Body of Prayer
“Asana are my prayer.” BKS Iyengar When we try to keep what we are afraid of hidden from our consciousness we tend to grip the diaphragm. This large muscle which wraps around the lower ribs like a drumhead separates the lower body from the upper body. When we feel fear, this muscle naturally tightens and cuts the heart and head off from the abdominal organs the source of our energy and the pelvis the source of our creativity. This diaphragm at the solar plexus is known as a spiritual threshold. When it is tight, it means we are choosing fear over faith. Fear of feeling what is rising from our depths to be known to us more fully. By opening and softening the diaphragm we can move towards more faith that we will know what to do, even when it is difficult, to move towards wholeness, integration, wisdom, and compassion. Our body in this open and receptive state becomes a prayer written in sinew, blood, a...