I honestly think I may be over thinking this whole naming thing, as words can mean different things to different folk, and where some maybe be delighted or amused, others may be confused or even offended .
However, when I set out to write and post on SubStack, I had one stipulation which rapidly become two, and they are:
One - To get all of this good practice information out of my head and into the world.
And two - To have fun doing so!
So forgive me if I have confused or offended you by this or my other posts ( and if I did offend you and your still reading, I thank you for your persistence and attention) but when trying to describe this shape, the two main descriptive words were ‘thrust’ and ‘tortoise’, which reefers to the shape and feel of the spine. I’m not sure which variation will stick, but the gist, or thrust of its name is now pretty set in my head. That is unless something better comes along.
Names are not set in stone. At school I learned that unlike stones, words are unlikely to break my bones, and this up till now has held true. What else is also true? That the thrusting tortoise is not easy, nor should it be, as you want to be exploring this shape as the landscape from which you build the foundation for all the following shapes, also known as Asana.
Hopefully I have your attention! Yet if you don’t really do, nor appreciate how amazing Yoga is, ‘all the shapes’ refers to you being in your body and doing everything, Yes, I mean almost EVERYTHING physical you do will feel better.
However, don’t takes my word for it, or rather take my word as your very own Ian (refer to the previous essays, or read inspiration/facilitator), and use these posts as a way to get you started on the journey of “awakening the spine”. (Thank you Vanda Sacraveli, and possibly the best book on Yoga you can buy)
For now, enjoy the video, and I will see you next week where we find ourselves bending backwards.
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