My Mini Me

Reading
time 11 minutes

was born in December 1976. Shortly after her birth, her mother wrote a letter home from hospital to tell the family she’d come out just like Kokuś, her favourite cat: feet first. These days the problem is with her hands rather than her feet. She’s got so many things on the go – giving talks, writing books and articles – that she doesn’t always know what to grab hold of first.

What do yoga and maternity have in common? Does control of the body let you control other spheres of life? Or is it the opposite—it frees us from expectations towards ourselves and the world?

I am doing an Utthita Parsvakonasana—an Extended Side Angle Pose. I am wobbling a little, yet I keep tightening and stretching my left leg, trying to push my bended right knee towards the elbow of my right arm. My awareness goes towards my left foot. At least that’s what the teacher wants. In practice, however, it means making sure that my left foot is not bent too much and that it stays on the mat. I am supposed to breathe and enjoy the position. The face should be calm and the breathing steady. It is a little difficult to enjoy it while at the same time taking care of all these bends, keeping things straight and tight, when my body wants to do exactly the opposite of what’s needed for the proper Utthita Parsvakonasana. I feel, however, that in the long run, when I have stretched and strengthened all the muscles involved, there’s something pleasurable in reaching the position, which will give me joy, or at least satisfaction. That I’ve mastered it so well, that I can reconcile opposites, that I’m in control of my body and have an awareness of all its tiniest parts, of the tensions and contractures, which I am systematically working on, mastering my Utthita Parsvakonasana to perfection.

Awareness of the Right Foot

“Thanks to yoga . . . we can fill every cell of our body with awareness; each and every particle. We can know them, each one separately. We can control them, each one separately.” These are

Information

You’ve reached your free article’s limit this month. You can get unlimited access to all our articles and audio content with our digital subscription. If you have an active subscription, please log in.

Subscribe

Ludwika Włodek:

was born in December 1976. Shortly after her birth, her mother wrote a letter home from hospital to tell the family she’d come out just like Kokuś, her favourite cat: feet first. These days the problem is with her hands rather than her feet. She’s got so many things on the go – giving talks, writing books and articles – that she doesn’t always know what to grab hold of first.

Translation: Adam Zdrodowski

Publish date: 19.03.2021

Also read:

Paulina Wilk:

used be an editor of the Culture & Society section. She is a writer and journalist focusing on global development.

He believed everything to be connected and part of a greater unity. Perhaps there was something that made him so sure of that.

In the summer of 1973, philosopher Ervin László had become tired. The great thinker had just completed another global UN project, and, despite invitations from prestigious universities, he chose a ruined chapel overgrown with tall grass. His intuition—which had saved his life and led him to discoveries many times before—suggested it was a good place for a year of rest. That year has stretched into almost half a century now, and László’s Tuscan house has become the perfect place for deepening his subtle relationship with the universe.

Awareness of the Right Foot

Also read:

A Discreet Genius

Login

Register