Class #6: Inch by Inch, Millimeter by Millimeter

Walking to grab a chai (and maybe a cupcake) from the Baked & Wired I looked down and (!!!) the cap thing on the bottom of the heel of right shoe was gone. Lost forever. It actually probably disappeared earlier this morning, because I distinctly remember my step sounding slightly different as I walked through the foyer of my office building first thing this morning.

So I spent my day .25" slightly slanted. Not that it was a big issue, that was just my day I guess.

It's amazing the difference something so small can make.

Last night we spent a lot of time working though half pigeon and fire log pose* (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana and Agnistambhasana respectively) . Going into eka pada rajakapotsana (elka pada translated as one legged/footed) I know that my hips are still tight from years of playing field hockey and I always use a block for a little extra support. You can imagine my surprise when I easily managed to get into agnistambhasana. While sitting there in my amazement, the teacher came over to me and moved my top foot .5" further over my knee bottom knee. WOW. I felt my hips open up even further.

Something similar occurred in the first class where the instructor placed two fingers under my right arm-pit, lifted my shoulder what seemed like two millimeters and my Down Dog changed forever. Now, I'm always checking in further with my shoulders and hips, trying to recreate that sensory experience.

The idea that a small movement can make a world of difference - we've all heard the ripple in the pond analogy - is very true. I think a word of caution though is that you have to be careful not to become hesitant because of the details; details can hinder forward movement and growth. If you wait to be perfect you never will get ahead, you have to actively seek out your dreams. If you act, the details will fall into place and help you soar far past your expectations realizing your dreams and maybe something more.

*According to the Baron Baptiste school, this is called double legged pigeon. In Light on Yoga, Rajakapotsana bears no resemblance to the Baron Baptiste version, so for the sake of being a bit of a traditionalist, I'm going with the yogajournal.com name for the pose.