3 days into the intensive and my mind is already blown. Observing my pose, the instructors casually mentions that benefits of janu sirsasana are enhanced the more obtuse the angle between my legs.  This a seated pose I usually only do during menstruation as part of a restorative practice.   Previously, I kept my bent leg at 90°.  If your hips and lower back are tight, getting to a comfortable right angle is plenty challenging.  That part is easy for me and there’s still a stretch in my lower back when extending forward.  I figure I’m on the right track as long as I feel something.  Turns out, I was only getting a partial experience of the pose.

I had to miss class today due to a scheduling conflict so I spent some time at home reading about janu sirsasana and parivritta janu sirsasana.  While holding the poses with deep breathing I discovered new sensations.  Keeping my bent-leg hip rooted while extending forward is not a given anymore but I am able to fold forward more easily.  The stretch in my hips gains dimension and I can feel the resulting effects in other wide-legged poses.  I understand the mysterious pelvic girdle just a little better than before thanks to one simple adjustment.

That’s why I love Iyengar yoga and what makes me want to teach yoga in general.  I want to give others the opportunity to feel this way, to understand themselves better.  I just don’t know if I can handle all the bureaucracy involved in the Iyengar tradition.  Yoga is a luxury hobby more often than a way of life in America.  The openness of the practice still only attracts a specific slice of our culture.  Part of it is time, part of it is money.  I want to teach yoga to anyone that wants to learn it, not just people who make more than $75K a year.  Of course, the point is moot until I find the courage to stand up and teach at all.