Hanging. Gravity within my sense field. Yoga is a tool. The body is a mean, an instrument of perception, with many of its sense organs, with many of its senses. Both, external and internal.
Dangling – name of the pose in yin yoga
It is a passive pose. Do not push or pull. Eliminate the intention of deepening. Let the body adjust itself into the pose. Just hang. Without resistance. Feet apart. Observe. Make sure not to strain the backs of the legs. In any case, to strain is not good. Bend the knees if needed. Don’t let the hips and pelvis (the butt) go waaay backwards. Shift the weight forward. Spread the toes and press them into the ground. Ground through your feet. Soften the back of the neck, let the head hang. Release the arms and the shoulders, let them hang. Soften the belly, allow the intestines to press against the diaphragm. Allow the belly to move in and out as you breathe. Let the spine elongate. Allow the gravity to make more space between the vertebrae. Dangling will target the connective tissue, of which very important will be the smallest ligaments of the spine vertebrae. Holding the pose long enough will decompress intervertebral discs, which get squashed during the day. If the upper body wants to move, do not restrict the movement. Let it swing and sway. Start slowly, be gentle, don’t go too crazy and wild too fast.
Separate the teeth. Soften the muscles of the face. Do not roll the eyeballs up and to the backs of your skull. Feel the saliva move inside the mouth cavity. Do not press the tongue against the upper palate. Breathe. As you breathe in, locate the trajectory point at which the inhaled surrounding air becomes part of you. Becomes you. Exhale. Where’s that point on the trajectory line now? When does the exhaled air from your chest stop being part of you? How does the breath work with the gravity? Does the gravity make it hard to breathe? Too much pressure? If that’s the case, level the head with the heart and the heart with the pelvis. Lean with the hands into the thighs just above the bent knees. Is there lightness where there is heaviness? What else is there in a body’s sense field? Where is your mind? Does it perceive itself as a sense organ too? Stay. Hold it for 3-6 minutes. If you lose track of time, just follow your inner feelings, stay with your sensations. Hang in there for a while.
Mirela Đurić