image source: Lululemon
In honor of the coming fall weather, my favourite season of the year, I thought I’d write a little something about falling.
You see, in most of my classes, when it comes time for some balancing poses, I see a lot of students concentrating on trying not to fall. Particularly in Tree Pose, (or Vrksasana if you want to get technical), because it demands that we stand on one leg, instead of the two we are used to. For many of us, something that looks so simple can actually be quite challenging, especially if you have not had occasion to stand on one leg a lot lately. And so I watch students of all ages set their faces with a determination not to fall; they will balance on one leg even if it means holding their breath and waving their arms to keep themselves steady.
So I ask you: what’s wrong with falling?
Falling equals failure, in many yoga students’ minds. But the reality is that this is where the true yoga happens. Do you curse and mentally beat yourself up when you fall out of a yoga pose? Or do you approach it as part of the learning process, a way to deeper understanding and the realization that oh, that’s where my limit is?
Practice is the effort to secure steadiness, says Patanjali in 1.13 of the Yoga Sutras. This is true both in the physical sense, and in the mind. When I teach tree pose, I walk students through the initial alignment, and then I focus on teaching them how to fall. If you practice tree pose regularly, you will eventually become steadier on your legs. I don’t need to teach this — it will happen naturally over time. What is harder is learning to cultivate steadiness of spirit. Fall with a smile. Fall with a laugh. Fall with acceptance. Fall with curiosity.
Because everyone falls at some point in life. How do you choose to fall?
Satya Yogi 