Bay Shakti Talks: Interview with Sianna Sherman, Part 2

Sianna in Handstand Lotus from her website www.opentograce.com

Transcript of the Interview, Part 2:

Q. So how does Grace manifest in poses and why do you think it’s so helpful in illuminating a pose?

A.  Grace is sort of everything that leads the way in the pose. From the beginning, through the middle, to the end and all the transitions in between. And there’s lots of ways you can talk about this, but it’s… for me,  it’s a feeling that the pose is ultimately a way to express our hearts from the inside out and that when there’s a remembrance of Grace as this elegant, brilliant radiance of spirit that is the luminous quality from inside the self and that’s what’s allowed to be the emanating force of the pose, then everything about the pose, even if it’s a really tough pose for you or one that’s very easy for you, everything about the pose actually shifts. And so I think that it’s not even that it’s grace first and then something else, it’s just Grace.. and you’re in the pose.. and a little bio-mechanics that help the pose, and more Grace, and you go deeper in the pose… then more Grace. It’s exponential unending, you know, infinite amounts of Grace that keeps opening up the pose. Even as your coming out, Grace is still expanding. So, does that help?

{Ginger} Absolutely. Although I’m still working on handstand in the middle of the room.

{Sianna} Oh, are we back to the handstand?

Q. So, you know again, it’s an ebb and flow with Grace and as you said, the bio-mechanics.  Would you say that there are any kind of secrets or techniques that you can help those of us who are struggling with different poses, especially handstands in the middle of the room?

A. Hahahahah. You really like this. Okay… alright. Well, every single day you are going to have your sweetheart, Brad, help you in this handstand. {Ginger-He’s our cameraman today.} Yes, that’s right. And just say, I’m going to try handstand… this is actually how I learned it. Because I really wanted to be able to do handstand too. So I had a couple of little tricks. One, is that I used to drive… not that you need to do this next thing, but, I use to drive across the country a lot back and forth because… well that’s another whole long story. But, to keep myself healthy, I would stop every two hours at a rest area and I would practice handstand. And I would go in the grass and out by the trees. Like I love nature so I went to nature and practiced with the tree as my support, because trees give me huge amounts of support. SO I’m just thinking that a huge support for you in your life is your sweetheart, so, that maybe everyday, {Ginger-he gets me through it!} Yes, he’s your big tree, that maybe everyday, just three times a day, you are going to work with handstands with someone you love. So just right away it just opens up the field of play inside at first and I think that that is really the essence of it. Like that it’s play, you know, it’s sacred play and it’s with someone you love and so right away, the heart is happy to try and totally be present. Then, for you, you are going to learn how to make your hands really strong, and this is why the grass is good, because you can grab the tufts of grass, right? Then you’re just going to squeeze like mad banshee right into the midline with all the love you’ve got and you are going to root into the earth, grow your roots, and lift as high as you can through the feet. And it’s going to happen three times a day, with your loved one, total play, connected.

To find out more about Sianna Sherman and where she is teaching, check out OpentoGrace.com