Dynamic Resistance

There is a concept in yoga that I am feeling present in my life right now. Dynamic Resistance. Explained in yoga, it is when one muscle (or group of muscles) moves in a certain way, and an opposing muscle (or group) counteracts that movement. Dynamic resistance adds to the strength, stability, and deepening of a pose.

Take Uttitha Trikonasna (cheering because I knew how to spell that without looking it up!) which is Extended Triangle pose. The legs are spread apart, the back foot parallel to the back of the mat, the front foot pointing forward. Now, if I stand like this without any action, my front knee falls in and does not point over the front of my foot. That is not what I want in Triangle. I want my knee in line with my ankle in line with my foot. So what I do is rotate my thigh outward. However, if I kept rotating my thigh outward eventually my foot would roll to the outer edge and I’d fall over. So what I do is internally rotate my calf. This is dynamic resistance. Thigh rotating out, calf rotating in. Thus providing stability, length, and safety in this pose for my legs, knees, and hips. I also think it’s interesting that to notice the dynamic resistance, I have to look at my knee. It’s an indicator of what my muscles are doing. However, the knee itself isn’t doing anything. In class we also discovered that if a student gets the thigh in place, they more easily get the hips in place, and the upper body follows. Dynamic resistance.

No dynamic resistance - knee falls in

Dynamic Resistance - Knee points in line with foot

How does dynamic resistance play in my life? Do I get overwhelmingly disappointed or do I have dynamic response to that which keeps me focused? Do I become caught in the excitement of a future situation that I ignore the present? What indicators in my life let me know if dynamic resistance is present or not? Am I eating more or less? Do I grumble more throughout the day? Is my sleep tumultuous?

Today I did a lot of thinking about one particular situation in my life. I heard pros and cons about it. I thought and discussed and dissected the details of what already happened and what could happen. And then, nothing changed. I was not sad after all the reflection, I was not happier because of it. The situation remained. But because of the pull and the push I found my place again, noticed the knee pointing over the foot, and I grew stronger, more peaceful, and more stable.

Now, to start noticing the indicators…

Topics: Uncategorized |

Comments

« Yogrrrl | Home | Handstands »