Hello Friends,
The warrior is only a hero when he skillfully chooses when to stand and when to surrender. Although the ultimate test may involve life or death action, we all make some choices between these two on a regular basis. We pick our battles. When conflict arises in personal relationships we choose (consciously we hope) to stand in our truth or submit with humility or compromise to a higher truth. The asanas known as Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) and Hero (Virasana) embody the posture of these ideals. The Warrior Pose requires strength, especially of the legs, hips and knees, and an open heart. It requires conviction and commitment. The Hero Pose personifies one who is humble, one who know the wisdom of kneeling down. It can take much more courage to surrender the ego than to resort to anger.
Physically, both of the preceding postures challenge the knees. The knees are the largest and most complex joints in the body. It takes an entire community of muscles to support the knees. Thirteen muscles in all act on the knee and 7 of those also cross the hip joint. We rely on the knees to support us with every step and yet, they are the most vulnerable joint to misalignment and injury due to the lack of an actual boney socket and the stresses imposed by use patterns. Yoga asanas help keep the cartilages and muscles of the knee healthy and maintain the optimum range of motion. When the knees incur problems, yoga can offer some therapeutic relief through balancing strength and flexibility in supporting muscles, increasing circulation to fascia, and creating space around worn or compressed cartilage.
If you are in the area, I will be offering a 3 hour Therapeutics for the Knees class at Yoga Springs Studio
yogasprings.com in Yellow Springs, Ohio on Friday, October 21.
There is still limited room in both weeks of Yoga in Paradise, January 7-14 beginner's, and January 15-22 Intermediates. Information packet at the top of this page. Click on it to download. Register Now!
There is more information about future workshops and retreats on my website: lynneminton.com and enjoy the new blog post:
"Quiet" does not mean "Blank"