Being in Right Alignment

I am often asked what my favorite yoga pose is. The truth is that I love 'em all (mostly!). Yet there is a special place in my heart for Headstand. That's because Headstand holds so much symbolic meaning for me. I love being upside down, as it represents seeing life from a totally different perspective. And I love how the pose is dependent upon a stacking of the body -- the body must be aligned in order to remain balanced in Headstand. It reminds me of how important being in alignment is in life, not just in body during asana.

I recently had an experience that shined a very bright light into an issue in my life in which I am not in right alignment. It reminds me of my first tentative attempts at Headstand against a wall -- I'd move in an out of alignment using the wall as support when I needed it. Rather than be in right alignment for me, I've been letting someone (who I respect greatly) be right about an issue. I've agreed to blindly go along with this person even though certain things haven't always felt right to me. Despite feeling out of balance, I've valiantly acted as the bigger person and pushed aside my own feelings. I convinced myself that I was making a healthy compromise and that I was showing love to another person when what I've really been doing is putting this person's beliefs and wants before mine to the degree that I've negated mine altogether. The truth is that I completely disagree with this person. I disagree with the way this person handles this particular issue and I've allowed myself to be manipulated into pretending to be in agreement with him.

As would happen in Headstand if the same were true, I took a bad spill. While extremely unpleasant and utterly shocking, the event was the wake-up call I needed. In my attempt to compromise, I made this issue into right and wrong. I believed that this person was right and I was wrong to feel the way I have about it. The truth is it's not about being right -- it's about being in right alignment myself. (Yes, it is possible to have love for someone and keep their best interests in mind while remaining in right alignment yourself.) Unfortunately, I had to have a very unpleasant experience to learn this. Now I'm dealing with the fall-out of this -- my anger at this other person (I've been manipulated) and my anger at myself (for allowing myself to be manipulated). Like many beautiful lessons it's painful but it's necessary.

Today I easily vaulted my body into Headstand. I felt so strong, so balanced, so...right. It felt good. It felt amazing. I know what right alignment feels like in my body. Now it's time to go out and be in right alignment in this particular area of my life. I have a feeling that doing so is going to elicit the very same feelings of strength, stability, and truth. Again, my yoga practice reminds me of the parallels between my life off the mat and my time on it.

Namaste!

Comments

[slpete42]

Thanks for writing and posting. I am benefited by your talking about the value of the pose. With us beginners for sure, my class teachers want to stay away from it because of the risk of injury (they feel for anyone, not just beginners). Thus I had concluded the pose was not 'raj,' was to be avoided by me. You have clarfied the gain. Was fun to read. (I'd like the gain.)

For me personally, a decision whether to practice it can be postponed for awhile. Need to do foundation and core work to build the potential to do.

On your topic of the power and joy of alignmenet comes also Sally Kemption in the September 2009 Yoga Journal. Her discussion is about personal responsibility. Your discussion ties her reminders and views to asana. So gainful.

[Diane Cesa]

Thanks Tiffany! I'm sorry that I haven't gotten to posting to the group just yet. It's on my to do list.

[Tiffany]

Hi!
I just typed in Yoga blogs and google gave me yours first.
Well done! I'm impressed.
I'm reviewing for a new 'review site' and after what I've been reading, you score right up there!
Cool and thanks for sharing!!
Remember to feel free to post any related links to the yoga off the mat group!
Yours in peace
Tiffany

[Diane Cesa]

Thank you, thank you, thank you Maryam! I appreciate your kind words and you sharing your story. It reminds me that we're all going through the same things. Your comment on we get back what we put out there is just wonderful. Thank you for your wisdom!

[Diane Cesa]

You're welcome Katie! I needed to write them. I'm so glad that they came to you at a time when you needed them.

[Diane Cesa]

Great poem John! Thanks so much for sharing it.

[Maryam Webster]

Diane, this is a wonderful, transparent and honest post. Being betrayed, giving our power away willingly, then experiencing a fall is such a common theme in most people's lives. This is 'growing up' we do throughout our lives, we don't necessarily outgrow these kinds of lessons in adolescence. I had a recent experience of this myself at age 48 after giving a collegue many, many hours of coaching for her business (which I make my living charging for), and willingly marketing her business for her when I know it's not the best around. My comeuppance was this person turning around and stabbing me, and her entire community in the back and the realization that I'd been had, that we'd all been had. Right alignment indeed. I was out of alignment with what I knew was best practice, and she reflected this back to me.

When I analyzed it, I had sabotaged myself though, by choosing to give away for free, the way I made my livelihood. The universe responded to my saying "what I offer isn't worth being paid for" by causing this woman to act even more greedy for my free services and accuse me of betrayal when I put the brakes on.

It just all goes to show that we get back what we put out there. To stay in right alignment, we really have to keep a watch on how we regard ourselves, and how this regard translates out into our relationships with others.

You write great articles Diane, I have relished every one. Good job!

Namaste...

[john]

nice article! I'm digging Bhujangasana these days and found a great poem to read in class:

Shedding my skin
skinning my shreds
leaving behind
every failure
every success
every anger
ever expressed
or never expressed.
What’s left behind
stays behind,
it’s ancient
poisonous sting
all but forgotten.

-Leza Lowitz

take care,

john

www.yogawithjohn.com/blog

[Katie]

Thank you! I needed these words today.