I was reading 'light on yoga' the other day......or at least some of the introductory text on the basic asana 'tadasana'...the mountain pose.
I had not read the description of the effect of this asana and how to perform it for a very long time. I think I had become mildly arrogant of knowing the movement hence no need to revisit the basics of Yoga. After all I have been studying and practising for some time,.... he says.
B.K.S Iyengar states in the book
Learning to stand, aligned and gentle is the beginning of the root cause of good running and walking. What I still find amazing is that by focusing on gently engaging your core and being aware of your weight you not only feel lighter but your mind also feels sharper and more aware.
Observing my breath, walking lightly, keeping my face relaxed and tongue passive I become much more in tune with my surroundings. I am present in time and not simply being busy from one task to another.
This is the beginning of 'letting go' and recognising that our previous mental state is not as calm as it should be. I have likened this before to a jungle full of chattering monkeys' in the tree tops. A lot of conversations going on in our heads but we are not fully observant are in tune with any.
Learning to simply stand and simply walk does actually take time because we get lost in moments as we go about our busy-ness but being present and mindful allows us to take in more and be in tune with our surroundings and people.
One of the side effects of good standing and walking is the excellent preparation for running. I simply do not think about 'running' but just about extending that feeling into increased cadence and no more.
A simple message today with a simple tool but again simple does not mean easy :)
Very interesting Nick. For the last 6 months I've been practicing Chi Gung standing positions in the morning, 5 mins per stance. I've found that it does make a difference to my stance and the way I run. When your doing it all you are doing is standing but it does take quite a lot of effort to do properly because you find yourself relying on using your strength rather than relaxing into the pose, so you need to keep mindful of the process all through the exercise.
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