Suki Dalury in Lolasana; by Zoe Zimmerman for Sundara Studios 2013
‘Tis the season for the dangling splendors of twinkle, sparkle, and shine, brightening dark nights, cheering weary eyes, and inviting our hearts to feel more buoyant and lofty as we gracefully move into the darkest night of the year.
In the asana practice, Pendant Pose (Lolasana) invites the same inner feeling as twinkling lights on a dark night, and can also resemble the heaviness that precedes such lightheartedness felt during these darkest nights of the year, and the weightiest nights of our souls.
To begin kneel with your hips resting upon your heels, ankles crossed for beginners (as your skill level increases, ankles side by side). Place your hands next to your thighs, pressing down into the knuckle pads of all ten fingers and gripping gently with your fingertips. Inhale to hug into the resplendent luster of your bright heart, making your body strong, drawing your legs and arms to the midline and your abdominal muscles back toward your spine.
Exhale to press down into your hands as you lean forward, lifting your knees off the mat. Start first with lifting your knees; build abdominal strength by curling your knees deeply into your chest and lifting your toes off the mat. Hold for a few breaths with the toes resting on the floor or in midair. Exhale to release, switch the cross of your ankles, and repeat. When you have built the inner strength to lift your toes off the mat, begin to play with a swinging pendant action.
At first glance Lolasana, like a feeling of lightheartedness on the darkest of nights, in theory is simple and easy. However, in practice, like life, Lolasana requires all of oneself to show up, over and over again, in order to truly know the lightness of one’s being.