There’s a sequence I teach in almost every class. For my students on mats, we lie on our backs and sweep our arms up and behind us while taking our feet together, really enjoying a gentle extension of the spine. We then let our arms and legs go out to the side kind of like we’re making a snow angel. In this shape we really embrace ease in the body. We explore five or six repetitions of this, linking our breath with our movements, and then land in rest with our arms wide and our feet wide.

I often think of my student Paul when I teach this. Paul recently passed away from the long term effects of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s causes a rigidity in the body, and in Paul’s case, a strong inward contraction toward the midline. Creating the sensation of ease for a student with this condition can be challenging. For Paul, getting his body into the shape of our snow angel was hard. I would assist in placing his legs wide and he would “rest” there. Ease for Paul was relative.

At our studio, I teach students who are accustomed to practicing a flow style and often view postures like our snow angel as resting points or places to wait for whats next. I often remind them this is “what’s next.” I think of Paul and remind them that it’s pretty amazing they can put their bodies in a shape that creates ease and space without their bodies fighting them. This is not the shame anyone, but to highlight that there is equal value in effort and ease. We fail to notice that when we only chase intense sensation.

I didn’t attend, but I heard from one of my students that they played the old gospel hymn “I’ll Fly Away“ at Paul’s funeral. This same student shared with me that she thought of Paul flying away from his physical body and finally experiencing the freedom and ease he was craving. Rest Easy Paul, you were an angel to many.