Hanumanasana and the Midline.

I’m extremely sore today. Part of my training program this winter involves working ‘Hanumanasana’ or full splits pose. As I was ‘meditating’ in this pose, (doubled over in pain, counting the seconds tick by and attempting rather poorly to distract myself) I found myself mulling over Hanuman’s role in popular Hindu mythology.

The Monkey God directed his every energy towards the worship of Lord Rama. So much that in times of strife and conflict it was only his devotion to Rama that gave him strength to overcome obstacles placed in his way. It is said that his unyielding devotion freed him from all physical fatigue – a worldly liberation of sorts.

The Spirit of Hanuman is said to reside in the midline of the body, the space in between each breath. In yoga, we work in the physical plane to draw into the midline or the core first to stabalize, find our strength, our potential and then extend from there – a concept I feel applies to more than physicality.

Hanuman teaches us about devotion, about the strength that comes out of balance, and about the importance of checking in with ourselves.  Asking, ‘is this action coming from a place of stability?’

I guess I’m compelled to share this because for whatever reason in that moment I was reminded of the unlimited (and very often untapped) power that lies within each of us, ready to save the day. And I don’t mean ‘power’ in the scary one-upping sort of way. More the idea that if we were just to slow down for a moment, to TRUST and acknowledge forces outside of ourselves at work, we just may catch a glimpse of our own unlimited potential. Who knows?, we just might trust ourselves enough to come fully into our own…

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine that being anything but a good thing.

~ by shaktisunfire on December 15, 2008.