Becoming a WARRIOR

Several years ago I came to yoga on my knees (metaphorically, but almost literally).

I was an injured runner, and a more pathetic creature there is not.

In search of something to get my mind off running, and at the same time find a no-impact activity I could actually do with my hairline-fractured pelvis, I discovered yoga.

Conveniently, there was a lunchtime yoga class offered where I was working, so I decided to try it out.

Although I felt AWKWARD and UNCOORDINATED in that first class (and for most of that first year), I noticed that afterwards my body felt RENEWED.

By renewed, I mean I felt less stiff, more relaxed, and much more aware of my arms, legs, head, and overall posture.

Yoga made me realize that I rarely moved my body beyond the small range of motion that’s needed for walking and running.

So the BENDING, TWISTING, and BREATHING really woke me up and made me feel alive.

But despite all the good stuff, there were a few poses remained a struggle.

The struggle wasn’t just due to my lack of flexibility, but also due to the fact that I hadn’t been really AWARE of my body for decades.

I had been living mostly in my head.

There is one pose in particular that has taken me years to appreciate, but now it’s my new favorite: WARRIOR. 

In particular, Warrior II.

Do you know this pose?

You’ve got one leg forward, one leg back.  Bent knee in the front leg, back leg straight.  Arms out-stretched in the same direction as the legs.  A rudimentary description, but you I think you get the picture.

In those first classes, this pose felt entirely WRONG in my body.

It was RIGID, and angular, and TIGHT, and my front thigh was BURNING as I was kind of lunged forward, placing all my weight on that leg.  My balance was off, I was WOBBLY.  My shoulders and neck were TENSE and I’m pretty sure there was no breathing happening at all.

It didn’t make me feel like a strong Warrior.

In fact, if the teacher would have just breathed near me, I probably would have tipped over onto the floor in one huge thud.

So, over the next several years, I vowed to find my Warrior.

It took a long time, but I searched and struggled, and eventually transformed my posture, and reconnected my mind and body.

And now I can channel my own fierce Warrior just by striking the pose.

Here’s what I learned about becoming a Warrior:

A Warrior goes with the flow and is ready to face any obstacle

Contrary to what I thought a Warrior was, which was rigid and unyielding, I discovered that a Warrior needs to be pliable and able to go with the flow.

In order to face obstacles, you need that flexibility of mind and body.

So, I learned to drop my tense shoulders, keep a slight relaxed bend in my outstretched arms, and center my weight above my two legs so I could move in either direction if I wanted to.

My Warrior, although standing firmly in one place, became nimble and free.

A Warrior has singular focus, and finds balance in the process

In Warrior pose, the feet are aligned:  Heel of the front foot in line with the center of the arch of the back foot.

It’s like standing on a tight rope.

To keep my balance solid in Warrior, I discovered that maintaining consistent focus on a single point ahead of me kept me on my feet.  However when my mind wandered or my gaze shifted, I could easily fall out of the pose.

So, my mind and body connected through focus, and that connection created balance.

This is when I also learned that Warriors can’t be multi-taskers.

A Warrior is strong, and is further strengthened by vulnerability

I get low in my Warrior pose by dropping my hips and closing in on a 90 degree bend in my front knee.  At the same time I keep my body upright, leaning back slightly, so that my back leg is supporting me too.

This solid foundation makes me feel physically strong and almost invincible, like nothing could knock me down.

But at the same time, my Warrior is vulnerable.  With my arms stretched open and my shoulders back, my heart is exposed.

This vulnerability, I’ve discovered, is the real power of Warrior.

It feels like tremendous confidence, and the complete opposite of fear.

A Warrior takes up space

Maybe the biggest lesson that Warrior has taught me, and continues to teach me, is not to be afraid to claim my space.

For most of my life I thought that making myself smaller, even invisible, would make others feel better about themselves.  But I’ve learned that the only way to serve the world is to be courageously and expansively me.

In fact, when I play too small, my body hunches over, and my belly and lungs get squeezed, allowing for very little air to flow in and out.

So, for the sake of breathing freely and living my life as I choose, I boldly stand tall and open up.

When I take my Warrior stance, I am spacious.

Legs, arms, heart and mind… I am open and present, and I own it.

I am powerful.

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What about your Warrior?

If you’re not yet feeling flexible, focused, strong and spacious, take heart because you’re not alone.

At the same time, don’t stay here too long… misery loves company you know.

Instead, try standing in Warrior pose.

Go ahead, try it.

It may feel awkward and tight and even fake for you, but give it a chance.

Over time and practice, you’ll find that magical marriage between body and mind that Warrior is.

Gently and slowly mold it into your body, and your mind will follow.

Or build it into your mind, and allow your body to yield in expression of it.

You are a Warrior.  Believe it.  You are a Warrior.

 

Keep moving forward,

Debbie

P.S. Come on out and join other Warriors as we move together in yoga each Tuesday morning by the water and Thursday evening indoors.

Challenge yourself.

P.P.S. Speaking of CHALLENGES, you can still join the July Fitness Challenge… there are still 3 weeks left and lots more fun to come!