I may have mentioned in a previous blog about a kind of calm and meditative state that I happened to enter during a yoga class, which was similar to the kind of feeling that many of us also have the pleasure of experiencing when dancing Tango? Well, apparently in yoga there is a word for this – it is called the practice of Pratyahara. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Yoga4Tango class last weekend in which the practice of Pratyahara was to be the theme, so I decided instead to do some practice at home by myself to explore the subject a little deeper. I didn’t have much luck with it though, and I will tell you why…
Pratyahara is often referred to in yoga as the fifth limb, and described as “the conscious withdrawal of energy from the senses”. It refers to the possibility of a person being present in a particular environment (i.e. aware of activity), yet detached (in a responsive sense) from what is happening around them, and also from what is happening inside of their own head (i.e. thoughts).
You would think that it would be far easier to detach oneself from outward thoughts and observations, and funnel that energy inward in order to focus on the ‘self’, when in the privacy and quiet of one’s own bedsit; in my experience, this turned out not to be the case! Actually, I found that practicing yoga alone challenged my concentration, focus and the possibility of entering a meditative state more than usual, and left me feeling rather frustrated.
I was at home with no distractions, and I couldn’t seem to drift off into that peaceful state at all during my practice, because I was thinking about how awkward my downward dog was, how short my hamstrings are, and whether my landlady was about to knock on my door and demand rent. The funny thing is that I can lose myself in this wonderful mental state of conscious detachment during a tanda, in a dancehall full of couples interweaving on a dance floor; movement, conversation and movement happening all around me. So what is the secret? How do you actively turn your mind off to the point where your mind is aware, but does not respond to all of this mental and physical activity? Is it something you can control, or does it just happen sometimes, like magic?
Perhaps it is similar to the experience of taking one’s work to do whilst sitting in a busy coffee shop, which is where I am right now. I am sitting here; working and episodically staring at my laptop screen. Behind me is a group of rowdy students who feel the need to shout over each other in order to get any attention. Over there is a mother whose screaming child wants to get out of the buggy, but the mother isn’t having any of it. At the front of the shop the coffee machine is making such an unnecessary racket, and the guy behind the counter is barking each order back at the overworked Barista. I can’t concentrate on my work at all of course, but I do keep slipping off into a weird meditative state, whereby I am staring at my screen, not really thinking about anything at all; still totally aware of the chaos happening around me, but not taking any active part in it. Am I slipping in and out of a pratyahara state right now, without even realizing it? How annoying, when I struggle on the yoga mat at home, failing to focus when actually putting my mind to it! Or is that the key? Not to put your mind to it?
Maybe it is easier for a person like me to slip in and out of such a state of mind when in this buzzing sort of public environment, simply because I am so used to feeling quite separate from the world around me anyway. When I am alone however, at home, suddenly I find that I am not so alone after all because I have a head full of voices; an internal monologue that just won’t shut up, unless it is drowned out by a world happening around me.
Sometimes I sit on a busy bus during rush hour and I stare out of the window not really thinking about anything or looking at anyone, but conversation and life is happening; on the bus, outside of the bus, next to me, in front of me, behind me… and I am oblivious. Often I am just focusing, without really realizing it, on the feeling of the bus moving around my body; and yet I am on it, moving with it, we are moving together, the bus and I. Is pratyahara about merging with your environment? Sometimes when I am at a milonga I find myself not really taking part in one-to-one conversations properly, because my mind and body has already merged with the environment. I’m sure people must think I am rude, but I really can’t help it. Or perhaps I don’t want to.
I wonder if any of you have the opposite experience to my dilemma? Do you find it easier to enter a state of pratyahara when you are alone? Is that because you are more used to interacting with the world around you when you are in it? Is our experience of pratyahara in yoga affected by whether we are introverted or extroverted people? If so, then maybe we can use this self-knowledge to challenge ourselves and learn how to adapt and merge with the different environments in which we practice yoga?
Yoga is all about constant self-discovery, and taking what we learn about ourselves back out into the world. I want to learn to quiet down the incessant inner monologue that separates me from the world I inhabit. Perhaps through my exploration of pratyahara in my personal yoga practice I will learn how to clear my mind when I most need it, when I am at home by myself; and then when I am out in the world I will be awake, with less thought clouding my mind, and I will be ready to interact!
