Which would YOU rather be?

I told you that this would happen...

I'm going to talk now a little bit about my shins. Shins, shins, shins...where do I begin(s)? Um, okay, a quick and total bastardization of the alignment principles of Anusara is to follow here, so bear with me if you're unfamiliar, and if you ARE familiar, I apologize in advance.

I've been working on the back body, I told you that...I've been working on inner and outer spiral, I think I mentioned that (it is what it sounds like--and it's mostly used in reference to the thighs, as in, one should be spiraling IN and one OUT in a one-leg-forward one-leg-behind kind of position, and both should be spiraling either in or out together if you're in a standing or seated pose where the legs are together. Got it? Good. Congratulations, you're certified.) I'm kidding, of course, that is an utterly terrible explanation of inner and outer spiral but I still don't totally get it myself and I don't have tiiiiiime, people, I don't have the tiiiiiiiiiiime!!

Ahem. Anyhoooo...so, I've been working on the ol' spirals and have been newly trying to incorporate for the last several weeks something called: "Shins In". Which basically means that your shins should be moving...um...in.

Shins. In.

This was another one of those instructions where when I first heard it I was basically like, "yeah, okay buddy, 'shins in' no problem. Got it." (to be read with intense sarcasm). This was not an I don't understand that, that's too complicated moment for me, this was a that sounds duuuuuuuuuumb and I'm sure I don't really need to pay attention to that moment.

(Cue all of my Los Angeles yoga teachers clutching hearts and looking horrified).

So, yes, I was ignoring Shins In. Because I kind of thought I was probably already doing it, I mean, I'm standing there in a forward bend, you know, torso and head hanging over my straight legs, and my teachers are telling me to, um, move my "shins in", but I'm not supposed to actually MOVE my shins, I'm just supposed to, you know, energetically draw them in. So, yeah...yeah, I'm probably just doing that, naturally. Because, I don't know if you've picked up on this yet, but I am very giiiiiiiiiifted at yooooooooooogaaaaaaah.

But all of this has changed! I have discovered Shins In! Well...what I've actually discovered is WHY we are asked to perform "shins in"...I'm sure I am far from having implemented it into my practice. But.

Here is the discovery in a nutshell:

A lady can hang over her own legs in two ways--she can be engaged, or she can be collapsed. And what I'm learning is that so much of the Anusara instruction: "hug to the midline!" "muscular energy!" "shins in!" "ankle loop!" "groins back!" is about building an engaged foundation...because if I'm NOT doing these things then what I'm doing, basically is just hanging over my legs. And if I'm just hanging over my legs, then probably, I don't know, I'm rolling slightly toward the outsides of my feet or my knees are splaying a little bit or I'm just collapsing all that heavy weight of my torso and my head smack down on top of my poor little hip flexors...and if all of that is happening then my hamstrings aren't being stretched correctly or safely and my low back and hips and knees and ankles are all at risk.

Basically I'm either like a drunk construction worker hanging over my legs or a lithe little ballerina hanging over my legs, and the thing that makes the difference is engagement. And in this case, in particular, the engagement of my shins. Because that little bit of energy directed to the shins sends a ripple affect of energy and attention all the way up and down my legs--reminding me to ground down, reminding me to engage.

It's funny, earlier this week I was listening to some recordings of some "spiritual teachers" (ick) that I love and I noticed something that each of them said that rang out as totally new, though I have definitely listened to these recordings before...both of them said something about how important it is not to be passive, but to be active...that we can't expect to see results from a bunch of loosey-goosey behavior, basically, and that actual progress and change requires focus and effort. So, as much as one might be hearing the instruction to let go or surrender...it is actually not possible TO surrender (i.e. hanging over ones legs), without engagement...focus and discipline.

I swear, I had NEVER heard that before...and it stuck out to me because it has been weeks full of conversations at my house about discipline and focus and how to find those things and how to use them. And what I realized that both of these teachers were saying...and what all of my yoga teachers are saying...and what also my dear wise better half at home is saying, is that you have to ENGAGE. You have to have to have to...you can hang over your legs all you want, but if you're not pulling in to that pose, if you're not hugging in to it from your pinky toes to the ends of your hair, you are missing something.