Soul.
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay By: Otis Redding
Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' comes
Watching the ships roll in
Then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the Frisco Bay
'Cause I've had nothin' to live for
It look like nothin's gonna come my way
So I'm just gon' sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time
Look like nothin's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes
Sittin' here restin' my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone, listen
Two thousand miles, I roam
Just to make this dock my home
Now I'm just gon' sit, at the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh yeah
Sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
When it feels like nothings going your way, and anything that could go wrong has gone wrong, all that misfortune and hardship reaches its peak on one fateful day. And on that day all you can do is sit. When I’ve been at my lowest, I’ve listened to “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” back to back to back again. Because sometimes you don’t need to fight, sometimes you don’t need to correct. Sometimes you just need to sit. Sit with whatever it is that's weighing on you. It doesn’t mean giving up, and it doesn’t mean accepting loss. It just means honoring space and time for yourself to feel, to see clearly, and to understand. This I learned from the song “Sittin On The Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding.
“How can I explain to you?
How somebody can get so very blue, now
How can I tell you about my past?
If all things won’t end
Mr. Pitiful
That’s my name, now
They call me Mr. Pitiful
That’s how I got my fame”
Otis Redding was born on September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia. He was the fourth of six children born to Otis Redding Sr and Fannie Roseman. Otis Sr. was a sharecropper who also worked at Robins Air Force Base near Macon, he also preached at local churches. Otis Jr. got his first experience as a musician singing in the choir at Vineville Baptist Church, and later learned to play guitar and piano. He attended Ballard Hudson High School, and sang in the schools band, and regularly performed as part of a Sunday Morning gospel broadcast on Macon's WIBB-AM. “When he was 17, Redding signed up to compete in a weekly teen talent show at Macon's Douglass Theater; he ended up winning the $5.00 grand prize 15 times in a row before he was barred from competition.” Around this time Otis took a big leap of faith by dropping out of school to pursue his dream of being a musician.
In the late 1950’s Otis befriended Johnny Jenkins, a prominent local guitarist, and joined his group the Pinetoppers. Otis sang lead with the Pinetoppers, and also served as Johnny’s chauffeur, because Johnny didn’t have a license. In August of 1962 Otis drove Johnny to Memphis for a recording session at Stax Records. Johnny “wasn't having a good day and ended up calling it quits early. With 40 minutes left on the session clock, Redding suggested they give one of his songs a try” The result was “These Arms Of Mine” With Johnny on guitar. “Stax wasted no time signing Redding to their Volt Records subsidiary, and "These Arms of Mine" was released in November 1962; the single rose to number 20 on the R&B charts, and crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at number 85. Redding's follow-up, "That's What My Heart Needs," arrived the following October, and peaked at 27 on the R&B charts, but a stretch of singles released in 1964 failed to make much of impression.” This all changed the next year.
“These arms of mine
They are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine
They are yearning
Yearning from wanting you
And if you
Would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be”
In January of 1965 his song “That's How Strong My Love Is," reached number 2 on the R&B charts and 71 on Pop charts. The B- side “Mr. Pitiful” also got airplay going to number 10 on R&B charts, though it just missed the Pop Top 40 coming in at 41. In. May 1965 Otis released "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)," this masterfully beautiful song reached number 2 on R&B charts and 21 on Pop charts. In 1966 Otis went on his first European tour along with other Stax artist. It is said that when they arrived they were greeted like heroes, with The Beatles famously sending a limousine to pick them up when they arrived. “By this time, Redding was becoming more ambitious as an artist, focusing on his songwriting skills, learning to play guitar, and becoming more involved with the arrangements and production on his sessions, helping to craft horn arrangements even though he couldn't write sheet music. He was also a tireless live performer, as well as a savvy businessman, operating a successful music publishing concern and successfully investing in real estate and the stock market.”
