I have been wondering whether there is a right - or left;)- way of doing standing postures, particularly balances? Does it matter with which leg one starts, to which side one orients onself? Does left/right handedness determine it or just what one feels most comfartable with? Should one stick to the same sequence or try to alternate the sequence for balance’s sake?
I am asking because I have noticed that it is easier to start with one side rather than the other.
Anyone know?
My two… err… Twenty Cents
I can’t speak for any specific lineage of teaching, but most of the people I know that teach start with the right leg first - I’ve always assumed it was easier for the general student to have some uniformity between teachings and that most basic teachers pick it because it is less confusing. From what I’ve heard, most right handed / right eye dominant people lead with their right hand and foot, and cross their right leg over their left when they sit. I only really teach children right now, and I always do the right side first just to be consistent.
If you’re really attempting to train balance, it could be beneficial to attempt starting out with the left side once or twice, just to see what type of awareness it brings. I’m right handed but my left eye is dominant (which means when I shoot in archery, I shoot left handed better than right because I focus with that eye). When I found this out in an archery class, I immediately took this awareness into my practice and realized that in poses which require balance on a leading leg, I am more stable on the left (all forms of virabhadrasana, trikonasana etc). Its interesting to note that I feel I balance better on the right in Vrksasana BUT I feel like it requires more energy, the use of more muscles. It could just be that my balance isn’t very good, and I’d be better overall if I used my left. Who knows? Not me!
Going on, now that I know all of this, I tend to switch between one side and the other on different days, depending on if I want to make my practice more challenging or stabilizing (only my home practice, not with the children). I was told by someone once that I should pick one side to practice consistently but my archery teacher told me that as well and I feel just as confident shooting with with my left side as I do on my right side (with the right eye closed). After that initial learning period I can’t really see the difference, (in archery as well as in yoga, I find the greatest challenge to be controlling the breath and the mind). The teacher who told me this used to make a living training competitive archers to go to the Olympics, so I’m sure that if this was my path then I would definitely do what he said. haha.
If I had a guru who told me that practicing on the right side was what I needed to do, then I would trust them; but right now the most wonderful teacher I have has been dead since 1902 and really didn’t have a lot to say about asana other than to relax and sit up straight. I feel as though I can take a certain amount of liberty.
Namaste,
I don’t know of any fixed rule that says this or that side first. My own teacher used to say start with the easier side, I have noticed in myself and in others that one of the two sides are always more comfortable than the other.
In my own classes for the sake of consistency and because 100% of the people are right handed, I always start with the opposite side, the left. We are so used to use our dominant side for everything, when we start with the non-dominant side is gives the mind also some yoga to do, because it has to use the other side all of a sudden.
Just for the sake of interest here are the functions of left and right brain and what each side do and regulates (more or less):
[B]LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS:[/B]
Uses logic, detail oriented, facts rule, words and language, present and past, math and science, can comprehend, knowing, acknowledges, order/pattern perception, knows object name, reality based, forms strategies, practical and safe.
[B]RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS[/B]
Uses feeling, “big picture” oriented, imagination rules, symbols and images, present and future, philosophy & religion, can “get it” (i.e. meaning), believes, appreciates, spatial perception, knows object function, fantasy based, presents possibilities, impetuous, risk taking.
Thank you, Suryadaya, for your ‘penny’s worth’. I agree with you that a certain amount of liberty is definitely a good thing, certainly at my age! If not now, when?
When I broke my right wrist 11 years ago in November - I had this contraption with metal rods etc. - I had to stay with my very newly married daughter because I only had coal fires in my own house, and being right-handed this posed to be a bit of a challenge. Nevertheless, I really didn’t want to stay any longer than necessary, and after a week I asked my (then-) son-in-law to start the fire for me, and I moved back home. With a very concentrated mind I managed to train myself to do with my left hand what previously my right hand had to accomplish. I looked upon it as a kind of puzzle, which helped. Living by myself I also could take as much time as I needed. I did drop the grill pan, and the handle broke irretrievably (now I have to use oven gloves every time to keep my hand from burning). Nevertheless, I was astounded and pleased how quickly I managed to swap sides.
Needless to say, with full recovery I am as ever back to my old right-handed way. In my case that is sensible as I have a very dodgy left elbow.
Pandara, thank you too for your very detailed and illuminating response.
As for Left Brain/ Right Brain funktions, I think mine must be thoroughly jumbled up because I am still confused: when you say that you start with your right-handed people on the opposite side, do you mean , for example, you stand on you left leg first in balances? As far as balances are concerned this is what I tend to do because otherwise I find it difficult to balance on either side. And that is the reason why I posed the question in the first place. Perhaps I should try harder after all and practise to start with the other side first?
I think it likely that I will ask a lot of possibly rather silly questions as I decided not to be part of our local group any more after the summer break. The teacher does not help me enough, nor anyone else for that matter, but the rest of the group are a lot younger than I am and therefore less prone to do damage to themselves.Hopefully!
Perhaps I should start a thead just for OAPs, or am I the only one here?
My dear friend, while reading this I felt as if I was reading my own past here, I broke my wrist also 11 years ago, also right one, just in September and not November and I also had to wear this contraption for weeks and after that the bone still hasn’t healed so they placed it in plaster, which was most unconfortable, but it helped me to get in touch with my left side or feminine side as left represents our feminine aspect. I am sure my initial clumsiness caused a lot of giggles on the other side!
