Today in class, while assisting members with the Marichi C and D poses, I noticed a common phenomenon: many people experience rotation of the pelvis and hips on the mat during the binding process. For instance, when binding the right foot in Marichi C, the pelvis tends to rotate to the right, causing the entire hip to shift out of position. This actually reflects that their right heel is too close to the sit bone during the binding process, which prevents the sit bone and pelvis from being firmly anchored to the ground and maintaining an upright pelvis.
When the pelvis loses stability, the thoracic spine also struggles to fully extend, as the base of the spine is not properly anchored. In other words, without anchoring the base of the spine, the entire spine can become overly flexible. When the upper body twists forcefully, the lower body moves along, and this unstable twisting can lead to injuries, even causing lower back pain.
The main reason for the pain often lies in the fact that we do not anchor the pelvis and sit bones during each exhalation. Therefore, in twisting poses, it is crucial not to rush.
We must be aware of whether our spine, pelvis, and sit bones are firmly grounded on the floor with each breath. At the very least, during each exhalation, the hips and sit bones should sink towards the ground. Based on this foundation, we can perform the twisting bind, and as the exhalation reaches the base of the pelvis, the hips will naturally release space. Achieving this state requires a gradual approach.
With each slight twist, we should check if the sit bones are stable. If we notice that the “sit bones are lost” or the pelvis is loose, we should immediately stop and use our breath to find the sit bones and stabilize the foundation. This practice of self-awareness is the most responsible attitude towards ourselves—staying in the current state, stabilizing for a few breaths, and then slowly deepening into the pose. Remember, the body needs us to explore.
In twisting poses like Marichi C and D, the pelvis and sit bones serve as our anchor points. First, we need to fix them to the ground before entering the twist, which can at least help avoid unnecessary pain.
The Ritual and Persistence of Practice
Regarding the continuity of practice, many newcomers have doubts. In fact, we can treat our daily mat practice as a ritual. Many new members are unsure if they can persist and want to buy fewer classes. My suggestion is to at least purchase a monthly pass to try it out. By consistently maintaining this ritual daily, we can gradually develop a habit.
It does require persistence at first, but perhaps next month, the seeds will begin to sprout. When we maintain our daily ritual, we often gain intrinsic motivation from it. Some people think that ritual is just “finding something to do,” but that is not the case.
Why do we need a sense of ritual?
Because a sense of ritual can create a small island of certainty in our uncertain daily lives. This island can shield us from the storms of uncertainty, so we must value the cultivation of this sense of ritual—the practice on the mat is an important manifestation of this.
Returning to the binding techniques of Marichi C and D: with each binding, we should be aware of the depth of our twist. If we find that our breath cannot reach the lower abdomen, we should regress in our practice—perhaps by moving the heels further from the sit bones, or temporarily not binding, or asking a teacher to assist in entering a suitable practice stage.
Never imitate others, thinking, “If others can bind, I must be able to do it too.” We do not need to prove ourselves by whether we can complete a pose; listening to our body’s voice is the greatest responsibility we can take for ourselves.
Breath Reaching the Pelvic Floor
In many forward bends in standing and seated positions, we can also be aware of whether our breath is deep. True deep breathing can allow the exhalation to reach the base of the pelvis, while inhalation also occurs at the base of the pelvis—exhalation carries inhalation, all happening in the pelvic floor area and near the sacrum.
Regarding pelvic floor practice, it is actually about gradually cultivating our awareness. When the breath reaches the base of the pelvis, it should not be loose; once it becomes loose, the breath will shift to the upper chest, causing a disruption in the breath flow in the lower abdomen. Therefore, throughout the practice, we must continuously pay attention to and observe our breathing state.
What we truly want to cultivate is to allow the breath to gradually enter the lower abdomen and pelvic floor area, so that both inhalation and exhalation begin from this area. This requires slow practice and awareness. Sometimes, we do not need to pursue so-called “high-level” practice content—those seemingly advanced poses may not be effective for us. The most basic practices are often the most valuable. (End)
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