03/12/2025
“It would not be an exaggeration if I say that people are afraid to even spread their legs apart. They feel that they are doing something unusual. As keeping the feet together is difficult, so too is spreading the legs. As soon as you spread your legs apart, you feel the stretch of the legs for the first time. You become aware of your legs, especially their inner and outer edges, as well as the front and back of the legs. Often the bottom of the feet are shrunk because of the fear of falling due to a slippery floor. Now, you become aware, you stretch the bottom of the feet and open the arches of the feet. You neither extend your arms, nor open the pelvic girdle or chest. Normally, energy in the legs flows downwards, whereas for the first time, you feel the energy of the legs ascending upwards. Similarly, the arms are spread to the side. This opens the intercostal muscles of the chest that are between the ribs.”
Yoga in Action: Preliminary Course
