John’s Sunday Blog

Progression Regression

A meaningful tool to use in yoga practice or even just daily activities are the concepts of progression and regression. We will use the simple example of pushups. If one cannot do a pushup from toe to hand we would put them standing at a counter or on the knees to lower the force to attain a pushup and then repeat that action consistently until one gains the strength to do a regular pushup. Conversely, if one can easily do pushups we can put their feet on a bench or add a heavy backpack, thus building more strength, progressively.

In yoga we can use this concept. First, we might make a change in our mindset on what the body is. In the developed worldwide culture, the body is looked at as a machine rather than an organism. So let’s break it down. Just like a machine, the body does move and seems to have parts, but it ends there. A machine can be used harshly. We know it can be fixed and what will wear out first. It does not need time to recuperate between uses and can be used for many generations of people if properly stored and maintained. The body, on the other hand, is a robust, yet delicate structure in nature, needing the right conditions to thrive. It needs rest and clean fuel. If parts of it are not used, they atrophy and effect the proper use of the other “parts” along the stream. Yes, stream. The body is a stream of nature. Notice that all living things have an opening for nutrients, and a tube that goes through it, dropping waste at the other end. All this life. How does it thrive? All life, from amoeba to plant to animal depend entirely upon the conditions they find themselves in and choices they make to thrive. The same goes for the human. What is your environment like and what do you choose?

In a way, regression can be seen as progress. Progression simply means to move to a more advanced state. A regression can be seen as a starting point for those who have a goal in mind, for a standard already in place. And here is the rub. MACHINES can be standardized, humans cannot. Although the controllers of industry have tried to apply this to humans, you are as unique as they come. Just like nature, there is no identical blade of grass, leaf, or grain of sand.

I agree that information can be valuable, such as techniques, diets, and medicine. Yet, much confusion can result and further set one back in matters of health, throwing the kitchen sink at yourself, or subduing symptoms, not causes. Many have gone to doctors, chiropractors, dietitians, specialists, gadgets etc, to fix something they feel is a mechanical thing and find themselves just getting worse or staying in some viscous cycle.

In yoga the answer to progressive health is simple and to the point. The point is you.

The standards must be thrown out. One begins to use the particularly human, innate ability, to focus. To focus on how your particular body moves and responds to movement. Shedding light on knowledge about what you do, and think, on a regular basis is also paramount, if you’re honest. It’s a gentle game, setting all your beliefs aside pertaining to what you think you know about the human body and begin to mindfully feel what is this body; its language, its needs. And not in constant monitoring mode. Be patient, stop and look. Greet all sensations with a sense of calm and friendship. Notice your experience, not the experience you think you want. It will open up a world of possibilities and answers. Knowledge of how you move, sleep, rest and think is a treasure far beyond any standards ever created by man. Give the body movement it was made for, and the intelligence within the body, its recuperative power, will be unleashed.