I find that I am more able to appreciate life in general when my body feels good. That is something that bitilasana can truly offer us, releasing the tightness of the back in a very gentle fashion. Often times this pose can be a very good release for the back in the morning as our spine might have been in a rigid sedimentary state for a number of hours.
Performing bitilasana is rather simple for the most part. Moving onto all fours, hands and knees, in a table top like position, with an inhale, we look forward. Allowing our backs to become concave, the pelvis tilts down in the front and up in the back.
Once in bitilasana, I encourage myself to reflect a bit on what a cow is like, to try and expand my awareness into another state of being, becoming a cow in some ways, or at least the qualities that a cow embodies to me. Cows provide allot for us in their milk and used to be common as a beast of burden. Also, cows ask for little in return, some grain to eat, and possibly some shelter. So, to me, a cow represents a state of being strong, dependable, patient, humble, and kind. What does the deeper meaning of cow bring to mind for you? It may sound silly, and it can be a good thing to laugh. It my also seem hurtful if your weight is not what is in fashion right now, and I apologize if this brings up any negative feelings. I invite you to look beyond this though, and find a nobler truth within yourself, one that is not constrained by social trends or fears, but one that seeks a place of peace and joy.
Something else that this pose brings to mind for me is the sacredness of the cow in India. I have never really studied the subject up until now, and I am grateful for the chance to align myself a bit more closely with the culture where yoga originated. Cows are revered because they provide so much. According to http://www.stayhealthytill70.com/properties-indian-desi-vedic-cows-products-cow-milk-curd-ghee/ The milk, curd, and ghee (a pure form of butter) of Indian or Vedic cows have many benefits including increased energy, respiratory, reproductive system, bone, and digestive health, aiding with metabolic disorders, infections, promoting healthy skin, and a possible antidote for radiation damage. Interestingly enough even their urine is used in medicine.
http://www.blog.gomataseva.org/distilled-cow-urine-qualitiesbenefits/ provides us with information about such medicines, indicating that they help problems related to the liver, stomach, diabetes, eczema, cancer and many other critical diseases. That is amazing! It also sounds a bit disgusting if I look at it with my normal filters and lenses. But it also provides me with a unique opportunity, an opportunity to look beyond my understandings and embrace something that many kind and humble people respect and implement in their own lives for health and healing. And, if the culture that has created yoga embraces this, if yoga has brought health and healing in my own life, maybe there is something to medicine that is created with Indian cow urine. I may need some time and growth before I actually take some myself, but I can not deny that I have found much healing in yoga, so could not this be good for me too?
Thank you so much for being with me here today, for reading this, and maybe practicing a little of the physical and mental practices of yoga. I wish you much health, patients, kindness, and stability in all your moments to come, my friend! Aaron :-) <3
Greetings to you this week, my friend! I hope that this week is providing you with a good experiences! Sometimes our own feelings of unsteadiness and distance from ease can make that rather difficult. Sometimes our inability to see beyond our fears and assumptions can cause us a limited range of enjoyment. So, this week, in Postures of Life, I would like to introduce Cow Pose or Bitilasana. I have found that this pose provides me with not just a way to promote more flexibility in my body, but a way to expand my consciousness about living and how one can live their life. Thank you so much for taking time to consider this and this article in your life, my friend! May you have a great day and week filled with patience, stability, happiness, and peace! Aaron :-)