There are no Princesses in Yoga (Purposely?)
I spoke with Alison (my favorite yoga instructor) the other day; I wanted to know if there was such a thing as princess pose in yoga. I thought I had heard of such a pose.
“I’ve never heard of princess pose. There’s empress pose…” She then demonstrated it for me.
I wasn’t sure why the question popped in my head, maybe it’s because my daughter is going through a phase right now where she wants and expects everything to be “princess-like.” She wants her dresses to reach a certain length, or to be a certain color “Cinderella’s dress is blue like mine!” she screams excitedly whenever she is allowed to wear her blue dress.
I don’t remember going through a princess phase when I was a child. If anything, I think I was the anti-princess as my parents allowed me to dress myself and my style definitely did not reflect royalty. My sisters still tease me about an outfit I selected all by myself (I can still recall it: green terry cloth shirt, denim skirt, red socks and brown gym shoes). Bless my parents for allowing me to select my own wardrobe…whatever suited my fancy no matter how terribly it matched.
I want to allow Blythe the same freedom of choice, however, when everything is tainted by princesses and not her own individual taste, I get worried. I think I would prefer the green/blue/red/brown combination to the “perfect princess” look she’d rather maintain. So needless to say, this is a struggle for me as I want to allow her freedom of choice, as I had as a child, but I also want to help her develop her own personal style and know 'Blythe'.
So this brings me back to yoga. There are no princess in yoga, only warriors—and three of them. The poses are called: Warrior 1,2, or 3 (the Sanskrit name: Virabhadra I, II or III) The poses are not interpreted as queen, king, prince, or princess and everyone can partake in the warrior poses. They are a staple in hatha yoga practice; I don’t recall a practice when I didn’t hold a warrior pose. While these poses are masculine in nature (in yoga these poses are considered to be yang or muscular poses). Yoga recognizes and honors the female and the male (yin/yang) in each individual.
I’m at a loss now as I re-read this passage, where was I going with this story? Maybe the answer is in that previous sentence. Maybe I need only honor Blythe’s rather yin-bent focus right now and go with it, and see where it leads. But know that I’m keeping a keen eye on the situation as it progresses. Perhaps we’ll delve into more discussion about warriors as we engage in our yoga practice.
Thoughts? Help?
“I’ve never heard of princess pose. There’s empress pose…” She then demonstrated it for me.
I wasn’t sure why the question popped in my head, maybe it’s because my daughter is going through a phase right now where she wants and expects everything to be “princess-like.” She wants her dresses to reach a certain length, or to be a certain color “Cinderella’s dress is blue like mine!” she screams excitedly whenever she is allowed to wear her blue dress.
I don’t remember going through a princess phase when I was a child. If anything, I think I was the anti-princess as my parents allowed me to dress myself and my style definitely did not reflect royalty. My sisters still tease me about an outfit I selected all by myself (I can still recall it: green terry cloth shirt, denim skirt, red socks and brown gym shoes). Bless my parents for allowing me to select my own wardrobe…whatever suited my fancy no matter how terribly it matched.
I want to allow Blythe the same freedom of choice, however, when everything is tainted by princesses and not her own individual taste, I get worried. I think I would prefer the green/blue/red/brown combination to the “perfect princess” look she’d rather maintain. So needless to say, this is a struggle for me as I want to allow her freedom of choice, as I had as a child, but I also want to help her develop her own personal style and know 'Blythe'.
So this brings me back to yoga. There are no princess in yoga, only warriors—and three of them. The poses are called: Warrior 1,2, or 3 (the Sanskrit name: Virabhadra I, II or III) The poses are not interpreted as queen, king, prince, or princess and everyone can partake in the warrior poses. They are a staple in hatha yoga practice; I don’t recall a practice when I didn’t hold a warrior pose. While these poses are masculine in nature (in yoga these poses are considered to be yang or muscular poses). Yoga recognizes and honors the female and the male (yin/yang) in each individual.
I’m at a loss now as I re-read this passage, where was I going with this story? Maybe the answer is in that previous sentence. Maybe I need only honor Blythe’s rather yin-bent focus right now and go with it, and see where it leads. But know that I’m keeping a keen eye on the situation as it progresses. Perhaps we’ll delve into more discussion about warriors as we engage in our yoga practice.
Thoughts? Help?
posted by Andrea | 3:13 PM
2 Comments:
Andrea-
What an amazing site!! I will certainly be trying out yoga very soon. Any places to recommend?
Well...not sure where you're located, but, I'm out in the northern 'burbs. I practice at my healthclub (they have gone through painstaking means to ensure good, certified yoga instructors). If you belong to a healthclub (or tape), it might be a good place to get acclimated, and then move on to an actual yoga studio. Anyone else have a suggestion?
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