise.

One final note about proactive health. If we do any cleansing act that endures on any level, it will have a positive effect on all other levels of our being. Just try it, you'll see!

May we all be blessed with the grace and courage to experience life in a healthier way,

Christian

Why is Ashtanga Vinyasa such an intimidating yoga practice?

Asana is firmness of body, steadiness of intelligence and benevolence of spirit. |2. 46| 
Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached.  |2. 47| 

B. K. S. Iyengar Light on The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali

    It has been quite rightly said that Americans love to punish themselves. This is easily seen in everything from fitness fanaticism, driving daily commutes, credit debt, extreme diet trends, and prescription drug addictions just to name a few.

    With such willingness to endure pain on multiple levels, one might wonder why Ashtanga Vinyasa (A.K.A. "yoga therapy") is considered the "agro" style, even among yoga studio groupies?

Barring many variables, here is a mostly tongue-in-cheek look at what a beginner may perceive as intimidating.

 

 

1) It requires students to learn things.

    The sequences are constructed in a logical pattern.* Somewhat like a karate kata, it always starts the same way and follows the same series of poses to the end. To get past the initial struggle a student must learn the sequences appropriate for them. This works best if someone practices between classes. 

    Ashtanga studios tend to run short Introductory class series and then funnel beginners into the Mysore classroom/open practice group, perhaps with a sheet of paper that has little illustrations of the asana flow. This is to support students as they creating their own relationship with the practice. In the Mysore classroom everyone can move through the poses in their own timing. This is where many students learn progressions and modifications, and create a relationship with the Mysore teacher/s.

    Some beginners feel disoriented after too short of an introduction, or that the teacher is looming over them to make sure they don't miss important alignment features. If a student doesn't want to learn the sequence, just wants to follow, this approach turns them off.

2) It is difficult for everyone for an indefinite while.

    Any one of the segments (see asterisk below) throws down the gauntlet of challenge to all new practitioners, even the most athletic, flexible and strong. No matter how many Vinyasa Flow, Bikram, Iyengar, Yin and/or Kundalini practices a person has done, "Ashtanga catches everyone somewhere," as my Second Series teacher once told me.

    She is so right. If a person needs to believe they can master movements within the first few tries it's going to be an ego blow. If a person HATES downward facing dog, or back bending, or shoulder standing, it's going to confront limiting ideas. If a person can't manage without music playing, they're going to feel very exposed.

    Yet people keep coming back day after day, year after year... back bend after back bend. Is there perhaps some truth to that second line from Iyengar's translation above?

3) It isn't about finding comfort, it's about finding a way in.

    If a first-timer stumbles upon a Lead Primary Series class they might feel overwhelmed. A "counted" class goes at such a pace one can't possibly catch a breath much less "feel the flow" in the poses, or get 5 breath cycles in before a change. One of the most popular YouTube demonstrations of The Primary Series shows 6 advanced practitioners working at K. Pattabhi Jois' counted pace. Rumor has it this was a 6 hour video session. Jois insisted on re-doing it until everyone did it correctly.

    For someone who tries to learn from scratch in the Mysore classroom there is a dynamic action happening everywhere, especially with a teacher who offers hands-on physical adjustments (always makes it harder, by the way). There's always something else to do and no music to zone out on!

    In any case figuring out how to "breathe into your heart, soften the bone, lengthen the muscle" among other physical improbabilities, while jockeying around props to compensate for mobility just might make one wonder "how this is helping me?" If only that new practitioner knew how far any one of the other students in the room has come...

4) It attracts "yoga snobs."

    More accurately, it's a no-nonsense crowd with a perfectionist personality type. Vinyasa refers to the specific coordination of movement, breath and visual focus that sets up the flow. If someone is following the convention (the way it was taught in Mysore, India, by K. Pattabhi Jois) every inhale is accounted for, each exhale has a specific purpose, and the eyes move among 9 dristi (gazing points). A "type A" person revels in the precision and potential perfection of any one practice session.

    Mysore classes are usually early in the day before work. The practice time is a 2- to 4-hour window. Some students will arrive early and finish before the next wave comes in. Practitioners generally have no time to chat before, during or after. People who have been changed by Ashtanga Vinyasa might hold to the convention of practicing 6 days/week whenever possible. People become familiar with each other's rhythms over time.

    A new student might see this as a particularly stand-off-ish crowd. To make friends within an Ashtanga community my suggestions are to attend Intensive Trainings, or go to any open house events held at the studio.

5) It challenges mental & emotional fixations.

    This presses directly on the fear of change. It's extremely likely that not every pose feels firm, steady and benevolent (Iyengar's translation again) the first 500 to 1,000 times. This is, after all, a therapy practice. If someone is gradually giving themself an injury there is some part of the mind-body unit not fully engaged. Safe and useful modifications are given in Mysore practice, as a teacher sees how students practice day after day. Looking it up and trying new things is the most effective method for learning. Which brings us back to point one, the student has to learn things.

    People who are "established" in Ashtanga Vinyasa may be familiar with the transformative process that begins when physical poses lead to emotional release. The physical mechanics of this type of event are very simple: the mind has put the body into a position that it (the mind) has previously avoided, and then the body has to breathe. 

