Head Down, Heart Open
For those of you who follow me on Instagram you have probably been keeping up with my recent musings on Head Down, Heart Open. I have already shared some of this post on Instagram, but I have made a few edits, additions, and clarifications here. Also, I am hosting and Instagram Challenge Starting February with this theme , so I have included those details here as well.
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Years ago, I was talking to a friend of mine about feeling overwhelmed within the yoga industry and all of the various demands I was feeling. He told me, “Yeah, I just try to keep my head down and do my work well.”
That conversation inspires the first part of my Head Down, Heart Open Consideration. “Head down” is the intention and practice of focusing more on what I am doing that seems to be helpful than on my judgments about the choices others are making; to focus on the work that is right in front of me and that is mine to do. I think of “head down” as introspective in nature, personally-oriented, and characterized by mindful awareness of what is actually going on inside myself, inside a relationship, or inside any given situation. Like anything, “head down” can have shadow sides. We can be so focused on ourselves, we fail to see the needs of those around us. While having blinders on can be useful at times, those same blinders can hamper awareness, empathy, and connection.
The "heart open" part is the practice of staying soft enough to see and work through my mistakes as I make them and to appreciate the fine people in my life with whom I am connected. Also, heart open helps me allow those people with whom I am not in resonance to follow their unique life journeys without an ongoing narrative by yours truly. I consider “heart open” more extroverted in nature, more outward-flowing and characterized by loving, compassionate responses to what is wanted and needed in any situation. "Heart open" also has potential pitfalls. With so much pain, injustice, and outrage in the world, empathy fatigue is real and burnout is all-too-common. (Yes, even among us yoga teachers.) It's all too easy to feel overwhelmed by suffering, to shut down, to be debilitated under the weight of deep feelings, and/or to feel as if one must constantly spring into action.
The Head Down, Heart Open principle maps also well onto our asana practice. At the core of alignment-oriented asana (at least as I see it) are two questions: 1.) What is going on? and 2.) What do I need?
In this application, “head down” is the “what is going on” part of the equation. Where is my body in space? Where is my energy flowing freely? Where is my energy stuck? What part of my body is moving well? What part is moving too much or not enough? etc. “Head Down,” or being honest and aware of what is going on, is important so we are not forcing ourselves into shapes or using alignment instructions habitually. Instead, we are grounded in the reality of the moment in our bodies.
The “heart open” is the willingness to respond with love to what is going on or the “what do I need” part of the formula. Maybe I need a wider stance, a deeper breath, or a prop. Perhaps I need a different pose, a longer hold, or to adjust for a condition or injury. Maybe I need more information and can ask a question, read up on a subject, or ask a friend for advice. “Heart open” is important because we can always respond to ourselves with harshness or judgment, even in yoga. Sitting things out, modifying, grabbing a block or strap, etc. are loving responses and cultivating that perspective is important healing work.
On the mat, every instruction is aimed at helping us answer the questions— what is going on and what do I need— at ever-increasing levels of subtlety and depth. From the outer shape to the inner experience, we are learning a language of inquiry and response. Of course, I completely understand that on the surface of things, alignment-oriented yoga often feels more like a barrage of instructions, a bunch of “do this and don’t do that” and rules that border on rigid dogma. And, if you are anything like me, you know that learning the language of asana, of any given teacher, and of your own body/mind/emotion complex can be tedious at times. All that is part of it also.
And, from what I can tell, some people are more naturally adept at Head Down, while others come by Heart Open more readily. And, as per usual, I have no magic formulas for any of this, simply a reminder that practice is ongoing and perfection is not the aim.
I also use this strategy in terms of managing my social media involvement lately. The "head down” part is to challenge myself to create some content that is useful, fun, inspiring, authentic and/or in which Locket or the cats are featured. The “heart open” part is to get online and remember that I mostly know the people on my feed, I care about them, I am truly interested in what’s going on in their lives AND that even if I do not know them yet personally, they have feelings.
