Toe bone connected to the foot bone,

Toe bone connected to the foot bone, foot bone connected to the leg bone....

 I was born with flat feet.  When I was a child at the beach I used to stare at other people's skinny footprints.   Mine were completely filled in, like a cartoon. I didn't think it was a problem until I tried to do yoga.  In standing poses I wobbled. I was not happy there.   Lift your arches!  My teachers tried, but I didn't get it.  It is not so easy to go some place you have never been.

 Some moments are deeply etched in memory.  One of those special moments happened in my first class with Geeta Iyengar at the Ramamani Memorial Iyengar Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India.  

"Put your outer heel to the wall," she said.  Okay, that was easy enough.  "Make the contact special.  Create a 'special contact between your back heel and the wall.  Keep that contact and go into triangle pose.  What happened to the 'special contact'?  Don't lose it!"

 Now that wasn't so easy.  I tried, and it improved, but when I moved my body down and put my hand on my leg, something got lost.  Every time.  

 Fast forward.  Hundreds, even a thousand more triangle poses later.  First things first:  create a special contact between the mind (citta) and the outer back heel.   Keep that contact.   Take triangle pose.  Re-charge what got lost.  Charge! Re-charge!  Over and over again.

Years passed.  On day I noticed that something had changed.  My outer heel contact was 'special' and stayed there, with attention.  My back leg was straight, my spine extended and chest opened.  My breath was free, and my mind quiet.  It was just for one breath, but what a breath!  This was something worth doing.  Uttiha Trikonasana, triangle pose, was finally a happy place to be!

By Sally Rutzky

“In each asana, if the contact between the body and the floor—the foundation—is good, the asana will be performed well.  Always watch your base:  Be attentive to the portion nearest the ground.  Correct first from the root.  The standing poses are meant to begin providing this foundation for life.  They strengthen the ankles and the knees.  When a person is mentally disturbed or dejected, you’ll notice he can’t stand firmly on his feet.  These postures teach one how to stand straight so that the brain can float in its position.  … When stability becomes a habit, maturity and clarity follow.”  Light on Life, BKS Iyengar page 43. 

 Each week one of the teachers at the Yoga Space shares her thoughts and experiences in this blog. Sally Rutzky teaches classes on Saturday morning at The Yoga Space, a studio just east of Dexter serving Saline, Chelsea, Manchester and Ann Arbor. We have been helping people with their flexibility, strength, focus and stress management for over 14 years.

The free class runs last Friday of each month from 6-7 pm. 180 Little Lake Dr #1 Ann Arbor, MI, 48103. 

 www.yogaspaceannarbor.com 734-622-9600