In my daily practice, I’ve been exploring the balance between alignment and surrender … or using the vocabulary of yoga – between tadasana (mountain pose) and shivaysana (corpse pose).
In my opinion, these two asanas are the two most important postures of all!
Tadasana is generally the first asana taught in beginners yoga. It is standing, feet parallel and hip distance apart, with knees and hips aligned over the ankles and spine straight … eyes looking forward, chin slightly down, so that the neck is aligned with the spine. This is a posture that is all about finding right alignment.
It has been known for thousands of years in the ancient traditions, such as yoga and the martial arts, that when the body is brought into correct alignment, the flow of life sustaining and nourishing energy is facilitated. I have experienced the power of right alignment for myself and cannot emphasize it enough.
Shivaysana is a posture that every yoga tradition generally uses to end the practice session. It is one of lying, completely relaxed on the floor – on the back, legs and arms placed straight on the floor in a natural position of rest, with palms facing up. This is the posture of surrender – of “let go” and release.
My practice consists of moving back and forth between these two energies – that of alignment with Tadasana and surrender or shivaysana. My daily goal is to bring the balancing of these two energies into every act, thought and word.
When I align my body and intention with Universal Source energy … That Source Energy can more easily flow through me and help me discover blockages. Once a blockage is found, I ask for support from the Universe in finding and exploring the mental concept associated with that blockage.
Blockages simply imply a misalignment. Physical alignment can greatly alleviate the suffering created from mental/emotional blockage.
Once I’ve explored the body beliefs, (an example might be “my body betrays me” or “I am sick” or “my body is repulsive”) – most often by using Katie Byron’s inquiry process, I then surrender that part of my body by consciously relaxing it as completely as possible. The levels of surrender amaze me! The more I let go, the more let go I experience.
This process has been unbelievably helpful in freeing my mind AND body from the baggage carried for so many years.