embracing binds or binding embraces?

how to practice feeling free when your body is a pretzel

yoga classes are not easy because life is not easy. there are many ways we confront discomfort and dis-ease in a yoga setting, but binds are one of my favorite ways to practice them.

binds involve clasping your hands or reaching for a body part that may seem out of reach in a given pose. we do binds in yoga classes to experience compression, resistance, pressure, containment. sometimes they make us feel claustrophobic or anxious. (don’t know what i’m talking about? examples)

"what we call obstacles are really the way the world and our practice teach us where we’re stuck." — Pema Chödrön

binds require thoughtfulness and stability. when approaching a bind, always focus first at the foundation of an asana, where your body touches the floor, and pay attention to how each step of the process influences the next. once you’re in the shape (whatever it looks like that day), practice micro-adjustments. what happens if i press more here? where do i feel my breath in my body? binds are good for self-adjustments because you can more easily feel where your body is compared to other parts of your body, and they allow you to use leverage to find your alignment.

binds test our patience. for most, it’s harder to breathe in a bind. it’s harder to think. it’s weird and unnatural. sometimes a bind becomes an obstacle rather than a tool to empower your practice. in those moments of discomfort or claustrophobia, on the mat or off, it’s can feel impossible to feel freedom and safety. we feel off balance, trapped. we try to control it or force it rather than being patient and open. our attitude can change the entire experience. our desire to achieve the shape can detach us from the whole purpose of the practice, the loving, safe, and freeing bind.

binds require commitment and are an advanced feature of an asana. when you’re new to something you’re not ready to commit to it. as a beginner to yoga it’s normal to feel unprepared, confused, tired. as you grow and become more confident, you can commit to your practice in a way that binds help to reinforce. binds can also bring you back to that sense of confusion (how the hell am i supposed to get my arms to do that?) that rekindles the beginner’s mind, an opportunity to start your practice from scratch again.

"freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose—and commit myself to—what is best for me." — Paulo Coelho

yes, there is a sort of freedom in binds. the way you talk to yourself in a bound pose is crucial: most of the challenge in a bind is mental, they are not inherently bind-ing unless you think they are. if you see the bind as a boundary or a rule within a game rather than an oppressive impossibility, you can play the game with some freedom. what’s more — at the end of the bind is the release. there is a physical release from the feeling of containment or pressure, and from the stored tension in the muscles. on top of that, yoga can be a practice that releases pent-up emotions and stress. physical release can often lead to an emotional release, leaving you feeling lighter, more open, and emotionally balanced.

maybe a bind is not an obstacle but a way to embrace yourself in a new way.

"and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." — Anaïs Nin

if you can’t tell… we’re doing binds in class this week :) in case you missed it: