In a Bind
05/2010
We’ve all heard the expression “I’m in a bind”, which indicates that we are in some difficult situation in life. One of the major philosophies behind the practice of asana is that if we are able to be steady and breathe deeply in some very challenging posture, such as bound side angle pose for example, that we will come closer to being able to stay steady and connected to our breath as we experience other challenging situations in life.
We are always choosing our experience, and are capable or directing our attention to a particular aspect of what it is we are going through. To find freedom within form is one of the greatest gifts of asana practice…we use the technology of alignment to place ourselves in such a way that may not necessarily feel easy at the time, but that enhances our experience of the posture we’re in; that enlivens our experience of life in the moment.
I love the idea of a bind as a choice that we make, as in to bind oneself to a particular experience. Whenever a choice is made, some doors close and other doors open. This choice, this commitment requires both effort and release, and ironically, the aspect of release requires both a deep awareness and a feeling of support. The act of coming to our mats to practice week after week requires commitment. This means that we’ve willingly made the choice to repeatedly confront limitation, to place ourselves in difficult situation after difficult situation in order to grow.
The rising and falling of our very own breath is a constant reminder that expansion and contraction, ins and outs and ups and downs, is the inevitable dynamic of everything in life. Life is hard but we live it anyway, but hopefully, we make a commitment, we make a conscious choice, we bind ourselves in a way that is life-affirming, so we can surf the ups and downs with as much integrity, compassion and humor as we can from moment to moment.
