Why Are Pigeons Proud?

“And now lift your shoulders back, into the proud pigeon pose. Stand tall, proud pigeons.”

What the hell does a pigeon have to do with yoga? And what should a pigeon even be “proud” about?

My instructor, Heidi, said. The class erupted into a murmur of quiet, uninhibited chuckles. There was something about the name of the pose that seemed to strike the crowd—which in fact seemed to be 95 percent comprised of individuals and couples that were over the age of 50, with a few exceptions. This type of behavior is not something I would imagine that type of crowd to do, especially in the class that I was standing—well, outstretched with one leg behind and one leg bent in front of me—in. I chose to partake in the hatha yoga class at Everybody’s Fitness in Auburn, Massachusetts, the gym my mom has a membership at.

As my mom and I arrived at the gym not two minutes late, we quickly put our shoes and belongings into a locker. My initial reaction was negative. The gym smelled of fresh equipment and there was a protein shake bar—both things not atypical of a gym. These quintessential “gym” characteristics are actually what drew me to taking a yoga class there. I wanted to see what Yoga Journal preaches to the masses. I wanted to see the people that do yoga to stay “in shape” or stay “flexible.” I wanted to observe and study those individuals and see how the practice differs from my small knowledge of the practice of yoga. I was especially interested in the class because it was titled “Hatha Yoga,” something I am currently studying in class.

My mom and I proceeded to ascend the freshly carpeted stairs leading to the yoga room. We were a few minutes late and I did not know what to expect. At our destination, we found a dimly lit room with a few candles in the corners on small tables. The floor was speckled with assorted colors of yoga mats. Just as we began to ponder where we should mark our location with mats of our own, we were greeted with a warm and friendly “Welcome! Come in, there is plenty of room!” This of course, was our instructor, Heidi. Instantly I felt comfortable and I set my black mat down close to the center of the room.

Class began with a sun salutation. There were a few differences from what I’ve been taught in class here at Lesley University, such as extending the arms out to the side instead of out in front of the body, but most of it was a harmonious agreement of movements with what I have already learned. We repeated the salutation many times slowly, the last time a bit faster. We moved through standing movements to seating movements. We worked with balance as well. Heidi was sure to announce names of the poses and she made sure that everyone had a version to execute. My favorite part of class is always balance work. It is incredibly centering to be standing on one leg and have the realization of your plumb line running both through your neck out the top of your head and through your feet through the bottom of the floor. To me, this type of pose is very powerful and I love the feeling of the opposing limbs working off each other to keep my foot from faltering or me from falling. Another favorite part of the class was Heidi’s insistence that we all stay “humble.” She would demonstrate a pose and if it was more difficult she was remind us to stay humble to the boundaries of the pose. This really kept me grounded and reminded me of why I was standing there in the first place. Heidi also would remind us that the poses can be hard for even her, and she reminded us that if we fell out of one or could not quite get it, to keep trying. We continued stretching and holding poses on the floor.

So let’s rewind back to the title of this paper and take a deeper look at to me, the most striking moment of the day and decipher why in fact we were all proud pigeons. Well I can tell you this. As hilarious as all thought this title for a pose might be, it makes a great point that coincides perfectly with what I’ve been taking from my recent experience with yoga. Here is a diagram of what the pose looks like:

The full pose is titled “Eka Pada Rajakapotasana.” Eka meaning “one,” Pada meaning “foot/leg,” raja is “king,” and kapota translates to “pigeon or dove.” The pose focuses on using gravity to open the hips as you sink deeper into the pose. It is said to control sexual desire because there is so much blood flow through the pelvic region when in the pose. Before even knowing anything about the pose besides the way it felt, I really could identify with the men and women I was among that day and it really translated to what I had been feeling about the study of yoga overall. At that moment, everyone was in agreement no matter how the pose felt—good, bad, difficult, easy. Each and every person there was very happy and it was quite evident. None of these people were there to get some crazy workout, or be able to touch their feet to their head. They had absolutely no interest in that! They were just there, enjoying life and channeling that enjoyment through their yoga class. It was quite refreshing and just as pigeons are overlooked and walked by day-to-day in the city, I felt people like this are often overlooked. To me, there is so much beauty in a person of any age, size, shape, gender—you name it, finding peace in their far too busy or scheduled lives and finding time to laugh, or to relax. To me, that is what Westernized yoga is about. It is about finding time to let go of any type of inhibitions or fear of embarrassment and really feel like a “proud pigeon,” just for a few minutes. It is about taking time for yourself and getting that inner happiness from no one else but yourself. The poses feel great not because someone told you to do them, but because you were taught how to do them and allow yourself to bend or move into them and feel their strength, comfort, or tension. Yoga is about taking in information and processing it the way that it will benefit you.

Prior to taking this class I had taken a few notes of what I thought it would be like and what I thought I would find. I was completely wrong. I was sure that I would find people who had the “wrong” idea about yoga and had no idea what it was about. I, in fact, had no idea about people who practiced yoga at gyms and in fact, they definitely had the right idea. They were there to feel happy. This brings me to when we all began to work with back bending poses. As a classically trained dancer, I am flexible and I have pushed the concepts of how to balance so much that they are near natural to me now. When it was time to work with back bends, I immediately felt no fear in executing a backbend. This was optional and I was open to the invitation of the pose. It was not until I lifted my hips up and stretched my arms and legs that I noticed something: I was the only person in the pose. Everyone else was doing a more simplified version. Then I noticed something else. Everyone in the room must have been at least 50 years old. There were a few younger girls there, but the class was mainly comprised of older men and women who did note even seem slightly concerned with how ridiculously flexible doing these motions could make you. They seemed to want something more—happiness.

After all, isn’t happiness something in the traditional practice of yoga that one must strive for? I felt so honored to be taking a class among such people. And at this moment I thought, “This is yoga!” meaning that right now, these people being happy and comfortable enough to laugh a little bit and learn was what yoga was about, especially westernized yoga.

We finished with savasana, deep relaxation or “corpse pose.” It was relaxing and a great way to end the class. I felt fantastic and I found it easy to relax and center my mind after all the movement we had just done!

Overall, the only “gym-like” aspect was that Heidi would occasionally remind us of what muscles we were using to hold a pose. Other than that, the only other tie to a gym was the fact that the room was in a gym. I was incredibly surprised. I was not too sure how I would like it, especially because I tend to see the fitness aspect of yoga as a slightly negative, commercial thing. I have always refused to wear yoga pants or buy a mat because even before knowing what yoga was about, I always felt that I did not absolutely need any of those things to actually practice it—and that is entirely correct.

After talking to the instructor a bit after class, my mom and I began to descend the stairs back to the locker room (not after a very sweet “have a super day!” from Heidi.) We met an older woman on the stairs who asked me if I was a dancer and then thanked me for being a great example in class and “beautiful” to watch. The lady was sweet and we talked for a bit about class.

I have nothing but positive things to say about taking hatha yoga at Everybody’s Fitness gym! The place, the people, the instructor, and everything about it radiated warmth and happiness. It was just what I needed to shape my misconstrued thoughts about Westernized yoga. I definitely plan on taking this class again.

Sources

Everybody’s Fitness, Hatha Yoga, Auburn MA

Yoga Journal, http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/863, © 2011 Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc.

Yin Yoga, http://www.yinyoga.com/ys2_2.0_asanas_swan.php