Do you know that old R&B song dating back to 1965, by Martha and the Vandellas, “Dancing in the Street”? David Bowie and Mick Jagger brought it back twenty years later, in 1985 (which is how I came to know the song)…
Callin’ out around the world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer’s here and the time is right
For dancing in the street…
That’s what the month of June 2022 was all about — dancing with my yoga chair! I am grateful to the three parties who co-sponsored the online event, #playfulsummerpractice, Arm Balance Sequence with a Chair: Dallas Iyengar, Yoga Kurunta, and Iyengar Yoga Center.
As someone who’s periodically tried to “take on” arm balances in my yoga practice over the years, I eagerly decided to participate in this 30-day social media challenge. Basically, I realized that as much as I use the yoga chair on a regular basis for support in standing, seated, and twisting poses, I had not used it much to help me improve my arm balances. So why not give it a try? It turned out to be a super-fun way to focus experimentation in my daily practice for a month. The creative juices were stimulated daily, especially as I tried advanced poses through novel approaches and supports… and often surprised myself!
As the month came to a close, I found myself reflecting on the richness of this endeavor (see previous post for a poem that resulted) and the deepened appreciation I now hold for this simple yoga prop — this incredible dance partner, that has led me to new heights in my practice.
With that song, “Dancing in the Streets” in my head, I came up with new lyrics, appropriate to the month:
Calling out around the world
Are you ready for a new way to share?
Summer’s here and the time is right
For playful summer practice with a chair
They’re playing in Dallas, TX (dancing with the chair)
Down in San Antonio (dancing with the chair)
In Mexico City (dancing with the chair)
All we need is a chair, mat and blocks (sweet sweet props)
There’ll be yoga props everywhere (everywhere)
They’ll be pushing, pulling, twisting, turning
Playing with the chair, oh
It doesn’t matter what you wear
Just as long as you take care
So come on, every yogi, grab a chair
After invocations and initial prayers
They’ll be playing, playing with the chair (playing with the chair)
It’s an invitation across all nations, a chance for folks to meet
They’ll be exploring, learning, posing, posting
Playing with the chair…
Enjoy a 90-second summary of the online event, complete with the original song accompanying a photo montage of the month: check out my Reel on Instagram (and make sure you have the sound on)!
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