TRANSITIONS

Week Eight introduces two one-legged balancing poses to the sequence: Virabhadrasana III (Warrior pose third variation) and Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon pose). Remember Iyengar says that "all the standing poses...are necessary for beginners" (p85), and four of the first thirteen poses presented in LoY are one-legged balances (Vrksasana, Virabhadrasana III, Ardha Chandrasana, and Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana). These poses tone the legs and core, open the hips, build stamina, and develop focus. They are very valuable. And quite commonly are a great source of frustration and intimidation. If these poses are a physical and mental struggle for you, I promise you are not alone. Aside from creating the strength and flexibility each one requires, the key to success in these poses is in the transitions from their respective foundations. And understanding and mastering that is definitely worth the effort.

Often the emphasis of any particular pose is placed upon the final form of the pose itself. In other words, the most attention, both physical and mental, is paid to those moments when you are holding the full expression of the pose. Certainly the full form is important. But there's much more to it than that. The moments spent in between poses are equally or more important than the actual poses.

Consider something as simple as getting yourself from home to work each day. It's something you probably take for granted when it in fact requires great amounts of concentration, commitment, and skill. You have to know where you've been, where you are, and where you're going all at the same time. You have to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how. You have to pay attention to all the details. And you have to do it well. Otherwise your intention to get from Point A Home to Point B Work may go terribly wrong. What would happen, for instance, if you lost your focus mid-commute and forgot where you were going or how to get there? Or became super impatient and demanding somewhere along the way? Or you suddenly began to doubt your plan of action or your abilities to follow it through? You may not arrive at work at all that day, and even if you did you would likely be too disoriented to perform your job appropriately. Your wellbeing at home is a priority. Your wellbeing at work is also a priority. But by themselves they're not enough. The wellbeing of the relationship between the two points -- that is, your successfully transitioning from home to work -- is dependent upon the success of the space you travel between each place. It's the accumulation of all those small but critical experiences and decisions which produce the desired effect. Moving between yoga poses is no different. It is not just about Pose A and Pose B. What happens in between them is absolutely essential.

We make countless transitions from pose to pose throughout our practices (not just balancing ones of course), some of which emphasize fluid flow and others steady form. But one-legged balancing poses are especially good at demonstrating this concept because they each begin from some two pointed foundation, shift into just one, and return to two, which means that there are no fewer than four opportunities to practice smooth transitioning per pose as each one-legged balance has two sides (right and left). And because, as we all know, balancing on one leg can go terribly wrong very quickly, having a firm foundation and transitioning well are paramount.

In regards to our new DK poses, Iyengar says that Virabhdrasana III is "an intensified continuation of Virabhdrasana I," (p73) which means that Vira III literally transitions directly from Vira I. The final form of Vira I is important. The final form of Vira III is also important. But it is the space between Point A Vira I and Point B Vira III which is the key to success. A poorly formed Vira I does not necessarily make Vira III unobtainable, but it certainly makes it more challenging. However, a poor transition between the two is almost guaranteed to ruin your Vira III experience. Whether you have a masterfully constructed Point A Vira I or not, if you lose your form, your focus, your confidence, or your resolve before you've fully reached Point B Vira III, it'll likely be shaky and underwhelming at best.

There is often an unnecessary and detrimental hurry to get into Vira III. It's almost a feeling of obligation to quickly enter the pose upon hearing instructions to do so. But hurrying is problematic as it creates physical and mental weakness. So, don't skip or rush the transition. Read Iyengar's instructions and look at his pictures carefully. In order to get into Vira III, a couple of preliminaries are necessary. First is a nicely formed Vira I. Then the transition begins, and it has several distinct parts. Notice that the stage between Vira I and Vira III -- as pictures on page 73 -- keeps the lower body entirely unchanged from Vira I, and the upper body unchanged except that it is now parallel with, rather than perpecdicular to, the floor. That's it. Simple. But crucial. AND he says "Rest in this position, taking two breaths." Rest in this -- the transition! -- for two breaths. It's as if the half-way point between A and B is itself a whole pose: it has a distinct form and function, and it's sustained for a specified amount of time. That's not an accident. Those two breaths are purposeful moments given for assessment, reflection, commitment, and adjustment -- one more opportunity to check in with yourself and make sure you really know what you're doing and where you're going.

The same is true for Half Moon which is simply a continuation of Triangle. Its transition is described and pictured on page 75. Again it has its own distinct form, function, and duration separate from (yet continuous with) full Triangle (Point A) and full Half Moon (Point B). Don't ignore it and don't rush it.

Again, one-legged balances are prime opportunities to embody these actions and ideas. But they are by no means the only time when graceful, skillful transitions are necessary. They're always necessary -- on the mat and off. It is never simply about the places of seemingly static or complete composure. The space between any two points (or poses) deserves just as much if not more attention and effort as the experiences on either side because Point A simply cannot becomes Point B without a quality transition.