OUR BACK LINE WITH UTKATASANA

“HELLO FLEXION, MY OLD FRIEND…”

We are born into flexion, and we eventually return to flexion, making it an intu-

itive and familiar family of poses. Between those two points in our life, the back

line of our body works tirelessly to keep us unfurling out of flexion. These thick,

slow twitch endurance muscles on the back side of our body are ‘made from

a different fiber’ so to speak, as they are able to resist the ever present pull of

gravity for a lifetime. Our time spent in forward folds is a time to nourish these

sleeping giants of muscular integrity, and as we do so, we find that our awareness

is drawn into their slower and quieter dimension— which is one of many reasons

forward folds help you feel calm.

TURYA CONSCIOUSNESS, THE BACKDROP OF AWARENESS

As we begin to consciously work with this slower paced back line of musculature,

our grasshopper mind settles down, and our attention effortlessly draws out of

our thoughts and senses, into the background of our awareness, where the unity

we seek to experience truly exists— the quiet witness known in the yogic tradition

as Turya consciousness. As Jai Deva Singh teaches in his commentary on the

Shiva Sutras, “Though it remains as the background of all we are and do, we are

unaware of Turya Consciousness. It is not a feature of our normal consciousness.

The upayas are mentioned so that we may prepare ourselves for its reception.”

(109). Like the back line of our body, our true nature, our one-ness, lies in the

background of our awareness. Like our back line, it is not a feature of our every-

day life, which normally takes place in front of us. The practice of yoga, from

asana to meditation, helps to draw our awareness back into this vaster unified

space, bringing tremendous rejuvenation to our mind, body and spirit.

A SIMPLE TEST

Here’s a simple test you can do to experience the difference in sensation between

the front and back line of the body. Stand in Tadasana and simply shift your

weight slowly forwards into the ball mounds of the feet, look around the room

and imagine cleaning or organizing the room you’re in, feel how the front line of

the body feels very active, and that when our weight and awareness is there our

awareness tends to get pulled out into our setting. Now take a moment and allow

yourself to shift from the ball mounds of the feet to the heels, slowly and steadily.

Feel yourself shifting from the all too familiar space of the mind and activity

in front of us to the quieter, almost unknown, space of the heels and the back

line behind us. Notice the back line of the body acting like a sling of support,

catching not only your weight but your awareness too. All yourself to settle into

your heels, while keeping slight pressure through the big toes for stability. Look

around the room you’re in and feel the difference— even if you imagine reaching

around and cleaning or organizing, there is a subtle sense of contentment and

detachment— this is the space of the back line, a space of quiet contentment

from which we can learn to interact with more through forward folds.

SUMMARY & REFLECTION

Forward folds in yoga nourish the back line of the body, engaging slow twitch

muscles that help resist gravity and promote a sense of calm. By drawing aware-

ness to the back line, practitioners can access Turya consciousness, the quiet

witness within, fostering a deeper sense of unity and rejuvenation through mind-

ful practice.

·

Do you feel a sense of calm after practicing forward folds? Did you

feel a shift in awareness as you shifted from the front of the feet to the

heels? How would you describe this shift?