#38: Leading with the Heart
People probably wouldn't think my sister Jaime and I are related by her strong dedication to practicing yoga and stretching and for me...when it comes to flexibility, I can lean down with my arms and reach to just about below my knees.
BUT after reading your piece Jaime, I was able to get to the ankles! It's that power of non-forceful lengthening and letting go... :)
- Amanda
Jaime Posa posa.jaime@gmail.com
Leading with the Heart
Whenever we do forward folds in yoga the teacher reminds me to "lead with your heart and then let your head follow." It's an incredibly important reminder, because of what a difference it makes.
It's funny. I've been practicing yoga for years, yet no matter how many times I reach down to touch my toes, I almost always force my forehead towards my knees, using my hands to brace the back of my legs so that I can pull just a little bit closer. I'm determined to stretch as deeply as possible. My back curves, my chest contracts, my forehead wrinkles, and my shoulders shrug up into my ears. I feel tighter than ever.
Try it. Stand up and then fold forward as far as you can, seeing if you can touch your toes.
I feel like this is a habit I formed in middle school during those physical education tests where you had to see how far you could reach forward on that box while the evaluator sat in front of you with a clipboard, ready to mark your score.
Not surprisingly, driven by the ego we don't come nearly as far as we come driven by the heart.
My teacher reminds me to "lengthen and let go". This is quite different than "force yourself forward, grasping and clinging for more". She reminds me to breathe. To open my chest and heart space, letting my shoulder blades come down my back and join together. This immediately makes me feel more grounded and confident. She reminds me to elongate my side waists. I find my belly button pulling in and up and I feel lighter, yet stronger simultaneously. My feet root and I feel energy pulling up from the ground, through the back of my legs, into my core and up into my chest. As I lean forward slowly with my heart leading, my sitting bones lift and I get more room in my abdomen to fold. My belly hollows, as I breath again. I find that I am letting go, surrendering, more so than I am actively trying to fold forward. I keep my chest and head lifted and back flat for as long as possible so that my heart guides the way, bending at the hips. I use my hands to gently run down the back of my legs as I fold, reminding myself to stay lifted and soft. And finally, the weight of my body hanging down brings my head humbly down. I feel relaxed and released, and it's as if with each breath I become a centimeter closer to the Earth. I am not what I might even call "trying". But rather, I am staying present and aware to each subtlety in my body and letting my breath guide me. I am trusting. This surrender brings me deeper and farther. It keeps me soft, open, strong and balanced.
And when I come back up, I find my head is clearer and readier to listen, resting on top of my commanding heart. I feel poised and prepared and I remember again and again that this is why I practice.
Jaime's first-person bio:
I teach and I write and I create things and I see if I can be a better listener more consistently every day. I enjoy using food, nature and yoga as tools for experiencing a deeper sense of joy, connection and freedom (within myself and with other beings). I began regularly referring to myself as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer in 2012, after serving more than 2 years in El Salvador, and I aways refer to that because that experience is an inflection point for when I began more intentionally living. I actually sometimes say that Peace Corps "saved my life" and I kinda sorta mean that. My biggest joy in my work is when a child's face lights up.