(Really) Listening To Your Body-Acceptance-Triangle Pose Revisited July 27 2025
- rockbriarfarm
- Jul 26
- 4 min read
How many times do we hear "listen to your body" when we are at a yoga class? I feel sometimes we say it over and over, but do we really hear ourselves telling us to listen? This phrase has taken on new meaning for me over the past week. Not yet ready for teaching, and probably not ready for much more than some rudimentary attempts at the asanas with the support of a chair and wearing shoes, I have ventured outside over the past days to attempt to observe/participate in my classes being taught by Ann and Sandy. It has not been pretty, in fact it has been downright comical perhaps, but I have learned some things.
First and foremost, I was reminded that yoga is about community. I have missed everyone and will admit a bit of sadness listening to the voices of the yogis mixed with the bird song and other sounds of sumer drifting up to me through the open windows. Joining the classes and seeing everyone filled me with gratitude and joy for what we have here and I appreciated everyones' welcome and concern! I also noticed that while many of us know each other by name, new students are welcomed with smiles and introductions from the others. That made me smile and feel appreciative of our special community. On my mat I felt grateful for what my body could do. Rather than being frustrated by what I could not do I marveled at what I could do. I admit frustration at the difficulty I had trying to sit on my mat, constantly fidgeting to find a better position, it was certainly not my most calm yogic moment. As I moved through class, finding what worked, modifying everything and taking breaks and sitting on my chair regularly (I knew the chair would serve a purpose), I felt more engaged and happier than I had in weeks.
My family, especially my husband, has been taking amazing care of me. However, spending so much time focused on lying down, propping up, doing PT, managing pain and "resting" becomes a bit depressing when it is your daily routine. By going out and participating with the class, I felt almost "normal", like I was not a patient!
Ok, so coming back around to listening to your body. My body clearly told me what I could and could not do. That is not surprising. Pain is a great indicator of what to avoid. What surprised me was my acceptance of that. I realized that being outside, being with my community, and moving, breathing and being focused, was the whole point. The point of my practice was never what poses I could or couldn't do or the range of motion that I had. We talk consistently in class and in this blog about what yoga truly is, the yoking of the mind, breath and body. Never has it been so clear to me as it was this week as I practiced with my community here. I know that when I teach, I try to make every part of every class accessible to every student. I fervently hope that when I am fully recovered that these moments of clarity around my practice stay with me and that I can share them well with my students.
Be grateful for what your body can do, leave the rest at the door.
Meditating On Acceptance Listening to Our Bodies
The yoga pose is not the goal. Becoming flexible is not the goal. Standing on your hands is not the goal. The goal is serenity. Balance. Truly finding peace in your own skin. ~ Rachel Brathen
Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down. ~ Jigar Gor
The study of asana is not about mastering posture. It’s about using posture to understand and transform yourself.” ~ BKS Iyengar
Trikonasana - Triangle Pose Redux
Several years ago, I learned about a new approach to triangle pose. As someone who has struggled with pain in the lower back, sacrum and sacroiliac joint, I paid attention when I heard the topic addressed relative to triangle pose. I was taking an online anatomy course during the pandemic taught by Libby Hensley, a Physical Therapist and Yogi. In a discussion on back pain and yoga, she introduced a new approach to triangle pose, one that avoids the destabilization of the SI joint when we jut the hip out and reach long; this approach also helps us to elongate and stretch further through the side body. In my October 31, 2021, blog, I discussed this approach and explained how and why I had adopted that method. I continue on occasion, to highlight this alternative in class.
Just a few days ago, Libby's video in which she explains and demonstrates this approach landed in my email in box. I was excited to see that she was making it accessible so that I could share it with you. Rather than giving my own explanation, please check out this short video that explains the anatomy around this approach and the demonstration. Let me know what you think!
See you on the mat,
Soon!
Namaste,
Julia Anne
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