Dem bones

One of the delights of yoga is that it's like playing with one of those wire toys that you press and pull and turn inside out to form a dozen different shapes. I'm not talking about the joys of pretzel yoga. I'm talking about the ability to manipulate one body part and create a cascade of powerful effects in the rest of your body. 

Last Sunday, for instance, my teacher focused the class on thigh mucles, especially the thigh muscles of the back of the leg, in particular those of the rear leg in unsymmetrical poses. So, in Downward-Facing Dog, we firmed our thigh muscles and poured our weight out of our hands and arms and into our legs. In Warrior 2, we concentrated on firming the muscles of the straight leg and pouring our weight into it, lightening the burden on the forward, bent leg. And so on. Every asana was transformed not just in the position of the thigh but also throughout the rest of the body.

As I walked home from class, still in thigh-firming mode, I noticed that my lower back was no longer aching, my navel was tucked in, and my chest was lifted. Adjusting one small element of alignment was realigning my whole posture. 

It's like that song: 

The toe bone connected to the heel bone

The heel bone connected to the foot bone 

The foot bone connected to the leg bone 

The leg bone connected to the knee bone 

The knee bone connected to the thigh bone 

The thigh bone connected to the back bone 

The back bone connected to the neck bone 

The neck bone connected to the head bone 

Oh, hear the word of the Lord!

Dem bones, dem bomes gonna walk aroun'

Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk aroun'

Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk aroun'

Oh, hear the word of the Lord