‘Forget about yoga. Bowspring is the new thing.’ said a friend of mine. So, I found myself in a small attic studio with my mat lined up parallel to the wall. All other students were complete strangers and far older than me, which I took as a good sign. Until then, I had only seen pictures of highly acrobatic people with merely impossible posture. Therefore, I was relieved that there were people older than me attracted to Bowspring too. We all waited for the teacher to arrive.
And there she was! She flew in like a pixie or little princess from a fairy-tale but in the body of a grown-up woman. She seemed to like pink, glitter, and net lace. I instantly liked her and felt inspired.
It all started with a presentation – a rather nerdy talk – about posture, fascia, connective tissue, and lots of other new things about the body I’d not previously known when I lived in bone and muscle land.
And then we began to massage one of our hands, in so much detail! It didn’t feel like it was only one part of the body anymore. It felt like an ensemble of parts that could be remoulded. And then we massaged the other hand, followed by both feet. Massaging, massaging, massaging. At least an hour had passed before we started any ‘real’ movement. This was merely the preparation for the class.
It all started right there in this attic studio. I started Bowspring at the same time I quit yoga. My posture began to change. I gained strength and flexibility that I’d never experienced before. I began to move more freely, organically and with a greater range of motion; a primal movement like an animal.
I remember when our teacher said, ‘You have to be ready like a cat is ready to jump on the mouse.’ She made us practice jumping for an imaginary mouse. With many repetitions. It was quite funny. A room full of grown-ups playing cat and mouse.
Repetition is good because Bowspring gives you much to think about. All the tiny adjustments. Learning and feeling what tension and integrity really mean. Bowspring is for those who want to challenge themselves. For those who want to step out of their comfort zone.
This grown-up little princess is still my teacher. She became like a caring Bowspring mother to many of us. One of the things that connect us is the earth apple. It plays an essential part in Bowspring. Those who want to learn more about the meaning should register for a class right away.
It’s also funny that potatoes are called ‘earth apples’ in Austria (like in France) and we both love them. I even have a mono meal day a week when I only eat potatoes. My teacher always knows when it’s a potato day. She sees more tension and integrity in my Bowspring practice. I feel it on those days too.
This spring we both started to grow potatoes in our neighbouring gardens. I shared some potato seeds with her so I was able to give back a little for what I gained in the classes already. May our practice grow as much as our plants. Let’s harvest many potatoes and cultivate a happy and healthy body over and over again.
© Barbara Neubauer 2021-05-26