It’s been less than a week since I began the project of attempting all the asanas in Light on Yoga, and I’m already making adjustments.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose) is the first pose outlined in the book. I widen my feet apart in the asana to improve the alignment of my hips and my spine. Iyengar seems to anticipate this as a common adjustment, so I feel fairly in-keeping with the spirit of the pose. But, in Parivritta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose, 8* on the 60* difficulty scale), I must make broader adjustments to improve my alignment.
In Revloved Side Angle Pose, Iyengar keeps his back heel on the ground. This simple instruction adds an incredible layer of complexity to the twist. Keeping the back heel on the ground necessitates a heightened awareness of the back knee since the internal rotation of the back leg in Parivritta Parsvakonasana can lead to torquing the back knee in an effort to bring the torso deeper into the twist.
Today, when I attempted Parivritta Parsvakonasana as Iyengar describes it, I was immediately confronted by this challenge. I scanned the pages of Light on Yoga looking for some note to reassure me that, yes, of course this is a natural response and, yes, of course this is difficult. But, no! Iyengar just told me to tighten my back knee and “give a good twist to the spine.”
I was lost inside my frustration. I was irritated by my inability to follow the simplest instructions. If this is 8*, what awaits me at 60*? And then, horror of horrors, I spun my back heel up.
Suddenly, a new world of space opened up in my torso and I was deeper in the twist, with more length in my spine and more clarity in my mind. The internal rotation of my back leg felt natural and the inside of my back knee thanked me. I wasn’t in the asana exactly as Iyengar describes it, but I was finally able to access the sensations he describes: the intensity of the twist, the contraction of the abdomen, the blood circulating around the abdominal organs and the spine.
Pride, perfectionism, and sheer stubbornness find their way onto my mat from time to time. And, today, in Parivritta Parsvakonasana, they all had a front row seat. For a moment, I put my pride and my determination ahead of the innate wisdom of my body. The moment I did this – the moment I gave my mind the reins – I was lost. It was only when I took a deep breath and listened to my body that the path became clear. Turn the heel up! The space opened before me, the pose welcomed me in, and I knew this is where I needed to be all along.
We don’t have to be perfect to get it right. We just have to be ourselves.
Here’s Yogacharya BKS Iyengar and me doing Parivritta Parsvakonasana as he describes it:
And here’s a happier me, listening to my body:
Tags: alignment, asana, Iyengar, Light on Yoga, parivritta parsvakonasana, Tadasana, twists
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kat Saks. Kat Saks said: Adjustments & pride: Adjusting to the Light on Yoga: Parivritta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle): http://bit.ly/dqzpD9 #yoga #yogadork [...]
Ms. Katie (Oliver) Saks,
What an undertaking! I particularly like this post and how you discuss learning to listen to the wisdom of your body.
In your modified pose it’s easy to see how your body seems to be in harmony and an almost straight line goes from the tip of your finger to the base of your foot as in Iyengar’s. While you are veering away from his instruction, it seems as though you are capturing more of the essence of the posture, yes?
Keep it up, you seem to be a natural teacher.
Thanks, Rachel! I firmly believe that adjustments are key to experiencing the poses in the way that best suits our individual needs. It’s fun to discover which adjustments will create that sense of harmony in our bodies. Namaste!
Hi Kat,
I have been working on this asana this morning. Like you, I found it difficult. Thanks for this post – I’ll try it that way tomorrow. I was trying to keep my heel down, but that resulted in my alignment being off!
mt
You are absolutely correct, lifting the back heel is a common modification in this pose, as keeping the back heel on the floor is near impossible. However, in the pose with your heel on the floor, your back leg is *not* in internal rotation–it is *externally rotated*, or at least it should be to prevent torquing the knee as you describe. To do this requires a deep level of opening in the groin so that the femur can externally rotate independent of the hip, which is rolling forward in “internal” rotation. To do the pose as Mr. Iyengar is requires deep sensitivity in the poses that lead up to it (though not in order in Light on Yoga): Virabhadrasana I and Parsvottonasana. In both these poses, the back leg is *externally* rotated, and the challenge is in holding that rotation from the top of the thigh as the hip comes forward without torquing the knee. As far as I know, most Iyengar teachers are currently teaching this pose with the back heel lifted, and is the way I teach it as well, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with modifying it in that way. Having the back leg externally rotated with the foot on the floor is simply a further development into the pose, making it more advanced. As we know with most poses, starting at the most advanced version (even if it is a basic pose) is often not very productive. At the same time, modifying the pose so that it is accessible is not a *substitution* for the classical variation, just a more reasonable door in.
Keep going!
Namaste