it's almost easier with straight legs

oh no, not another post about navasana

So, while many people seem to have much drama either learning to stand up/drop back, or in kapotasana...I have drama in navasana. While I can watch videos explaining how to do it..and there are a couple good ones of late: one by Kino and a new one by David Garrigues, I feel like this is a pose that will just take time..and practice. There is no magic bullet to create strength. It is a gradual process, and always seems to occur more gradually than I would like.

And no, I still can't manage much with straight legs in this pose..shaking all over..check. My teacher told me to hold my legs when they are straight, and then let go for a breath or two...apparently I am sinking back more than I thought, even with bent legs. She said it is almost easier this way, with the legs straight because my upper body will be closer to my legs. I'm all for easier. Didn't feel much easier, but I was able to manage it a couple times. Helped that she was watching me the first time..you know, that extra effort thing that naturally happens when your teacher thinks you are capable of something, even if you yourself don't believe it.

I guess I will see how this works out for me next week in practice.

I have been working the past week on lifting my upper body when I inhale and imagining anchoring down through my hips-sort of giving myself an imaginary adjustment by imagining my hands pushing down on my hip bones, like in UHP. This was my teacher's way of describing uddiyana bandha. My teacher gave me this instruction in UHP last week, when I was pms-ing and had absolutely no balance or stability, and it does help (and completely change the feeling of the pose) when I remember it. I have been noticing that it seems to apply to almost every pose, although I can't maintain that feeling for more than a few breaths at a time, if I can feel it at all in the pose.