Of course I am referring to the thorough unraveling of my Celtics last night in game 6 of the NBA Finals-- a painful bait-n-switch, wherein a stellar team of basketball's finest eerily transformed into a hapless collection of rattled men scrambling up and down the court like my parents' chickens when the family dog circles their coop.
No synergy. No grace. No swagger. Just lots of running, pecking, and kicking up dirt.
Walking through Back Bay this morning, I saw Bostonians shake their bewildered heads over coffee. (These late-night games have us all a little bleary-eyed). They wondered aloud how it could be. A giant, implied "WTF" has descended upon us.
As any yogi will tell you, there's no better way to shake a giant "WTF" than a few sun salutations, particularly sun salutation B, with the strength and alignment of its Warrior I pose. Performed after sun salutation A (video demonstration here), sun salutation B is a well-rounded series of movements upon which many ashtanga, power, and vinyasa yoga classes are built. Traditionally, they are practiced in the direction of the sun (hence the name, signifying our "saluting" of the sun), as it rises or sets.
Today, yogis on both coasts and around the world, Celtics and Lakers fans, and sensible people who could care less about sports, will dutifully practice their sun salutations. Perhaps at sunrise, sunset, or some time in between, until they can do it all over again tomorrow. Ahhh, tomorrow. A fresh start for all, especially the Celtics.
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4 comments:
As my husband a native of Boston just said "without pain we cannot know pleasure". Only Boston can really lead you on when it comes to sports....
Thanks for posting this! I've been finding it hard to step forward into warrior 1 without taking extra steps - mostly i just come halfway forward and then stand up and move my leg all the way forward. Are there any ways to practice placing your foot all the way to front? (I also have trouble stepping gracefully to the front after down dog...)
Also...keeping my fingers crossed for a win on Thursday. Go Celts!!
Traditionally in Sun b's after the two Warrior poses you would take utkatasana again then samasthiti with hands at heart. is this an abbreviated version? Thanks for posting anyway.
Sounds like you've found yourself a good, solid om guy, Natasha;-)
Lisa: take as many steps as you need! To develop a longer & more seamless stride from downward dog to warrior I, think of initiating the step from your core, not your leg/foot.
Anonymous: There are many variations on sun salutations, representative of many different styles of yoga. The one I demonstrate is common in the vinyasa/power yoga discipline. One can return to samasthiti if desired, a la ashtanga et al. Both are correct. Thank you for the comment.
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