The full locust pose, aka poorna – salabhasana in Bikram yoga, has many benefits. Besides firming the abdominal wall and upper thighs, it increases the size and elasticity of the rib cage and improves flexibility and strength of the lower spine.In my class it has one more benefit…it builds trust.
When I first began doing Yoga I found the people to be a little cold and distant. Lately, I found that to be just the opposite. I asked others and they reported similar feelings. The room has really warmed up—and I don’t mean physically.
People smile more. People talk more. They share stories. There seems to be more trust.
Trust doesn’t come automatically. It must be developed.
It’s interesting to note that my teacher Leo, who has a really great rap, always takes the opportunity to tell us to touch our neighbor when we do the full locust pose. Notice in the picture how the arms are extended.
He tells us to “touch our neighbor for good luck,” and then tells us how much the Power Ball is this week.
One morning he said something very interesting, “You people have a better shot at winning the lottery than actually touching your neighbor.”
After that it seemed, things opened up…people were reaching out to touch each other a bit more. And then smiling a bit more.
Touching does wonderful things…maybe even building trust.
Animals know this…what’s with all the grooming? How do you feel when you pet your dog, or hug your child?
Positive psychologist Chris Peterson in his book Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology informs us that teams that touched each other more, in terms of head slaps, chest and fist bumps, high fives and other variations of touching…built more trust and won more championships.
I now watch my favorite teams to notice how true this is.
The title of this blog is TAO—trust, appreciation and ownership. I have been writing a lot about trust lately because when discussed, no one ever tells us how to build it. How to develop; it…they just give us the platitudes without any reasons…how motivating is that?
Well, here’s some advice with some science behind it — hug your neighbor, touch your partner…not only is it fun…it builds trust.
Thanks Leo.