Pelvic floor awareness and this full body breath feel like a missing piece for me, or at least one I lost along the way. My body feels as if it's coming together in a cohesive unit, my limbs arranging themselves around this full body breath. I've always been very floppy in handstand, vir 3, and other poses that require lots of core stability, but I'm finding myself feeling supported, stable, and free with this new awareness and exploration of my diaphragms and breathing patterns. Thank you Patty 🙏🏼
Wonderful to hear, Jessica. It's kind of amazing how we can learn to integrate our limbs to our core without any hardening!! Keep it up and let me know how things go for you as you work on this and other of the processes we explore here. Yay!!
I’ve only just got to this generous sharing, Patty, thank you. I do spend what could only be described as an inordinate amount of time trying to distinguish what I think is going on in my breathing 😂 and I do remember Bonnie describing the “doming up” being a complete revelation that repatterned my whole experience.
I am with what you say about apana vayu, supporting downward/outward flow. However, I hadn’t appreciated how it rises naturally on inhalation. My limited experience told me it rose only in my PY practice at the end of exhalation with “bandha” support that sort of reversed its natural direction bringing it to meet prana vayu in the dynamic of samana vayu etc.
So, thanks again! I’ve lots still to explore and learn 🙏x
I love hearing that this piques your interest for more inquiry, Beverly. I find it to be so powerful. Let me know what you find as you explore it more. 🌞
I think this can be experienced from an all fours position, in a modified child pose, head lifted, forearms to the floor. The belly pressing into the thighs gives you one less thing to think about.
I love this also Patty. I'm glad I found you here. Thanks so much for your generosity. Moving away from ideas of strength vs flexibility and towards resilience. You've given me lots to work with.
I love everything about this....especially the nuance around up or down in the pelvic diaphragm. Coming from a Desikachar lineage (and lots of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen as well), I've come to understand that apana is generally MISTAUGHT as a 'down': it's real power is up. But that neither is law or necessarily happening. The exploration and possibility of new movement or awareness is more vitalizing than either understanding or what the body is actually doing. Thank you for this movement bite.
Thank you for sharing that, Karin! Yes, yes, and yes!
What a wonderful background you have - and so easy to weave together - Desicachar, his father of course, Krishnamacharya, and Bonnie.
Bonnie once told me that she had a direct transmission from Krishnamachrya when she saw the picture of him as an older man where he is coming forward into uttanasana. (It may be the cover of one of Desicachar's books. ? ) It is such a beautiful image and I definitely see the deep weave of connection between what these two masters are offering in movement.
Pelvic floor awareness and this full body breath feel like a missing piece for me, or at least one I lost along the way. My body feels as if it's coming together in a cohesive unit, my limbs arranging themselves around this full body breath. I've always been very floppy in handstand, vir 3, and other poses that require lots of core stability, but I'm finding myself feeling supported, stable, and free with this new awareness and exploration of my diaphragms and breathing patterns. Thank you Patty 🙏🏼
Wonderful to hear, Jessica. It's kind of amazing how we can learn to integrate our limbs to our core without any hardening!! Keep it up and let me know how things go for you as you work on this and other of the processes we explore here. Yay!!
The movement of the two diaphragms toward one another is a function of their unified tone.
They work with the sleek strength of the back abdominal wall to churn the fires of the navel - just right to meet the embers burning.
This is the center of our personal strength.
I’ve only just got to this generous sharing, Patty, thank you. I do spend what could only be described as an inordinate amount of time trying to distinguish what I think is going on in my breathing 😂 and I do remember Bonnie describing the “doming up” being a complete revelation that repatterned my whole experience.
I am with what you say about apana vayu, supporting downward/outward flow. However, I hadn’t appreciated how it rises naturally on inhalation. My limited experience told me it rose only in my PY practice at the end of exhalation with “bandha” support that sort of reversed its natural direction bringing it to meet prana vayu in the dynamic of samana vayu etc.
So, thanks again! I’ve lots still to explore and learn 🙏x
I love hearing that this piques your interest for more inquiry, Beverly. I find it to be so powerful. Let me know what you find as you explore it more. 🌞
I’ll be in touch! X
I think this can be experienced from an all fours position, in a modified child pose, head lifted, forearms to the floor. The belly pressing into the thighs gives you one less thing to think about.
That feels good, Laura. Thank you for the insight!
I love this also Patty. I'm glad I found you here. Thanks so much for your generosity. Moving away from ideas of strength vs flexibility and towards resilience. You've given me lots to work with.
I love everything about this....especially the nuance around up or down in the pelvic diaphragm. Coming from a Desikachar lineage (and lots of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen as well), I've come to understand that apana is generally MISTAUGHT as a 'down': it's real power is up. But that neither is law or necessarily happening. The exploration and possibility of new movement or awareness is more vitalizing than either understanding or what the body is actually doing. Thank you for this movement bite.
Thank you for sharing that, Karin! Yes, yes, and yes!
What a wonderful background you have - and so easy to weave together - Desicachar, his father of course, Krishnamacharya, and Bonnie.
Bonnie once told me that she had a direct transmission from Krishnamachrya when she saw the picture of him as an older man where he is coming forward into uttanasana. (It may be the cover of one of Desicachar's books. ? ) It is such a beautiful image and I definitely see the deep weave of connection between what these two masters are offering in movement.
I so appreciate your presence here.
🧡