Habits-Integration-Beauty
By Sarah Platenius 2009

I noticed recently, when I brush my teeth, I fall into my most habitual patterns—something about the mundane daily routine of teeth brushing makes me slump my right shoulder, jack up my left hip, spill my belly to the right, and turn my right foot out.

Postural alignment can often just be a habit…something that develops out of default, laziness, not paying attention…and chronic habits lead to tight muscles and aches and pains.

So there’s a couple things about my postural alignment that I’ve become aware of since my new source of feedback (teeth brushing)—I’ve been taking these things, particularly my lack of inner spiral and proper use of my outer hip (IT Band and gluts) on the right side into my yoga practice. The practice of aligning on my mat is continual. I’m constantly suggesting to my right leg to hug in, draw the muscle to the bone, inner spiral, widen the sit bone…utilizing those great Ansuara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignment.

Sometimes, I meet a perfect moment on my mat, where I’m pain free and my body is working in a form that feels fluid. Often finding this harmony is continual work—a practice of noticing the habit then taking it on to the mat—the mat becomes a place to hang the habit in my field of awareness, pinning it to the clothesline.

As the habit hangs on the clothesline, it is aired--the winds of awareness ripple through it. Breath alone brings integration. As the habit is integrated into the inner activity of the breath and a pause in outer activities allows for greater awareness, it can merge with true alignment. The habit visits true alignment, then again, then again, then again until the body remembers how great true alignment feels. Slowly, the default habit lessons its grip.

This slow process of integration leads to a sense of beauty. The beauty naturally comes when the sun shines-the rays of the sun spread consciousness, light up the skin, muscles and bones—the brightness of the sun beams onto that habit pinned to the clothesline . The suns direct, potent, purity blazes a new way. I’m aligned, if only momentarily. My longing for the sun is fulfilled.

Now when I’m off my mat, I can’t just slump my way through my 2 minute tooth brushing. I go to the mirror, I correct the position of my foot and then try to align my shoulders and bring my belly in and my hip down. If nothing else, it’s an entertaining way to get my teeth brushed!