This is the most beautiful and graceful of the postures. One friend and fellow yogini said it feels like flying. There is something dramatic and freeing and fun about it. Part of the balancing series, it doesn't trouble me the way head-to-knee does. I don't hold the same expectations for it. I fall out all the time, but I'm not frustrated by it. I find myself, during standing bow, kind of lightly dreaming of doing a beautiful standing split someday, feeling really like an arrow ready to be loosed through the sky.
It makes me think about how fickle and capricious our expectations really are. Why would I react so differently to one posture than to another? We tend to think that the things that are important to us are important for concrete objective reasons, but so much of it is emotionally driven, unconsciously (or consciously) chosen. Getting to the root of our desire, where it originates and why, can be freeing. Realizing that what we think is important is a choice and not imposed upon us can be a relief- this is not fate it is my doing. Of course then, there is the responsibility of that choice.
Standing bow is a good place to work on cultivating some of these aspects, a sense of playful dreaming, enjoying being in the moment,loving myself for what I am in that moment and letting the expectations, desires, attachments fall by the wayside. I have begun to successfully transplant that experience into other areas of my life, my consciousness. When desire, aching, longing- those pertinacious weeds!- arise, it is easier to recognize them and tenderly supplant them with these other things.
Interesting article! Thank you for sharing them! I hope you will continue to have similar posts to share with everyone.
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