    The physical patterns that we use in daily life have been meticulously built, consciously or not, out of convenience. Any part of our body that we don't move regularly atrophies and collects density. Flexibility narrows and discomfort in attempting full mobilization increases until we mentally give up. One of the many benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa is to un-train old habits and "in-build" healthy posture. This takes time, concentration and consistency.

* Sun Salutations A & B, Standing Sequence, Primary (or Intermediate, or Advanced A or Advanced B...) Series, Preparation for Closing, and Closing.

Found on the internet, attributed to John Scott Yoga Glyphs. My Primary Series teacher gave me something like this. Many variations of the same can be found.

So that's my take on it. For anyone in Boulder who is curious about learning this practice, I teach an ongoing Introduction to Ashtanga class on Sundays from 10 - 11:15am at GyrotonicBodhi, 3005 Sterling Circle, Suite 100.

As always, make comment or ask questions on this post below.

Wishing peace and health to all,

Christian

Making friends with upward facing dog

II.46 Posture (asana) must have the two qualities of firmness and ease.
II.47 Posture (asana) is then when effort ceases and meditation on infinity occurs.

The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, translation by Gregor Maehle

It's very important when practicing asana* in earnest to NOT damage the lower back with multiple repetitions of upward facing dog (urdhva mukha svanasana). This asana is extremely useful. Among other benefits it builds upper back strength required for improved posture and mobility. However if not anchored well it becomes a shortened inhale and cringing expression that we just want to pass through as quickly as possible.

bothendsofthelead.com.au

To make this asana into a therapy tool, begin with the root of your spine. 

There is a muscle (pubococcygeus) whose main action is to move the coccyx (tailbone) toward the pubic bone (the lowest bone on the front of the body). When this muscle is active and a continuous flow of breath cycles ensue, the lower spine is able to open and pressure melts away from the lower back, cascading release elsewhere along the spine and down the legs. This is one of the actions that activates the elusive Mula Bandha and can be attended to in every asana.

So, you think, this little 3 to 4-inch muscle is really the key to my back health? It's a good start. When the one little connector between the tail and pubic bones remains active we can find other deep pelvic muscles to support the effort of releasing compression. Originating the flow of breath through the pelvic base activates a deeper spinal support system. I surmise this is the foundation of "the core."

pubococcygeus in blue
easynotecards.com

In finding the upward facing dog, which is initiated with an inhalation, if we begin the movement deliberately bringing the tailbone toward the front of the body, the breath travels up an inner pathway. This long, concave inner space can be tracked from the lowest point of the torso through all the abdominal zones, the back of the lower ribs (hello, Kidneys) and into the middle rib cage. This is more easily experienced if the balls of the feet and knees are down on the mat.

With the straightening of the knees our upper leg bone seems to become part of the back. The muscles that adduct and extend the legs (bring the legs toward midline and away from the front, respectively) seem to merge with the strong back muscles (erector spinae), and air goes effortlessly into the lungs from the bottom up. This is the metaphorical rope connecting the anchor to the ship. I've had the experience of becoming a tadpole at this point.

The last layer of muscular support come from the feet, aka. The Anchor. The foot position in a  conventional upward facing dog is top side down.  Actively pressing the toe knuckles into the mat, as if pulling on a grounded anchor, stimulates a muscular chain all the way through those adducted and extended thighs into the posterior pelvic floor. A quick synaptic impulse invigorates the pubococcygeus on the return current and the above mentioned breath cavern is fueled from below. In this way the entire lower body creates a deeply supported structure for the upper chest to stretch itself against.

No legs, only tail.
https://www.frogpets.com/

Let's not go completely flaccid now.

After all that concentration on the inhale, it's very important to keep this connection in the transition to the downward facing dog. Many practitioners will jump their feet into dorsiflexion (the balls of the feet connect to the mat), and very deliberately curl the the tailbone to initiate the counter-stretch into "the recovery position," a nickname for downward facing dog. 

As a beginner, at the start of the exhale try putting the knees down again. Reposition the feet so the balls are down and aim the heels toward the mat. This reinforces the muscular chain that has created your internal cavern of breath. Then use the arms to push that wide open lower back, diaphragm and rib cage into an inversion. Dropping in the fully relaxed upper chest and its extension, the neck, is the juicy end of this exhale. And yay! You now get 4 more full breath cycles to explore the amazing internal support structure you have just created (if you are doing Ashtanga Vinyasa, that is).

I hope this deeper look into the pelvic floor (and below) has sparked curiosity. This may not be the answer to your issues with upward facing dog, but it is an invitation to put more awareness onto the possibility of a working relationship. To paraphrase Sage Patanjali's notes on asana, a purpose of the physical practice to attain durable and pleasant positions in which we can rest all effort and meditate on infinity. The codifier of the Ashtanga Vinyasa series seems to have believed that the flow created through deliberate sequencing of actions with the breath (also known as vinyasa) will do this.

Wishing everyone a productive, inspired practice, whatever it may be!

Christian

* I cannot bring myself to equate the words "yoga" and asana (postures). There is far more to the picture of yoga than the postures. I am among the many who have transitioned into this path through asana practice

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