How to Walk a Tightrope
Philippe Petit stunned the world when he walked between New York’s Twin Towers in 1974. For 45 minutes, he walked 8 passes on the cable, knelt and reclined between the towers. Over the years, he walked canyons and even the towers of Notre Dame. But did he start out walking so high and so dramatically? The short answer is: No!
When Philippe Petit was growing up in France, he strung rope between two trees and taught himself the basics of tightrope. He also enjoyed juggling. He combined these skills and worked as a street performer in Paris. Over time, he fortified his skill set. This leads me to my own tightrope: Yoga Poses that I Find Challenging. This group of poses includes bakasana and variations, sideplank and variations, and handstand.
Over the last 2 years, I have been working on Bakasana (Crow). Every time I do it, I learn something new. It’s about hip flexibility but also upper body strength AND balance. I am excited about my Bakasana improvement because I really want to get strong enough to do Parsva Bakasana (Side Crow)!
Sideplank is tough for me. I just recently began lifting my top leg for the first time. I have really been working on lateral core strength and stability. I am working toward Visvamitrasana (the Sage Visvamitra’s pose)Visivamistrasana. I need more lateral strength, arm strength and hip flexibility first.
My final pose quest: Handstand. A few years ago I took Trapeze yoga to work on my fear of being upside down and falling. (I fell off a jungle gym as a kid and really knocked my noggin) I have been working on Handstand prep for the last 2 years. I am getting stronger and focusing on doing more Handstand preps but for shorter time durations to build mental focus and physical ability.
You may be a professional tightrope walker (a funambulist, from the Latin for rope, funis, and ambulare, walking). You may walk over a deep canyon. You may walk barely above the ground between two trees. Both are equally good. You decide what your tight rope is and how high you want to go. In tightropes, relationships, work and even yoga, the real yoga happens when you settle in and chart your own course. Be well.
Since this snap, I’ve learned to bring the arms back a bit and turn the hands out for more stability. Kikko remains unimpressed.
Bakasana
Here I am with my “I often fall on my face” bolster, just in case. When I first started working on Bakasana, I would forget to lift up and repeatedly hurl my body forward. Sigh.