Yes, this is exactly what I mean. Also in stretches for example I will first stretch over to the left and then do the right, always the opposite of what is dominant. when ever there is a left or right side to an asana, I will start with the opposite to the dominant of the yogi.
i have done a bit of reading and i dont know much about right or left leg starting first but i do believe that supposedly in exercised such as spinal twists starting a certain way helps elimination and anther way hinders it,if you go the opposte way first you encourage the digestive system to back up, and if you go the flowing way first you encourage it to move forward and eliminate, you may want to inquire deeper if you feel it necessary to get to the understanding of the subtle details.
good luck
i am love, i am peace, i am joy
your brother
neil
Hi Neil,
thanks for pointing this out, will read up on it, can’t remember that I have encountered this in all my reading on yoga asanas over the years, perhaps I have missed it and will research it a bit.
My school taught me to start always with the left. In fact, the focus and the expereince should be sensibly different for example in doing Garudasana (eagle pose). While both ways, ajna chakra is “energized”, there are many ways to experience a chakra, and these experiences are different.
The reason of starting withy the left side was explained to me in terms of yin and yang, most people being overly yin, it makes sense to start the balancing work with focus on the yin side of the body. This way you give your best where it is needed most.
The differences are only perceptibe on higher levels, though. Feel free to share you expereinces, and discuss.
PS. I realized now that as a beginner yogi, having a “wrong” mental picture of what chakras are or should be, I was looking for the wrong expereinces. I was looking into the physiological processes, while chakras are “soul constructs”. Forgive the terminology … but really, I know, that no terminology is there good enough, anyway.
Pandara, my arm also was put in plaster but as a natural progression and not because bones hadn’t healed properly up tp that point. It always amazes me how similar/same results are achieved persueing different paths, from country to country, culture to culture, indeed, person to person as you will be well aware of in your teachings:))
Allow me one more question on this wrist business: I developed the most excruciating pain afterwards, not at the site of the fracture but where they screwed in those rods. It lasted for years, was lunar-sensitive (as far as I could make out, and I know absolutely nothing about that sort of thing), and gave me hell always during the night. I used to be in tears, I just couldn’t help it, I was quite beside myself most times. These last few years things have gradually returned to normal - almost -, and I am so grateful! Did you experience any of that? I am wondering whether it had anything to do with my age? I am also wondering whether Yoga has helped to ease things ?
Yes, this is exactly what I mean. Also in stretches for example I will first stretch over to the left and then do the right, always the opposite of what is dominant. when ever there is a left or right side to an asana, I will start with the opposite to the dominant of the yogi.
You make a lot of sense to me here, so I will pay attention and be more consistent in my efforts in focusing on my’ off-side’.
When I started two years ago I couldn’t balance for two seconds, I have definitely improved, almost literally by ‘leaps and bounds’:D, so I should be able to see some improvement with this as well.
Thank you very much!
(I don’t know how to do more than one quote from the same post, sorry!:()
Namaste,
This is unfamiliar to me as that was exactly what I tried to avoid, those screws and on advice of my doctor I went for just plaster, no screws and prayed that Mother Nature would help further and she did. My wrist was sensitive for at least a year after the accident, but I strongly belief that my yoga practise helped in bringing strenght back into the wrist again. Since then i am hardly aware of my wrist, although I am developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome now more regularly, which my doctor contributes to my job and the accident.
Sorry, but can’t be of more help here.
[quote=Pandara;13354]Namaste,
This is unfamiliar to me as that was exactly what I tried to avoid, those screws and on advice of my doctor I went for just plaster, no screws and prayed that Mother Nature would help further and she did. My wrist was sensitive for at least a year after the accident, but I strongly belief that my yoga practise helped in bringing strenght back into the wrist again. Since then i am hardly aware of my wrist, although I am developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome now more regularly, which my doctor contributes to my job and the accident.
Sorry, but can’t be of more help here.:)[/quote]
Don’t be sorry, I am happy for you that you didn’t have to experience all that pain! On the other hand, no Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for me on that arm. On the other hand - this time quite literally - my dogy elbow gives me, on and off, sensations that make me think of CTS.
I have another question to go with my original one:
What rule, if any, is there as to when to pull up one’s kneecaps? Or is there room for flexibility (in both senses:))?
[quote=justwannabe;13311]i have done a bit of reading and i dont know much about right or left leg starting first but i do believe that supposedly in exercised such as spinal twists starting a certain way helps elimination and anther way hinders it,if you go the opposte way first you encourage the digestive system to back up, and if you go the flowing way first you encourage it to move forward and eliminate, you may want to inquire deeper if you feel it necessary to get to the understanding of the subtle details.
good luck
i am love, i am peace, i am joy
your brother
neil[/quote]
I cannot say that I have noticed any difference with regard to my digestive system whichever way I start spinal twists. That said, having sufferd all my life with a very fast reacting digestive system I certainly wouldn’t want to speed things up!
(Why can’t one just inherit the good bits, I ask you! As for my children… I had better not ask them.)
Nope, I wouldn’t say a fast reacting digestive system is suffering, try a slow one, I pray for mine to get a little oemf into the old system, no matter what I do it still keeps its sloooooow and deliberate pace. Anyway, praise and thanks. I have other genetic inheritances that I would have liked my parents to have just kept, perhaps we should start a thread on genetic inheritances.
Justin Time, I don’t really understand your question about the knee thingy, bit slow today, IQ bordering on 2.
Pandara, what I meant was basically:
When should one lock one’s knees? I thought that locking them in certain standing postures is supposed to add strength and support but I have found that sometimes it seems to do the opposite for me, and I am wondering - again! - if it is to do with my age and/or hypermobility?
Perhaps I should just please myself?
As for the digestive thing - no, I wouldn’t want to try the slow way either but I am having some severe trouble these past several weeks; I am by nature an anxious person, and extra stress during the summer has turned my system into almost continuous physical turmoil and pain. I wouldn’t mind getting back to MY normal!
Hubert somehere has written of you ‘calm’, perhaps there is your clue!
Not that I would wish any stress on you just to liven up your innards!