Forums | Video Comments | Aligned and Awake: Perfection of Lines - Nathan Briner - Page 2

Aligned and Awake: Perfection of Lines<br>Nathan Briner

Aligned and Awake: Perfection of Lines
Nathan Briner

Ali

1 person likes this.

So useful, Nathan. It amazes me that there are so many lenses through which we can see/feel our body to gain more and more insight. I utterly loved this way of practising baddha konasana it felt so easeful and smooth and not at all forced. My hips loved it - they’re still telling me this!

2 years ago

Nathan Briner

Ali, you are so right. In my experience, by using these principles, there is no end to what we can discover. Once we have the key we can unlock all the doors and gain an amazing insight to our inner world :) I am so happy you are enjoying these lessons!

2 years ago

Nathan Briner

Tonia T, you are most welcome! Was there anything in particular you found helpful?

2 years ago

Rosanna S

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I had a harder time experiencing this one today, possibly because I was so tired when I woke up this morning. I could help thinking that there are parallel and parentheses lines everywhere and in all dimensions, and then I had a hard time focusing on just a pair. How do these lines relate to Erich Schiffmann's concept of lines or energy?

2 years ago

Nathan Briner

1 person likes this.

Rosanna S good question! Yes, once we go from the more concrete experience of muscle contraction to the more abstract “lines”, things become a little less clear. The concept I am using here is very similar to Erich’s. I just using different words to explain it. The idea is to first engage the muscles in a clear, conscious way (as in the previous lessons). When this is done well, we can feel how the arm or leg creates a line, like in triangle pose. From hip to heel, the muscle engagement helps you feel the line of the leg with clarity. But as the awareness scans this newly created line, it can sense that there are some areas that are bowed, bent, twisted, dull, hypertense, overstretched/understretched, etc.

Prior to using the principles, we just bent into the pose and the leg did whatever it did. But now with the principles creating an ability to “see” at deeper and deeper levels (in this case, lines), we begin to see new areas where the body has gone astray and correct the mistakes. Like in your previous session, the bliss will again flow as you tap into this new sight and rebalance what you find in the lines of the pose :)

2 years ago

Laura M

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Thanks Nathan! I realize that I've been frequently hyper-extending my elbows even though I didn't think I could. Am I correct in understanding that the creases of the elbows should be pointing directly inward in downward dog, etc? If they go forward they are hyper-extended? Is that right?

2 years ago

Nathan Briner

Laura M, great discovery and awareness!

There is some grey area to your question due to anatomical variation. But, if the elbow pits are pointed straight toward the. There is a good chance they are hyper extended. The elbow placement is really more of a function of how we place the hands and set the shoulders. If the palm is evenly balanced and the shoulder has been rolled open properly, the elbow will be in its natural and correct position. As for the tendency for hyper extension, use your biceps to create a muscular wall to prevent the triceps from overdoing their work :)

2 years ago