Sweet success, in the sugar cane pos pose

I am excited that not a day goes by, when I do not learn a new yoga name or a new pose, or a new variation of an old pose, or even a challenging new way to enter an old pose. Even more exciting for me is how I can make almost all my students reach poses that appear daunting. That all I want from them, is the will to do it,and it may be attempted.

This is part of the thrill of being a yoga teacher. And now, as new students come I am less daunted at their awkwardness with their bodies or their disconnect, because I know that my guru's grace is going to get them to pass through this stage easily enough:)

The sugarcane pose (chapasana) in its many variations -- from top let, side plant, mountain, cat, standing forward bend (setuasana, parvatasana, vyagrasana, uttanasana).

It is a lovely challenging pose. I realize it works the oblique with intricate intensity (especially in the side plank), opens the hips in all its variations, and tremendously challenges your senseof balance. In the cat stretch, there is also the easier version of holding ankle with the opposite hand (unlike here, with the same right hand holding right ankle). So, it apparently has endless possibilities.
On the emotional level, it offers:

1. Exhilaration (it is quite interesting to note that most poses which challenge the "love handle" muscles have this impact).
2. A keen sense of adventure.
3. Playfulness (because you must be prepared to fall and pick upin the learning stages).
4. Stability, groundedness.
5. An openness of the mind (otherwise most stretches are difficult if you are learning later in life:)
6. Focus.
7. Internalisation/involution of the mind.
8. Fearlessness (a lot of fear comes from how harshly we judge ourselves as beginners/or when we fall and much of the injuries on the mat come from either a lack of focus or extreme ego).
9. A love for precision and structure, and therefore clarity of thinking.
10. Pure stamina of the spirit.