I was very excited about the yoga class this week because I have recently acquired my own yoga mat (it’s bright pink), and so I was looking forward to learning an effective sequence of yoga poses to incorporate into my individual daily practice at home. Up until now I had clumsily been throwing together what I remembered from classes, in no specific order, as an alternative to just lying on my belly and inhaling the glorious new rubber smell of my pink mat! Now that I know the 3-minute sun salute, it is time to get serious.
To be honest, I pretty much knew the sequence all along, which is one of the great things about attending these Yoga4Tango yoga classes in London on a regular basis; you pick up all the basics as you go along without realizing it, and the more sessions you attend the more natural it begins to feel. It starts to feel like a natural instinct, and the sequences become ingrained into your memory.
I invited a newbie to join us this weekend after the tango classes and afternoon practica on Saturday afternoon at Tango Garden, and it highlighted how much I take for granted, having attended the yoga classes pretty much every week since they began. My friend admitted that a lot of the time he was side-glancing to check out what I was doing and copying me. He must have enjoyed himself though, because he attended the Sunday session the following day, and I expect we will see him again next week.
I think yoga is quite addictive, even for absolute beginners, because you leave feeling so refreshed and invigorated, which is often quite a new feeling for the body unless you practice some other form of exercise regularly. Personally, I feel like yoga practice is an opportunity to spend quality time with my body, so perhaps the addictive aspect is related to a sense of narcissism – I must admit that it does feel a little like self-worship once you really start getting into it – or is that just me? Of course, I am talking on a mental level as well as physical; I always avoid looking in mirrors when I am in the gym.
One thing I found extremely useful in last week’s yoga session was the demonstration of the 3-minute sun salute. It was very informative to just sit and watch a professional yoga instructor perform the entire sequence from beginning to end, because it gave a better idea of what the whole thing should look like, as one flowing movement. I found it particularly useful to watch how the instructor transitioned so smoothly from one pose to another. Her body was so bendy and flexible, and each pose was very clear and pleasing to the eye. Seeing her in action made me want to go straight home, get my pink mat out and do my thing!
I noticed that the instructor wasn’t moving all over her mat like I tend to do though. I always find myself positioned way off the edge of either the top or bottom of my mat and I usually have to wriggle back into the centre, usually during child’s pose and just before downward dog. It is very annoying and I can never understand why this happens. When I was watching the instructor during her demonstration, I paid close attention to how she positioned her body in each pose so that she was staying central on the mat, and I did notice a difference when it came to doing it all myself.
I suppose it is all about grounding your hands and feet into the four corners of the mat and using up all the space in between by pulling your body up and down the length of the mat into each pose, without being tempted to move your hands and feet too. Maybe if I’m feeling that I need to constantly move my hands and feet to catch up with the rest of my body, then I am not succeeding in fully lengthening my body? There is only one reason that could be happening – I’m not breathing properly!
I read that when you inhale you create space in your body, which allows you to lengthen it, and inhaling is an energizing kind of breath that prepares your body for movement. I don’t tend to breath in that deeply because I have an ongoing irritation in my throat and breathing in triggers a coughing fit. Maybe this is affecting how I lengthen my body. Maybe I could be lengthening it more?
I am just guessing most of this, I don’t know for sure what I am doing right or wrong, but this is the beauty of yoga; it is a personal experience and exploration, and your relationship with your body is your own. We may aspire to be as perfect as our yoga instructors, but at the end of the day we all know that they aren’t like us, they are super-human with special superhero powers that allow them to bend backwards and balance on their heads.
Just kidding. What I mean is that it is not about what the person next to you is doing, it is more about being mindful and paying attention to how your own body feels! The more you focus on your own personal development, the more likely you are to reach higher levels in yoga and gain superhuman status, if that is what you are aiming for. (I know I am!)
For now though, I am content to be using the 3-minute sun salute as a daily yoga body and mind conditioning. The more regular your make your yoga practice the more cooperative your body becomes because you are spending more time with it. One of the other ladies who attends the yoga class described the fact that she practices a short sequence everyday before work and she can’t believe that she can actually touch her toes now, which was something she couldn’t do at the start of the course – now that is a massive improvement!
The 3-minute sun salute is a combination of the poses we have been learning throughout the course put together in a satisfying, flowing sequence, and the idea is to stay strong and mindfully move into each pose and hold it for five breaths before mindfully moving onto the next pose. We were also given a lighter option for those days when the body isn’t feeling quite up to the physical challenge, whereby you move through each pose in the sequence with just one breath, and repeat the sequence a few more times instead. The idea behind holding each pose for five breathes is that it creates more strength in the body and more flexibility, and it encourages more observation and opportunity to self-adjust.
