One of the best parts of Dahn Yoga is the breathing exercises that we do each class. Since I’ve been coming for quite some time, I can really challenge myself and feel each posture deeply. But when I first joined that wasn’t exactly the case…
I used to totally hate posture number 2, which can be done as “Sleeping Tiger.” In this posture, you lie on your back, raise your legs, bending your knees 90 degrees and raise your arms to the sky, flexing your palms to the sky. You breathe in your abdomen and accumulate energy in your energy center.
Sounds easy enough, right? Well, when I first joined, i could barely hold Sleeping Tiger for 30 seconds. I was so frustrated! I was in my 20′s, fairly athletic, so what was the deal. I would get so tense and then try to force my body to hold the posture, muscles flexing, sweating, breathing heavy in the middle of class. It was so embarassing. One day, as I was trying to hold Sleeping Tiger at a special workshop, I just had enough. I broke down, crying and shaking. I totally let go. My instructor explained that breathing postures aren’t about muscular strength, but they are about energy circulation. So, I started to relax. I focused on my breathing and released my idea that this was torture and welcomed the challenge to increase my body’s physical health. And even though I was still shaking (which my instructor explained was a good sign that my body was releasing blockages) and sweating, I slowly became able to hold Sleeping Tiger for longer and longer periods. Then, when I went to Sedona for Healer School, I had a triumphant awakening. In the midst of all that energy and self-healing, I held Sleeping Tiger for one hour straight. It was so great! Of course my body felt amazing, balanced and strong. But my mind was the clearest it’s ever been.
