Poses that Suck

Image: MyYogaOnline.com

Every yoga student I've met has at least one pose that pisses him off--at least a little bit. If you've been reading my blog long you know that I hate—no, detest—maybe even, LOATHE--Parivrtta Trikonasa (Revolved Triangle) and its close relatives Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose) and Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose). Frankly, the only thing I hate more is the teacher who asks me to hold one of these poses for more than three breaths. (Of course, the hate subsides into sincere gratitude when the teacher lets me come out of the pose.)

Yesterday, I was in a yoga class that incorporated my least favorite poses. We held Revolved Triangle. Then, we held Revolved Half Moon. I cursed under my breath and thought, I'm never coming here again! But in the next set of poses, the teacher called out Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose). Finally! A pose I love! Then, it hit me. You see, it wasn't so long ago that I hated Half Moon Pose with as much enthusiasm as I now hate Revolved Triangle. In fact, I remember thinking one of my teachers kept teaching it just to mock me—including it into every class just so he could see me fall over. (Jerk!) But with time, I got better at it. I didn't fall down any more , and eventually I learned to love it. 

Since then, I've been thinking about what makes us hate the poses we hate. Is it because they bring out our physical weaknesses, which irritates our egos? Could it be that they simply make us uncomfortable? When we learn to like a pose we once hated, will we always find another pose to dislike, or is that just me? Does anyone not hate at least one pose?

How has your most hated pose evolved during the time you've practiced?