Right, that’s enough writing and waffle for me! Time to get out my pink mat and salute the sun.
Wednesday, 13 November 2013 04:37
Yoga is Self Study, Self Discipline and Self Devotion
Written by Zara MHave you ever gone into that calm, meditative state while you are dancing Tango; and though your eyes may be open, you’re simultaneously present and in a complete realm of your own at the same time? This is what I experienced during the Yoga4Tango class last weekend. Perhaps I was looking to escape the chaos in my head, and the yoga class helped me to switch off and let it all go. Sometimes I think of yoga as quite a self-absorbed activity, but never in a bad way; we all need to focus inwards once in a while, preferably on a more regular basis!
The session revisited “Tapas” which stands for “fiery cleansing” in yoga; and means to focus, with acute attention, on cleansing the body and the mind. Yoga is about self-study, self-discipline and self-devotion. During the class I let my mind empty of all the thoughts that had been contaminating it and causing my emotions and logic to become unbalanced, and instead I treated my body as a temple, for an hour and a half, drifting consciously through the pose sequences and feeling an intimate connection to each part of my body I felt working.
Often we are so focused on wanting to forge a connection with someone or something else that we forget how important it is to connect with oneself. It is so easy to become disconnected, and that is when your body and mind becomes a slave to society, it’s expectations and it’s pressures. Once you stop and pull away though, pulling your energy inwards, you can gain a crystal clear perspective on life.
At the beginning of the yoga class, the instructor made a reference to a recent Tango photograph he came across online, where a man and a woman were in an embrace and dancing, and the woman’s hand was pressed firmly against her partner’s back with her fingers spread beautifully in adornment, and all four corners of her palm making the connection with his body. I knew exactly what our instructor was talking about because I have seen this many times at milongas myself, and I have always admired it. The yoga instructor brought our attention to the fact that this woman was forming exactly the same kind of connection with the four corners of her palm on this man’s back, as we do with the mat in our downward dog pose.
The instructor then went on to describe how we should always look for this kind of connection when we are dancing, but that it is not always possible to feel such a connection back from our partners. When this is the case, he said, focus inward and on feeling your own energy, which you project outwards through the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, come back to you. I really liked this notion of creating a connection with oneself, and this is exactly what we are practicing in every yoga session. We ground ourselves by pressing the palms of our hands and the souls of our feet into the mat, but the mat is not pressing back. We are forming that connection by ourselves, sending the energy outward and feeling it return to us.
I think it is important for us to always be conscious of where we are sending our energy out to, and how, because it will always find it’s way back to us.
During the class we flowed through sequences together in one smooth motion, and it was a wonderfully calming experience for me that evening. I found that my mind was so at peace and sort of working in a way that made me feel like part of it had shut down so that I could maintain an intense inward study of my own bodily movements. We kept coming back to the same stretching pose when we were lying on our backs, and we were prompted to observe how it felt each time. I felt like I was listening to my body and hearing what it had to say.
At the end of the session the instructor stated that in yoga we are constantly studying what our bodies are doing, and the same is true in dancing Tango. He said that with study, the fun is intensified, because the experience is understood on a deeper level and is therefore enriched.
I think that you have to be in the right state of mind for this kind of study to have a positive effect though, because sometimes, when your mind isn’t clear of all the outside noise; you know, those voices that tell you you’re not good enough, then you cannot enter that meditative and healing state of mind, where your self-study becomes a positive and rejuvenating experience.
I have often entered prolonged phases in my dancing where I feel completely hopeless, we all experience this at some point. The more I study myself during these phases, the more I fall apart. Why does that happen? I suppose it is a lack of self-belief and self-love. You can only be receptive to the benefits of self-study if you can believe that you deserve and are capable; and the way to be receptive is to empty your mind of anything that is contaminating it first – just like I did in the Yoga4Tango class.
There’s not enough love circulating in the world these days, so I think we should all save ourselves a bit of our own. I have to say that despite the cold and dark autumn evening, joining my fellow yogis after the class for a warming drink and inspiring conversation at the local Shopping Centre felt like all the positive vibes I had managed to reclaim during the yoga session had been reinforced. I left with my mind feeling at peace, my body feeling like it was a closer part of me, and a smile on my face that was hidden behind a big wooly scarf. I’m glad we still go for a drink after the class even though it is dark and jolly nippy!
