How playful is your down dog???

Until I started sharing yoga with children on a daily basis, I didn't truly understand how a yoga practice could be playful and meaningful.  Oh, I knew it didn't have to be serious all of the time.  My yoga teacher is one of the funniest people I know.  One of the first things he told me was that yoga does not have to be serious, but, rather, sincere.  His ability to joke and be light hearted made me instantly comfortable and I knew I had found the right teacher for me.  So, from the start of my career as a yoga instructor, I knew how to incorporate humor into a class of adults, but I was still subconsciously placing a lot of undue pressure on myself and my own practice.  My mind just wouldn't accept that my yoga session was "enough" for the day if it wasn't uninterrupted, silent, and for a certain length of time.  My mind didn't accept that sincere effort could come in many forms and expressions.

This became a real conflict when I started teaching PE & Movement at my children's school in addition to my adult classes.  I desperately wanted to incorporate yoga into the student's day, but I struggled to find a way to do it that appealed to them and me.  My mind had the idea that I was "watering it down" too much and really disliked that notion.  To put it at ease, I tried some ideas from books and videos, but nothing really sprung organically from me until one day, several weeks in, during cow, cat, and down dog stretches that I started explaining (from my own experience as a child) how cows are friendly and love to greet everyone with a "moooo" and cats are often moody and don't feel like talking with a "meeooww" and back and forth.  Then something about the kid's enthusiasm in making the noises must have inspired the child in me because I was suddenly saying "and now I will say the magic words and we will all turn into dogs!"

As I recited the magic words, "wiggle, waggle.... wiggle, waggle,  wiggle, waggle............." very slowly, the children followed my lead as I wiggled my hips back over my heels, but kept my "paws" firmly in place.  After a dramatic pause, I cried, "WOOF!" and we all went tails up together.  It was fun!  It was play!  And it was pretty darn good alignment for downward facing dog.

I found that I was enJOYing wagging my tail even if it wasn't my traditional dog done on my mat....at home...in a silent, meditative atmosphere.  In fact, it dawned on me that JOY should be a a main ingredient in all of my down dogs.  And, thankfully, that idea has stuck, because today this old dog had many, many chores and not much free time, so she decided to go "tails up" while gardening in her new backyard.  With the sun warming her skin, the grass caressing her hands, and the lumps and bumps of the soil challenging her footing, downward facing dog was a brand new experience and a feast for the senses!  All hail the down dog that can be playful and meaningful!