Why Yoga is the Counter Pose to Life by Alison King Tigges
Think back to the end of a super sweet backbend practice, when the teacher often has you hug your knees into your chest, and it feels oh-so-good. Your body is thinking, “Yes! This is just what I needed!” That knees-to-chest is called a counter pose. A pose that counterbalances what you have been doing during class. It’s a way to bring your body back to neutral.
So why do we care about yoga and counter posing, and what does this have to do with real life? Yoga is a thousand+ year old practice and all we see on Instagram are people doing wacky, pretzel shapes. What does this have to do with our daily lives? How can yoga really help us in the real world?
Yoga is the COUNTER POSE to your life.
Truthfully, this is the main reason I have stuck with yoga for 20+ years.
Hear me out. Here are a few things we know about modern life these days:
1. We are busier than ever.
2. We are more stressed out than ever.
3. We are more focused on multi-tasking and “getting more done” than ever.
The list goes on. Our life generally moves at a very rapid pace! Which is great and fine on one hand---we’ve got stuff to do! I appreciate my ability to get a lot done in a day, because I have a lot to do! But, as we know (read Gabe’s blog last month on the nervous system), the constant need to be in motion works great, until it doesn’t. Our nervous systems are frazzled! We are frazzled! If only there was an ancient practice out there that has stood the test of time and can help us focus, connect to our bodies/breath/minds, and allows us to practice slllloooowing down.
Oh wait….
Yoga to the rescue! Again. Here are a few simple reasons why a smart, practical, grounding yoga practice is the perfect (and necessary!) counter pose to our lives.
1. Yoga essentially forces us to be in the present moment. Collectively, we tend to not be great at living in the moment. When you have a skilled teacher offering you a lot of alignment cues, reminding you to notice your breath/thoughts (plus you are trying not to fall on your face) this requires a lot of focus! Yoga is generally the one place where you can leave your to-do list at the door. Being focused on something besides our busy lives leads to being better at working in the present moment. Living in the present moment naturally breeds contentment. Yes please!
2. Yoga SHOULD be a place where achievements and results matter less than just showing up and doing the work. We strive for that here at OTY. What a welcome break from our results-driven, hustle and grind culture. As my teacher Tias Little says, “The practice is the path”.
3. Yoga promotes and encourages rest. Where else can you get permission to just lay on your back and breathe? Fair warning, rest often feels difficult at first! Even more reason to keep at it. Like all difficult things, they become easier the more you do them.
4. Yoga reminds us of the connectedness within us. We are truly reminded in class that our body, breath, mind, and heart work together. If we can experience that in yoga, then it’s possible off the mat! Yoga brings us more awareness and mindfulness, in ALL aspects of our lives.
5. From a physical standpoint, anyone who walks, sits, or moves, has weakness and tightness in the body. We can all stand some more mobility and stability. Yoga poses do just that! Yoga postures offer our bodies a welcome reprieve from all that we demand of it. Even the picture attached shows me stretching tight chest muscles after lots of time at my desk.
Honestly, these are just a few reasons off the top of my head. The list goes on and on. We need a counter pose to our busy lives, and we need yoga! If you practice on the regs, sweet. Keep at it! I still need a supported bridge after every forward folding class, so I will always need yoga to balance my life. If you don’t practice and you feel called to try (or try again), we are here for you.
Be kind, stay calm, and YOGA ON.