What's up with the Kama Sutra?
We've all seen the Kama Sutra, right? Big book of pictures of freaky Indian people from the 1800s having sex in highly exotic positions. Some text too, by some hedonist British pervert, which if you read it is interesting but not exactly gripping. The pictures, though, are really something else. Most of them look physically impossible without some serious shoulder and hip dislocations going on. How do they do it?
Answer: Yoga. Specifically, raja yoga, the fourth branch of yoga, that of "self-control" primarily through physical activity.
Now, I take yoga. I have for six months. Sure, I'm one of the Top Ten Most Tense People on the Planet, but at least I'm trying. Yoga has this reputation of being easy, just stretching and breathing in weird ways, and hanging out with smelly hippies. Yoga is not like that. Yoga is way fucking harder for me than lifting weights or going to the gym or just about anything. Yoga won't let me zone out and "just do it." Yoga requires that I focus and pay attention. Paying attention HURTS. Paying attention means more stretching, deeper breathing. Trying to relax muscles that are quivering with exertion. Paying attention to every part of my body, from the alignment of my neck and hips, to my breath, to how hard my toes are gripping the floor, to how much tension is in my hands.
And what's more, the results of yoga, for me, are slow in coming. Duh, as one of the Top Ten, I'm a teensy tiny bit of a stress case, and while yoga is great for me, it crumbles and tries to shatter the tension that I rely on to keep me upright and functioning through my day. My body is so stressed that I have to actively talk it into relaxing, and reassure myself that relaxing actually won't hurt, or if it does, that I can tense up again. It's like a stubborn child, afraid to take the medicine that will make it get better.
However, there are benefits. My back problems are decreasing significantly. Hard as it is to let go, I do seem to be letting go of some amount of stress with each class, and I sleep better the nights after I have yoga. Finally, the Wanton Hussy yoga benefits: all those yummy yoga bodies to drool at. Toned, not overly muscular, strong people with an air of being relaxed and easy-going and in touch with their bodies. Everything I wish I was. Plus, I have actually noticed in myself some Kama Sutra-esque increased flexibility and stamina.
Now, to bug my husband to get four more wives so we can do the horsy pose picture…
(Disclaimer: The Kama Sutra is of course more than merely a list of poses, and I do actually agree that it contains information, ideas, and ideals that are still applicable to sexuality today. And yes, obviously, many/most of the positions are based on yoga positions. Furthermore, if you're bored, typing "kama sutra" into Google will net you some interesting results. Thank Rati for the internet!)