The Yoga 4 Tango class last weekend promised to provide some “aha” moments. My personal revelation came initially in the form of a downward dog discovery, when the instructor illustrated her trick to eliminate common scrunched shoulder problems, in order to get the pose just right. It was beautifully simple, and showed that an understanding of anatomy and how the movement of your body works can help to simplify things in Yoga, so that you practice the poses correctly, and they feel comfortable. The Yoga class was rich with anatomical theory, which I found very interesting.
I am going to share with you the downward dog trick, so listen carefully. From child’s pose, when you raise yourself up into downward dog, instead of immediately straightening your arms, keep them bent. Then as you rise and straighten your legs into downward dog, slowly and purposefully bring your bent elbows inwards, towards your body as you straighten your arms. It will stretch the muscles out in your upper back and across your shoulders so that they don’t automatically scrunch, but instead they will relax. The downward dog is supposed to be a resting position, so shoulders shouldn’t have any tension in them. Getting the pose right and being well grounded helps to alleviate the tension.
I think what ignited the light-bulb in my head was actually seeing the contrast in the muscle arrangement when the instructor demonstrated it to us. I don’t normally think about which muscles do what, and what is connected to where. As far as I am concerned they are underneath my skin; out of sight, out of mind. Watching the muscles as they changed positions in the back when the instructor demonstrated her adjusted downward dog transition, made it all more visual though. I figure now, that if I can visualize what my muscles are doing because I have a clearer understanding of how my anatomy works, I am more likely to achieve more accurate poses and not develop any bad habits which could hold me back later on.
Understanding how anatomy works came into play when we started to explore the positioning and connection of muscles related to the hips and pelvic area. I was interested to discover that many problems people have with their bodies, such as back problems and leg pain, can actually be more to do with how we use the muscles that connect in our pelvic area and allow for most of our larger bodily movements. If we do not use or stretch these muscles enough then they can become shorter and less flexible, which is what can cause all sorts of problems related to the spine and posture, because these shortened muscles pull the spine out of shape.
Every social Tango dancer knows how important posture is! Not only does it make us look beautiful when we are dancing, but good posture also helps to keep us grounded, aligned and balanced, and not to mention connected to our partners. Good posture helps us to be better leaders and followers, but because we don’t necessarily know what it is about our inside anatomy that is affecting our posture, it is difficult to understand why we find it so challenging to get it right, and for it to feel natural.
I first became aware of the difference between good and bad posture when I started dancing Tango, but because I couldn’t visualize any anatomical understanding of it, I made common mistakes, such as forcing my body to “look’ right by sticking my chest out too far and arching my spine so that my bum was also protruding in a duck-like fashion. If only I had known back then that by forcing my pelvis to tilt in such a way, I was doing the opposite of aiding my posture.
You’re actually meant to tuck your tailbone in because then when you bend the legs slightly you are working muscles that are hidden deeper inside of your body, which connect all of your bits together and allow for more flexibility and movement in your hips; which is essential for dancing Tango. I won’t try to name any of these muscles or explain how they connect together, because I’m not entirely sure, and I don’t want to give you the wrong information. All I know is that I was quite surprised when I performed the exercise in the class, tilting my hips forward instead, to feel the hidden muscle working. I hadn’t even known those muscles were there!
Apparently it is even more important for people who assume sitting positions for extending periods of time, to stretch out and work the muscles around the hips, because sitting doesn’t help these muscles maintain their natural resting length. Instead they acquire a new resting length, which is significantly shorter; which can in turn cause inflexibility around the hip area. One or two of the other students are regular cyclists and expressed that the sitting positions they assumed when cycling caused their spine to curve, affecting posture. For cyclists, and people like me who sit at a desk for extended periods of time, it is all the more important to focus on creating “happy hips” by practicing the kinds of yoga poses we did in the class. There was lots of slow stretching, and breathing further into stretches that specifically opened up the hips and lengthened the muscles in the thighs.
I am becoming a lot more conscious of how my body works in everyday life; and I appreciate more now more than ever, the control I have to alter certain things about the ways in which I use my body, in order to create a healthier posture, and a healthier future for my dancing, yoga and life in general. Yoga4Tango is teaching me how to connect with myself and maximize the potential of my body so that I can enjoy what I love to do, which is dance.
