Oppositional Movement in Yoga Asana Practice
All movement, whether it is yoga asana or something else, relies on some type of Force: our bodies move with or against the pull of gravity, and there is the effort exerted by our muscles to resist or surrender to that force; there is also force on our bodies by our bodies, in addition to gravity. Oppositional movement is a force in one direction creating movement in the opposite direction, and equally opposing forces creating stillness and balance. This discussion will be on the latter force. There are many types of yoga, but for the purposes of this discussion, I will be focusing on the physical practice of yoga asana, as done in a Vinyasa Yoga class, though this discussion will be applicable to many styles of asana practice. In a dynamic yoga practice, whether you are flowing or still, there is constant oppositional movement happening. For example, when moving from Downward Dog into Plank pose, there is exertion backward through the heels to propel the shoulders forward over th...