Feet Firmly Planted

Yoga is cyclical. What you learn in the yoga studio can be brought to your outside life and what you do outside in your everyday life can be brought in to your practice.

Lately, in my Bikram yoga class, I have been working on getting my head to my knee in Standing Head to Knee (Dandayamana Janushirasana). One leg up parallel to the floor, foot flexed kicking out, standing leg locked, concrete, lamp post, elbows below the shin.  I tuck my chin and slowly move my eyes from the mirror to my hands holding my foot, down my shin, to my knee, tucking in my stomach, chin to my chest...and I stumble.  My standing foot rocks to the inside and the outside and I let go of my leg before I fall onto my mat.

Today I spent the entire class focused on my feet.  Applying pressure to the four corners, keeping myself grounded.  I pushed my standing foot down into the floor and kicked my lifted foot forward as if I were to kick the mirror. It worked!  I got my forehead to knee!

This got me thinking of how the simple yet focused action of grounding your feet during your practice prepares you to ground yourself in everyday life. So that when you feel as if you are falling out of place at work, at home, to firmly press the corners of your feet into the ground and you'll balance, you'll handle the situation firmly and calmly.

It is all connected.  What is done in the room is reflected in your outside life.  What occurs and what is practised on the outside will affect your yoga.