Well, it wasn’t that dramatic, but the stubborn tightness of my right hip was interfering with my walking, Bikram poses, and general lifestyle. It was two months ago that I started to feel its niggle, and to be honest, I don’t know what set it off. I didn’t know what to do…
So, I decided to do the opposite of what I was doing. I stopped going to Bikram and started up a Yin practice. I didn’t want to feel hot, bothered, and rushed; I wanted to go at my own pace. I found a comfortable space at home, dusted off my Paul Grilley Yin Yoga DVD, and surrendered to poses with long holds that targeted the hips. It felt so good and I was in need of this shift.
Utilmately, it was Pigeon that did it. As I surrendered into the forward bend of the 4-minute pose, I felt the click of something falling into place. I loved that more shifts were happening. Don’t get me wrong — it wasn’t a quick fix as I am continuing to stretch and “click” that particular area but I feel the body getting into a state of balance.
Yoga Journal has a great explanation of the dos and don’t of Pigeon. http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/2313
For anyone looking to balance their Yang yoga practice, I can’t recommend restorative Yin highly enough. I’m indulging in it.
Filed under: Bikram Yoga, Fitness, Inspiration, Life, Lifestyle, Yoga Tagged: Paul Grilley, Pigeon pose, Yin Yoga