Otis didn’t look like a singer. He looked more like an athlete. He stood 6’2” and weighed over 220 pounds. He is described as a “bold, physically imposing performer whose rough but expressive voice was equally capable of communicating joy, confidence, or heartache, Redding brought a passion and gravity to his vocals that was matched by few of his peers. He was also a gifted songwriter with a keen understanding of the creative possibilities of the recording process.” In 1966 he released two albums “The Soul Album” and “Complete and Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul” and a cut from Dictionary of Soul, an impassioned interpretation of ‘Try a Little Tenderness,’ written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods in 1932. The song was previously recorded by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. The publishers tried to stop Otis from recording the song from a "negro perspective". Not only were their efforts unsuccessful, but “Try a Little Tenderness” became one of his biggest hits, and is often considered his signature song.
“If I was the sun way up there
I’d go with love most everywhere
I’ll be the moon when the sun goes down
Just to let you know that I’m still around
That’s how strong my love is, whoa
That’s how strong my love is
That’s how strong my love is baby, baby
Thats how strong my love is”
In 1967 Otis began working on a song that he regarded as a creative breakthrough, the song was titled “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." He recorded the song at Stax and though the Stax crew and even his wife did not like the song, Otis believed it was his best song yet. A few days after recording Otis and his band boarded a plane en route to Madison, Wisconsin. They were to play at a nightclub near the University of Wisconsin. The plane struggled in bad weather and crashed into Lake Monona. Bar- Kays member Ben Cauley was the only survivor. The crash claimed the lives of Otis Redding and everyone else on board. Otis was 26 years old when he died. His legacy is honored through his wife Zelma and their four children, The Otis Redding Foundation established by his wife in 2007 that continued his efforts to support his community by awarding scholarships to students to help them further their education, the long list of musicians inspired by his music, and all of us that have been moved by his music. I am so inspired by his life and work. He taught us with his actions the importance of hard work and being dedicated and committed to your dreams and your goals. His music reminds us to sit and open ourselves up to love and peace. That balance is important not only for our success, but for our happiness.
How Yoga Can Help
“You must do the asana with your soul. How can you do an asana with your soul? We can only do it with the organ of the body that is closest to the soul - the heart. So a virtuous asana is done from the heart and not from the head. Then you are not just doing it, but you are in it. Many people try to think their way into an asana, but you must instead feel your way into it through love and devotion.”
- B.K.S. Iyengar
This class begins with an inversion practice that’s energizing, strengthening and playful. Inversions especially handstand and forearm balance can be intimidating. While they do take a lot of work, also necessary is being able to let go. This class breaks down the steps to kicking up into inversions so we know where to put the work in, and where to let go. Class winds down with a supportive forward bending practice to help calm the mind and soothe the nerves after a strong inversion practice.
Notes On Practice
Poses 1- 3
1. Adho Muka Virasana (Downward Face Hero Pose/ Child’s Pose) 2. Adho Muka Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) 3. Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose/ Standing Forward Bend) These Poses strengthen and stretch the muscles in the arms, legs, and shoulders to prepare us for an inversion practice.
Poses 4- 7
4. Adho Muka Vrksasana (Handstand) 5 & 6. Shoulder Openers/ Pincha Prep 7. Pinchamayurasana (Peacock Pose/ Forearm Balance) These poses are energizing and build heat in the body. The pincha prep shoulder openers strengthens the shoulders, mobilize the upper back, and fully expands the chest. The inverted poses build determination, confidence, and powers up our will to do and succeed.
Poses 8 & 9
8. Adho Muka Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) 9. Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose/ Standing Forward Bend Pose) Again, these poses strengthen the arms, legs, and shoulders, but at this point it the class the release of the head and neck in these poses rests the brain, calms the mind, and balances the nervous system.
Poses 10 & 11
Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee Pose) Paschimottanasana (Intense Stretch of the Westside or back of the body/ Seated Forward Bend Pose) These poses help open the hips and stretch the hamstrings, calves, and lengthens the spine. The release of the head and neck helps reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue.
Poses 12 & 13
Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall Pose with support) Savasana (Corpse Pose/ Final Rest Position) These poses relax the body and mind. The restorative benefits increase relaxation, and promotes aa general sense of well- being.