Hang in there!

We are tied to what we hate or fear.

-Swami Prabhavananda 

As many of you know, I also have a love of running.  There is a good chance I would be consistently injured if it weren't for yoga.  I've been an athlete my entire life, and a consistent yoga practice has certainly protected my body from further injuries. That being said, there are still postures in yoga that I avoid or sneak out of (quick fix of the hair or water break...) all the time because I am a runner, with awesomely awkward hips!

 

Seriously, I have a common issue (that most people aren't even aware that they have) called Piriformis Syndrome. In normal people terms, that basically means my hips easily come out of alignment. For example, I've had a leg almost 2 inches longer than the other.  It sounds a lot cooler than it is...it's mostly just an awful lower back ache. Nothing a quick adjustment at the chiropractor can't fix!

 

Okay, so why am I telling you all of this? Because, I could be really proactive about protecting my hips a lot more if I just stayed in certain poses for a longer period of time. It's always the most "difficult" poses that bring out the greatest breakthroughs. Man, it never gets old how many similarities there are on my mat and in life. One of the best postures for this specific hip quirk is Half Pigeon Pose.
(Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

 -From downward facing dog, bring one leg in between your hands, bending your knee at a 90 degree angle (or as bent as works for your body).

-Be sure to keep your foot flexed to protect your knee. -Take a slight backbend before hinging from your hips to fold forward over your front leg.

-Stay here for at least 10-15 deep inhales and exhales. (The more the better)

-Vinyasa to do the other side.

Sound easy?  For some people, they can sleep in this posture.  For me, my mind likes to yell profanities at me about 3 deep breaths in. My hips start shaking, especially if I forget to breathe, and my bent leg falls asleep. Recently, a much-needed light bulb turned on when it comes to this wonderful Half Pigeon Pose. It's just like running...When you run, you have to go a few miles before you hit your sweet spot. The sweet spot is when you forget you're running, you feel invincible, blissfully powerful and unstoppable all at the same time. Sometimes, the miles leading up to that sweet spot suck.  Really suck.  And, they are totally worth the end result.  The same goes with this pose (or any posture for that matter).  Once your body relaxes through your breath (Ujjayi really helps me), you can relax and literally fall deeper into the pose.  Working on this consistently can lead to hip strength, flexibility and protection from injury. 

 

Never did I think my hips would allow me to do Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana Prep – One-Legged King Pigeon Pose Preparation. But lo and behold, after lots of breathing through Half Pigeons, I was able to land in this gem without any pain.  Still work to be done, but it's an awesome step in the right direction.   

  

One of the great things about yoga is that as soon as you reach what you think is your biggest expression, there is always a new and bigger challenge to try for.  There is never time to be bored; Only time to explore, try new things, make mistakes, grow, laugh, be silly, be humble and love yourself and others. Ah..namaste : )

 

Happy Holidays from these crazy Christmas kitties,
Sir Cooper von Fluffernutter & Sir Sullivan von Nodule!!

  
Namaste & God Bless! (and WAR EAGLE again!)
Kristen