Thank you! The last directed breath to energize the body was so deep and expansive. Felt like my biggest breath ever. Is there a way to verify that? .The practice also had the gravitas of a story. I was able to connect it to my Sankulpa: “I am a source of healing.” Today is a self-care day (massage, light yoga, easy yin biking), and glad I added a bit of healing and warmth on a very cold day.
Yoga inquiry: yesterday I did a restoration pose (feet and legs up against the wall). To keep my mind occupied, I rotated my perception, starting with the right thumb. I am right-side dominant and I could feel it when I got to the left side. The feeling tone was much weaker. I don't feel this when a voice guides me. American sports (baseball, football, basketball) train the mind to be that way. Is it possible that yoga has also emphasized this too? We get off the matt on the right side from Savasana and we begin the rotation on the right side. Kira explained why that is a tradition (connected to the heart). However, I would like the feeling tone on both sides to be equalized more. My right side burdens too much of the stress of my body (rolfer confirmed this). Is there yogic thought on this? Obviously, each asana balances the body, but the mind carries many years of conditioning. Best, David
What a great question David Goldstein ! Yes! We are often dominant on one side (habits in life carve out imbalances or grooves in both our muscular and NS- and also we can make a case for inherent and learned imbalances in the energetic body) these imbalances can be emphasized or balanced through the practices and movement we choose! May I suggest starting your sequences on the left side when practicing asana (potentially holding longer on the left if needed-while trying to make some neural connections/sensation connections to anything that feels challenging or dull on that side) and I always find it much easier and deeper to practice led nidra rather than trying to lead it myself. Sometimes we find with right dominance that there might be a dominance in some of the Pingala/Solar/Heated/Yang energy so check out the lunar (ida) practices and see how that might effect you:)