Do you ever feel like your body is too stiff and tense on the dance floor? Last week, for some odd reason, my body was feeling decidedly ‘wonky’. One side of me felt tense and refused to move smoothly. It made certain dance movements decidedly awkward; my ochos, in particular were challenging as my body seemed to be battling against them, to the point of me not even being able to pivot naturally. The stiffness transferred to my embrace too and I felt off balance. It was most frustrating. The Yoga4Tango class focused on twists for dissociation. Talk about perfect timing!
I have also been a bit obsessed with posture recently, which may have had a psychological effect on my body. Being hunched over my laptop for most of the week resulted in a stiff neck on one side. I am always concerned that bad posture is causing me neck problems. Perhaps my obsession did something to my brain, because all week I have felt hyper aware of what my body is and isn’t doing. The problem is that when you focus too much on one thing it becomes even more magnified, until it completely takes over.
I remember in one of the earlier Yoga4Tango sessions being advised to distribute weight to other areas of the body in a more equal fashion, to help relieve unnecessary pressure on certain muscles and achieve better alignment for balance and grounding. I think that because in my head I have been focusing on my stiff neck, and trying to improve my posture, I was creating an imbalance in my body that translated to my dancing. I was reinforcing the stiffness in my body instead of letting go of it to allow for more movement.
The twisting yoga poses we did in the class felt so good! Sometimes when I think of posture and body alignment I am mistakenly thinking that my body must find a straight, upright position and maintain it; but actually, even the words I have just used to describe it are suggestive of stiffness!
I have discovered this week that good posture is not about standing up straight like a broom, it is just about extending the spine and opening up the body and chest, rather than closing it and hunching inwards or down. Yoga is wonderful for reminding you that you don’t have to tense up your body in order to remain grounded, balanced and aligned. In fact the more you can relax your body and calm your mind, the more flexible your muscles and joints become, and the more control you have.
During the class we were encouraged to take our poses a step further and try out a rather impressive looking twisted balancing pose that relied on strength in the wrists and arms, and an equal distribution of weight in the body. When the instructor first demonstrated the pose I think my mouth might have dropped open a little bit; yes was gawking at her. There is no way that I am going to be able to do that, I thought, without falling onto my head and knocking myself out! However, seeing as everyone else was giving it a go, I didn’t want to be left out. So off I went, slowly, ever so cautiously, tipping, tipping… No, no Zara, you can’t do it, come back down, don’t be suicidal…
Then the instructor explained that we just had to relax into it, and simply shift the weight over until the feet lifted naturally off the floor, and that all the strength was in the wrists, and the rest was balance. Something about the phrase ‘shifting weight’ flipped a switch in my head, and I realized that I didn’t have to be superwoman to do this; I just needed to focus, and to know my body.
Half the challenge is learning not to struggle against something. When it feels like something is too hard, you just have to calm your mind so that you are not thinking about it in a negative way, let go, relax and engage your muscles and find the right balance. When something feels like it is too difficult, you just have to think about how you can distribute that pressure you are feeling to release the extra tension in certain areas so that they don’t take over. I am discovering that yoga is more about release and adjustment than it is about forcing your body to hold on to a position that feels uncomfortable or difficult. If you can let go of something, you can do more.
I suppose that is why the resting poses are so important. They remind us to keep ‘letting go’. Towards the end of the class we were each given a rolled up yoga mat to place vertically underneath us along the spine as we lay down. It felt a bit unfamiliar, but I loved how it encouraged me to open up my chest, and feel my spine straighten out and extend. It was exactly what I needed to feel after a week of struggling with posture issues and stiffness. I lay with my hips wide open and the soles of my feet pressed together. I have recently acquired a yoga mat of my own for home practice; it is bright pink and I love it. I have a feeling that after working on my laptop for a few hours, that I will using this technique of relaxation to straighten everything out!
We finished the session with breathing. Our instructor soothingly told us to inhale bringing peace into the body and mind, and then exhale and smile. It felt strange to lie on my back in a gym, spread-eagle, inhaling, and then exhaling with a smile on my face. I have no idea why it felt strange to smile to myself, but it did. We smile when we engage with other people, but the body needs to relax and smile by itself sometimes too, so why not put a smile on your face when your body is smiling? My body had lots to be happy about
Everybody went off to dance Tango in London after the class, but I decided not to follow the crowd. Instead, I went home to spend some quality time with my self, and reflect on the Back to basics Yoga4Tango session, which was held at the very cool and hip Vibe Bar on Brick Lane this week.
