Discomfort

Discomfort:

it’s very often my least favorite pose that garners my attention and commitment, perhaps with an innate awareness that through this discomfort there is something valuable for me to experience. Sometimes the very asana that holds the most challenge soon becomes a favorite of mine. This isn’t limited to a physical challenge, in fact, I’d much rather push through the limits of my body then deal with some of the emotional blocks that can keep me from experiencing a sense of comfort within a pose — with child’s pose being one of the most recent examples. Of course these aren’t two separate issues, it’s the body, as I’m holding a certain posture, that triggers an emotional response,

and it’s through the same asana that allows for me to heal.

utkatasana, chair pose, is an asana that offers both a physical challenge as well as working through some deep emotions that have surfaced as I hold this posture. It’s important to me here to not rush the breath, a careful mindfulness that allows my breathing to settle on it’s own, relaxing into the posture with a sure and steady commit to explore what ever the moment now offers — even if it’s physical discomfort, a rising sense of fear, or as most often in utkatasana, both confronting me at once for the length of five to ten breaths as I hold the pose.