Awkward Pose and Muscle Memory--a Daily Practice Post

Ah, yoga! Of course there is a pose called "awkward posture." Also known as chair pose, Utkatasana is awkward indeed. In the posture, one simultaneously sinks down in the hips and lifts up and out through the arms, building back strength. Utkatasana is also a warrior posture, which means you are supposed to feel strong in it, even though the strangeness of simultaneously squatting, lifting, lengthening and distributing weight can make you feel anything but.

Of course, this is where muscle memory helps out--eventually! After the 15th or maybe 50th try, the body says, "oh, I've been here before." Rather than struggling to understand where getting into the pose begins, you get to start playing, working, refining. But the danged thing of it is, you gotta get on the mat and squat down. (for the record, I stinkin' hate Utkatasana.)

This is very similar to the old quote about how to become a writer, you get a bucket of glue, brush some glue on the seat of your chair and take a seat. Voila--chair pose, writer's pose. This, of course, is the hardest part. Sitting down. It's awkward. But once the writer sits, if the writer has been sitting regularly, doing the daily practice, the body/mind can take over and start refining the pose/prose. 

For me, this is often an awkward seat and I try to wriggle out of it (see Frog Pose). But the hope is that as I keep putting myself in the posture, my practice will develop. Showing up on the mat is the first step.

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