These days I am drawn to the wide-legged forward folds in the ashtanga sequence almost as much as the heart opening backbends. Sometimes they complement each other, other times they fight against each other. Our ashtanga instructor described the practice as “Like a paperclip that is pulled open, bent, opened again, then re-bent….until something gives.”
The giving in might be the ultimate achievement of the posture. It might also manifest as injury. Strength & stamina fight with flexibility & suppleness. The hope is that they find a way to coexist — and just be. That’s when the fun really begins, or so I am told.