A Poem for Standing Splits

"Here, I learn / that to split does not have to mean / that I break, that to falter does not / have to mean that I am intrinsically / flawed..." from Standing Splits by Corie Feiner

When I set out to write my poem for Standing Splits, it was not because I am an expert at this pose. It is because I struggle with it—

yet still strive to hold myself in this way. Not because I want to look good or show off, but because I want to be fully embodied, harmonize my nervous system and strive to inch past my self-limiting beliefs.

This takes self-acceptance, humor, what could be called courage, and trust. A lot of trust. Little by little, every day, I get on the mat and practice, breathe, try, falter, and try again. I honor where I am at and push myself gently to my appropriate edge.

This edge, as a recovered co-dependent and daughter of abuse survivors, was something that took me years to learn. To not hurt myself or beat myself up, but to honor myself, to love myself, and to be here fully with presence and with grace.

My poem for Standing Splits is not just intended to enhance your yoga practice, but to inspire you to love yourself more and more and more —

After nineteen drafts, and hours of research, this poem demanded that I surrender to the language it wanted to be written in— in short, it wanted to be complex and infused with yearning, sassiness, big words and yogic mythology about Hanuman, a revered Hindu monkey god known for his devotion and strength.

As I wrote and rewrote and refined this poem, shocks of connection came to me when I realized that my nickname as a child was “monkey” (because I climbed everything) and that, like Hanuman, I have a scar on my chin. These connections were a renewal of faith in my practice and this project to write 108 yoga asana poems. And that the heart can speak louder than the mind. And that we are all capable of owning our power, and that with love, practice and faith, we can fly.

I hope this poem for Standing Splits not only enhances your yoga practice but also speaks to something in you that longs for self-love, self-trust, self-acceptance and the permission to meet yourself where you are at, and then gently allow yourself strive.

Standing Splits

By Corie Feiner


I press my right foot firmly 
into the ephemeral body 
of my floor and feel the ground 

breathe through me, my hands holding
the guidepost of my quivering calf 
showing me the way to my place 

in the sky. Why I ever thought I was anything 
but the daughter of wind, why I ever thought 
I wasn’t worthy of trusting myself, 

fully, I stand and split until 
my lifted leg curls slowly into a tail
so powerful that it can set an entire city 

on fire. Here, I learn to let myself fall 
without calling it failure. Here, I learn
that to split does not have to mean 

that I break, that to falter does not 
have to mean that I am intrinsically 
flawed, and that the childhood scar 

on my chin is not a symbol of how 
someone once foolishly tossed me 
away. It is proof that I can satiate 

my relentless hunger for here, now, 
and that within me is a swallowed red sun 
burning with the words, Go ahead, fly. 




Sanskrit Name: Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana
 

Paid subscribers can listen to me read an audio recording of my poem for “Standing Splits” here.

Listen to "Standing Splits" {for paid subscribers}

If you want to learn more about Standing Splits

you can watch this informative instructional video by Substack writer and yoga instructor

Janine Agoglia

here.

And also, here is a video I made with yoga instructor

sasha nelson

to show what it would look like to hear my poem as you practice the Standing Splits—

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Standing Splits is from my series, A Poem for Every Pose.

Every poem can be integrated into yoga practices and shared with anyone who teaches yoga, practices yoga, loves yoga, or just wants to feel inspired.

Yoga teachers who read these poems in their classes and on retreats often read them before, during, or at the end of class in place of a Rumi, Mary Oliver or John O’Donohue poem.

They serve as a bridge from the physical movements to the other more metaphysical aspects of yoga and open up the possibility for somatic self-healing, radical self-love, and grace.

I encourage you to read through my other poems to see which ones call you. If you are a yoga teacher and want a free pdf of this or other poems, please DM me.

I will be offering this service until the completion and publication of what will be a beautifully illustrated reference-style yoga poetry book of all 108 poems.

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Join me to celebrate International Day of Yoga 2025 live on Substack!

As part of International Day of Yoga on Saturday, June 21st, you are invited to join

Corie Feiner

,

Janine Agoglia

and

Jane Kight

for a heart-opening flow of yoga poetry, accessible yoga asana, and sound bathing live on Substack.

(Live link will be going up soon so look out for it!)

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Thank you, as always, for your time and presence. Please leave a comment as one of the most wonderful things about this platform is how we connect and have conscious conversations with each other. I always respond.

With gratitude,

Corie