I love the fact that the Yoga4Tango sessions have been held at the same venues as the weekend Tango classes, Practicas and Milongas recently. It makes sense to combine the two. Plus it is a great way to try and spread the word and get more people involved. I love being part of such a new and exciting concept that links both Yoga and Tango. I think that once people in the Tango community become more aware and familiar with what we are doing, then the good vibes will expand and spread.
A friend of mine asked me why I do yoga instead of just going to the gym. I told her that my idea of a gym is an intimidating and competitive place where people go to improve their bodies and health. I have never really liked the idea of going to a gym, especially not by myself. I’m not very inspired by solo exercise, even if it is in a gym full of other people all doing the same thing.
Yoga, for me, isn’t just about the exercise, I also benefit greatly from the social aspects. I get to see my friends, make new friends, have a laugh, and go for a hot drink afterwards. This weekend we had the added bonus of coming out from the class onto Brick Lane, which was buzzing with life on a Sunday afternoon. My new yoga friends are also people who share my interest in dancing Tango and I can find out about anything that may be happening within the Tango community, like performances and events. A few weeks ago one of the girls decided to throw a private Milonga house warming at her new flat after the yoga session. When you put Yoga and Tango together, only good can come of it!
Personally, I go to a Yoga4Tango session to stretch and challenge my body to it’s full potential within a relaxed, friendly and supportive community of like-minded people; and clear myself of all the bad toxins and negative energy that makes me close up, hunch over and scowl at anything that seems to cause conflict in my life. I find that I am not only physically opening up my chest and hips in each session, but also my mind and heart, inviting all kinds of opportunities in.
I try to go to the yoga sessions regularly every week because I feel like I am doing something good for my body, my soul and my lifestyle. It is that feeling you get when you start off your day with a healthy breakfast, and as a result you glide through the day feeling energized and focused, and then at the end of the day you have been so productive that you don’t feel guilty about going out to relax with good friends. Consistent good intentions and a regular routine get great results. I already feel after just 10 weeks of starting Yoga for the first time in my life, that my body, my mind and my social scene has benefitted greatly from it.
My body seems to be adapting well, which is being highlighted in the Back to basics sessions I have been attending. Today I felt like I was sweeping through the pose sequences like a pro. The hour went so fast, I wanted more!
Grounding all four corners of my feet and hands into the ground feels extremely satisfying now that I am used to doing it. I feel solid in my poses. In fact I’m experiencing a rather pleasant sensation when I arrange myself into a pose, that seems to combine a feeling of strength and softness – which I believe is what we are all aiming for.
I am remembering to relax the parts of my body I don’t need to use, like the muscles in my shoulders, which don’t need to be hunched. Hunching my shoulders plays no part in assisting with any of the poses we do, so why on earth am I always tensing them? Talk about wasting the opportunity to open up and breathe into a stretch! Becoming more aware of relaxing certain muscles in the yoga sessions has also made me become more aware of how I hold my body on a daily basis throughout the day.
When I am writing, for example, I try to write at my desk instead of on the sofa, and I feel much better when I use my core muscles to hold my own weight and improve my posture, rather than slump and collapse into the chair. Improving posture also makes me feel more assertive in everyday life. I feel like people notice and take me more seriously when I stand up tall and pull my shoulders back.
I am also finding my attention being brought more actively to my hips in many of the yoga poses. I am appreciating that my hips don’t have to be tight in order to keep my balance. In fact, if I loosen up and draw strength from other muscles, then my hips can open up, and for some reason that helps me to balance and stretch a whole lot better; perhaps because I am spreading my weight evenly and focusing on the bigger picture, rather than pulling all the energy in and focusing it on the small areas where the tension is.
When we were all preparing to get into the tree pose, our Yoga Instructor drew a comparison between loosening the muscles at the hip joint of the free leg so that the leg can move flexibly, in the same way as when we are on the dance floor and we want to loosen the leg at the hip to follow a Boleo or Gancho; which I found to be a relevant point, and something I hadn’t thought of before. My Ganchos and Boleos are always a little on the stiff and over-performed side. This is probably because Ganchos and Boleos are supposed to happen naturally within the movement, energy and flow of the dance. When you allow your focus to spread out to the bigger picture rather than force your body to behave in the way you think it should be, then your body is more willing to what feels right,
I am looking forward to integrating this newfound nugget of knowledge at the next Milonga. Sometimes Yoga4Tango provides great general chitchat for those awkward conversations in between songs!