Be aware of your "belly"
Mariko Tagami
good morning!
The " BUM Exhibition" will begin at Utsushiki on Saturday, March 2nd, making for an incredibly lively weekend.
Akira, Tamio , Takuya and Nanarou from BUM will be in the gallery today until Monday, so please take this opportunity to stop by!
March has begun in such a festive way, but my body has not been able to keep up with the change in seasons and I ended up getting sick last month.
While I was bedridden, I found myself dozing off and thinking that perhaps even though it is not visible to the naked eye, the natural world is quietly changing the scene and a new story is beginning.
The reason I say this is that after the beginning of spring, I felt a slight change in my physical sensations, and although it's difficult to put into words, I had the sensation of turning the page of a story.
Speaking of physical experience, it's been exactly six months since I started doing yoga seriously last year.
I am still a beginner, but thanks to the daily practice, I can feel my body becoming softer, opening up, stretching, and feeling changes inside.
What made me very happy was that I was able to do Sirsasana (headstand), which is said to be the king of asanas (poses)!
As the name Headstand suggests, the position involves standing on your head and maintaining balance, which requires more arm strength than you might imagine, and it was also important to lose the fear of falling over.
The most important thing is to focus your attention on your stomach.
In yoga,
There is a concept called "bandha" which holds the energy within the body by "tightening, locking or confining." By focusing particularly on the bandhas of the pelvic floor, abdomen and throat, energy can be maintained and the asana can be stabilized.
In headstand, the Uddiyana Bandha on my stomach played a major role when I finally stretched my legs toward the ceiling.
When we make a big decision, we say we make up our minds or make up our minds. In Japan, there is the kanji character for "hara" (belly), which has been used since ancient times. When I made that decision (Uddiyana Bandha), I intuitively thought, "Ah! I can do it now!"
At the "Utsushiki Aikido Club" held once a month at the Ono family home,
"Tighten your stomach"
"Put your strength into your stomach"
Rather than simply sucking in your stomach, imagine gathering energy from your legs and locking it in your pelvic floor and tanden.
If you don't have strength in your stomach, it's immediately obvious that you're not carrying any energy...
Then the doctor said, "Stomach! Stomach! Stomach!"
I think what the teacher is referring to is the "hara".
Tighten your stomach?
Should I relax my arms?
Is your back not arching?
While you are thinking about this and that in your head, you lose all spirit, your breathing stops, and you end up relying too much on force, but once you "get your mind settled" the technique will come naturally.
This is quite difficult and feels like training that forces me to question my posture every day.
At this point, it becomes clear that there is a big difference between what we think of as our belly and our stomach.
To make up one's mind to make up one's mind to make up one's mind
I have recently come to realise that words that have been used in Japan since ancient times are wonderful and that it is time to reconsider the meaning behind the use of the kanji character for earth, which means "mikuzuki."
In March, start with your body!
Let's be mindful of our health and have a great start to spring.
Thank you for your continued support this week♡
