Straddling

Straddling is not easy. When we are of two minds it’s difficult to make clear decisions.  Emotionally, when we are un-committed, neither fish nor fowl, we stew. Straddling is more difficult with big changes such as divorce, losing a job, a child arriving, or a parent dying. This requires we figure out new energetic pathways while sustaining the known, that we learn to straddle an old life with a new.  It can be exciting.  It can also be tough.  When we don’t know the territory, straddling, despite the wide stance, feels tippy and risky.

Shifting into a new year asks we make an upgrade in consciousness, that we re-boot hard drives. These past months, the world has struggled and straddled many difficult, and extraordinary issues, and because we are interconnected through an energetic grid, we influence one another all the time.  My transformation, or lack of, accelerates your cellular structure. Your triumphs and failures influence mine.  Planetary waves of distress from major disasters, affecting large numbers of people, profoundly affect the planet, plant, and animal kingdoms. We have straddled giant leaps of faith, we have tried to keep the faith, but have we taken time to heal the wounds holding us back, and/or the horribly wounded?

Sadly, there has been little to no straddling from those running the world.  We have failed miserably to come together despite random act of conciliation and kindness.  What can I do?  If my action influences yours, and together we are a more formidable resonance, rather than curse the dark, let’s stand in the night to sing the Beatles, “Come Together.”

We move into 2012 at the speed of light.  But before we blast off, we are straddling this worn out year, struggling with what was lost, and those forsaken. We look to the future deciding what needs to be carried out and on, what must be left by the roadside, who is coming with us, and who remains behind.  Consciously and un-consciously, many decisions run in November’s blood as fall straddles winter.  We run polarities of feeling rich then poor, safe then fearful. It’s nervous making. It vibrates in the air. If I put trust at the top of my list, will you? If I make a date to sing in the night, will you come and sing with me?  When I dance my Yoga, will you dance beside me?  Can we sign on the dotted line to make ourselves messengers of light?  If you are preparing to re-boot the hard drive and deliver the goods in 2012, then I must trust I can.

SUGGESTED POSE AND SEASONAL ENERGIES

Asana- Prasarita Padottanasana I-wide-legged straddle pose. The feet, as foundations for this pose, are grounded evenly inner to outer, and front to back.  Step wide to the sides, with feet parallel, spread the energy to outer sides of both legs, and feel power rise up into inner leg and groin.  To take it into a forward bend, extend from hip joints, elongating spine, maintain internal rotation of hips & thighs, sitts bones move back, but do not move hips back behind the knees.  Shoulder blades draw away from ears.  If hamstrings are tight, place hands on a block. If you are loosey-goosey, take head to the floor, but pay attention to lifting belly and thighs and not jamming knees back.  When lifting up and out of the pose, use abdominals, and bend knees if back is weak.

Extra Credit: From here, if you wish, you might move into Salamba Sirsasana or tripod headstand.

Health Notes: Clearly, this is a great pose to practice when feeling up-rooted, unbalanced, confused.  Here you can straddle the earth, declare yourself committed to being present, despite un-certainties.  Physically, it builds flexible hamstrings, stronger legs, and helps connect movement of legs to abdominals.  If you move into headstands, it increases ability to balance and strengthens leg adductors.

Astrology Notes: While Mercury is retrograde, (until the 13^th Dec.)  It’s a perfect time to straddle old and new, re-consider, re-view, re-tune the machinery.  Mercury turns retrograde three times a year for three weeks.  These are always wonderful times to re-consider how you might re-do to improve anything.  The other great help is that the Sun is in sunny Sagittarius, which is an enthusiastic, philosophical, and cosmically-expanded energy.  We need that boyuant, hopeful exuberance to keep the faith, before Capricorn’s pragmatic, testing qualities move in after the winter solstice on the 21^st.

Ayurvedic Notes: We straddle doshas- moving from vata’s airy instability into winter’s solid, earthy kapha qualities. Kapha qualities require stronger stimulation: louder singing;  energized dancing; stimulating colors; bright sights: deep tissue body massage; penetrating smells such as musk, cedar, camphor and eucalyptus. But Kapha needs a lighter diet, with astringent tastes, liberal spices, and occasional fasting.  Emotionally, Kapha energies need more detachment, and mentally, it is an energetic that needs to break with the past, not adhere to traditions.