Many of my students and colleagues tell me how afraid they are of posting anything because of the amount of criticism on the socials. Other folks tell me how upset they get as they scroll— FOMO, negative comparisons, holier-than-thou influencers, etc. and those feelings create overwhelm, avoidance, disdain and/or paralysis. I totally get that.
And, truth be told, my feed is fairly well-curated with cute dog photos, funny memes, and people I know from in-person classes/events over the years or that I am getting to know on the socials. All in all, it's a fairly friendly space. And, I swore off arguing with strangers online many years ago. (I understand that arguing is sometimes necessary in intimate relationships to sort out the various nuances of navigating a friendship over time, but I haven’t found a lot of value in arguing online with people I don’t know.)
Like any practice, I don’t always get it right. I fall into every trap imaginable while scrolling and posting my own content, but this mantra serves me well most days. And wouldn’t you know it," head down, heart open" makes the whole endeavor more fun, creative and enjoyable for me.
And, perhaps one of the best parts of this mindset is that it helps me break the habit of criticizing and fault finding that had long flavored my perception and actions. Criticism is an easy trap to fall into and I see plenty of it— inside myself and others. And so we are clear, I am not ignoring, or suggesting we ignore, the difficult and harmful truths that have emerged in many yoga communities over the years. I am talking about the habitual stance of finding fault I had fallen into, which is marked by a sort of self-congratulatory disdain. While criticism can create initial bonds between people that feel like connection, my observation and experience is that, over time, this kind of bond is quite limited, being formed more on what is wrong and what is not happening, than through a creative, nourishing, collaborative movement forward together.
I don’t always get it right. Again, none of this is a perfectionistic thing or a static state, just an invitation to inquiry and response. You know, Head Down, Heart Open.—What is going on? What do I need?
Like that.
Okay— here are the details on the challenge!
Dear Friends!
I am hosting my first ever challenge on Instagram starting February 1! I hope you will join me and help me spread the word to get as many people involved as possible. Inspired by my recent musings about #HeadDownHeartOpen on Instagram, this 14-day challenge features heart-opening postures accompanied by thoughtful, introspective captions. (Modifications and embellishments are encouraged and celebrated, so no contortionism is required.)
The spirit of this challenge is twofold: 1.) head down means look within and pay attention to your inner wisdom, and 2.) heart open means well, keep your heart open and love flowing into the world.
Week #1 begins with anjali mudra for intention setting, move through lunge variations, warrior 1, side plank variation, camel pose, and ends with a seated side stretch. Week #2 works with similar shapes in deeper expressions so you will also be in the middle of a little "progressive sequencing strategies" lesson. No crazy poses, no unrealistic expectations-- just me, you, and a bunch of people exploring practice together.
Practitioners of all levels will enjoy these accessible postures along with the tips & techniques I will provide and will benefit from the metaphoric musings on the deeper purposes of practice. Teachers will learn some new variations and approaches to familiar poses and will have access to ideas for themes and adaptations from me and from one another.
Oh, and we have some good prizes from Christina Sell Yoga, Kira Grace Yoga, Elena Brower, and Meg Abene Newlin!
Wanna play along? It's simple:
1. Follow @christinasell108, @kiragraceyoga, @elenabrower, and @treeduckmama
2. Tag all four accounts with every post and include #HeadDownHeartOpen
3. Tag 2 friends.
4. Post daily-- a photo of the daily heart-opening posture along with an introspective caption inspired by the pose, the process of the pose, or anything that's on your mind and in your heart.
5. Prizes- All participants who complete the two week challenge will receive a 25% off coupon to use on any of Christina Sell's online programs and will be entered into a drawing for one of the following Grand Prizes-- a coupon code for free access to any of Christina Sell's online yoga programs, a Little Black Box from Kira Grace, a Daily Ceremony Deck by Elena Brower, a set of Yoga Collection DoTerra Essential Oils from Elena Brower, and a jar of Beautycounter Counter+ Lotus Glow CleansingBalm from Meg Abene Newlin.
You can see the poses below and follow the link to my Instagram account to follow me, if you don't already do so.
We begin February 1! Please join us.
