It's All In The Face

Many years ago when I was a beginner yoga student taking classes from my first teacher (an Aussie named Murray), I had what has turned out to be quite a memorable (and teachable) experience.  We were doing a standing pose and if you've ever practiced Iyengar yoga, it can mean that you stay in the pose until the quivering thighs set in.  So, I was in the quivering thigh pose, trying to simply be in it and stay steady.  Murray walks past me and says quietly, "Jayne, stay right where you are."  In the next moment, Murray has called the entire class over to look at my pose.  I try to stay just as I am, but the inner child wants to roll my eyes and hide in the back of the room.

  

As the group gathers around, Murray says, "Take a look at her face.  Do you see how calm her face is even though she's working quite hard in the pose?  This is what we're striving for".  Of course, I had no idea that looking at my face was what Murray was going after.  I just struck the pose and I guess got lucky in finding that sweet spot that was reflected in my face.  It wasn't a conscious choice, it just happened to unfold that way. 

  

Yet it was a powerful lesson as I mentioned and has raised my awareness of where we send our energy when we're in our yoga practice, or in the gym, or playing a sport, driving our car or working away at our computer.  Just watch someone who is really "trying" hard at something.  Watch their face.  You can almost tell if the person is new to what they're doing or if they've gained a certain level of competency. 

  

In watching a high level athlete, a dancer or a seasoned yogi, what you tend to see in facial expressions is the reflection of emotion rather than effort.  A certain calm underlies practiced performance and although the effort may be intense, the energy that it takes to create that effort is efficiently being used by what's needed...not by what's unnecessary-such as grimacing or strongly contracting the muscles of the face.

  

We tend to hold so much tension throughout our bodies that we don't even recognize that we're tight and holding on.  If these patterns are repeated over and over, the held tension begins to feel "normal" and we begin to forget how much ease is available to us in each and every moment.

  

One of the biggest pieces to our yoga practice is growing our own awareness and one place that this can happen is the pattern of habitual tension that we hold in our bodies.  My pattern is often reflected in my jaw...clenched teeth, rigid tongue and throat.  The more often I can sense that this is being held is an opportunity to release and begin to find more ease.

  

So the next time you're being challenged, notice how you're face feels.  And maybe "Murray" will pop up and want to show everyone!