Seeing spirals

So I feel like one group of students are ready to hear about the spirals. These are part of the secondary Universal Principals of Alignment in Anusara yoga. At the same time I’ve also been reading about how spirals are everywhere around us: our digestive system, the way a plant grows, hurricanes, water going down a plug hole.

I guess it’s not a great leap from there to start to see that the actions of our arms and legs are something of a spiral too. When I was learning this stuff (I still am) it was always easier to consider inner and outer spirals as expanding and contracting. It kind of made more sense at the time. Expanding, or Inner Spiral comes first. A bit like checking unraveling and unkinking a hose before you turn the water on. In simple terms, you create space either by widening the pelvis or upper back. This makes your back happy at both ends, then comes outer. or contracting spiral. So you’re containing the Shakti (energy) within your body. You’re need it spiritual warriors.

So the theory, as usual in Anusara is simple. What’s hard is applying that in a pose when either leg, arm or both are being pulled towards expansion or contraction. We’ll see, we’ll play with the good ole blocks and if nothing else, we’ll laugh at my duck waddling impressions.