Pose of the Month (May 2012)

POSE OF THE MONTH (MAY 2012)

Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)



The pose described here is a passive, supported variation of the Shoulderstand-like Viparita Karani. For your support you'll need one or two thickly folded blankets. You'll also need to rest your legs vertically (or nearly so) on a wall or other upright support.

Before performing the pose, determine two things about your support: its height and its distance from the wall. If you're stiffer, the support should be lower and placed farther from the wall; if you're more flexible, use a higher support that is closer to the wall. Your distance from the wall also depends on your height: if you're shorter move closer to the wall, if taller move farther from the wall. Experiment with the position of your support until you find the placement that works for you.

Start with your support about 5 to 6 inches away from the wall. Sit sideways on right end of the support, with your right side against the wall (left-handers can substitute "left" for "right" in these instructions). Exhale and, with one smooth movement, swing your legs up onto the wall and your shoulders and head lightly down onto the floor. The first few times you do this, you may ignominiously slide off the support and plop down with your buttocks on the floor. Don't get discouraged. Try lowering the support and/or moving it slightly further off the wall until you gain some facility with this movement, then move back closer to the wall.

Your sitting bones don't need to be right against the wall, but they should be "dripping" down into the space between the support and the wall. Check that the front of your torso gently arches from the pubis to the top of the shoulders. If the front of your torso seems flat, then you've probably slipped a bit off the support. Bend your knees, press your feet into the wall and lift your pelvis off the support a few inches, tuck the support a little higher up under your pelvis, then lower your pelvis onto the support again.

Lift and release the base of your skull away from the back of your neck and soften your throat. Don't push your chin against your sternum; instead let your sternum lift toward the chin. Take a small roll (made from a towel for example) under your neck if the cervical spine feels flat. Open your shoulder blades away from the spine and release your hands and arms out to your sides, palms up.

Keep your legs relatively firm, just enough to hold them vertically in place. Release the heads of the thigh bones and the weight of your belly deeply into your torso, toward the back of the pelvis. Soften your eyes and turn them down to look into your heart.

Stay in this pose anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Be sure not to twist off the support when coming out. Instead, slide off the support onto the floor before turning to the side. You can also bend your knees and push your feet against the wall to lift your pelvis off the support. Then slide the support to one side, lower your pelvis to the floor, and turn to the side. Stay on your side for a few breaths, and come up to sitting with an exhalation.

Benefits:

•Relieves tired or cramped legs and feet

•Gently stretches the back legs, front torso, and the back of the neck

•Relieves mild backache

•Calms the mind

Anytime you can get your legs up over your shoulders, do it!   It is EXTREMELY beneficial to reverse your blood flow… its stalls the aging process!!!

NAMASTE

Pose of the Month (April)

Feathered Peacock (Pincha Mayurasana)

April Showers Bring Yoga Powers....

How to:

Stand facing about 4ft from the wall and perform a modified Downward Facing Dog or Adho Muhka Svanasana with your palms and forearms on the floor. Your fingertips should be right at the base of the wall, and your forearms should be parallel to each other at shoulder width. To ready yourself for and secure yourself in this inversion, firm your shoulder blades against your back torso and pull them toward your tailbone. Then rotate your upper arms outward, to keep the shoulder blades broad, and hug your forearms inward. Finally spread your palms and press your inner wrists firmly against the floor.

Now bend one knee and step the foot in, closer to the wall (let's say the left leg), but keep the other (i.e. right) leg active by extending through the heel. Then take a few practice hops before you try to launch yourself upside down. Sweep your right leg through a wide arc toward the wall and kick your left foot off the floor, immediately pushing through the heel to straighten the leg. Hop up and down like this several times, each time pushing off the floor a little higher. EXHALE deeply each time you hop, and do forget to really breathe.

Hopping up and down like this may be all you can manage for now; find your edge and stop if you wish. However, regularly practice your strength poses like Downward Dog, or Plank Pose (push up position). Eventually you'll be able to kick all the way into the pose. At first your heels may crash into the wall, but again with more practice you'll be able to swing your heels up lightly to the wall. REPETITION AND RETAINING ARE THE KEYS TO LEARNING.

If your armpits and groins are tight, your lower back may be deeply arched. To lengthen it, draw your front ribs into your torso, reach your tailbone toward your heels, and slide your heels higher up the wall. Draw the navel toward the spine. Squeeze the outer legs together and roll the thighs in.

(In Pincha Mayurasana your head should be off the floor; hang it from a spot between your shoulder blades and gaze out into the center of the room).

Stay in the pose 10 to 15 seconds. Gradually work your way up to 1 minute. When you come down, be sure not to sink onto the shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades lifted and broad, and take one foot down at a time with an exhalation. Then repeat by lifting back into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) for 30 seconds to a minute. We tend to kick up with the same leg all the time: be sure to alternate your kicking leg, one day right, next day left.

Benefits:

- REVERSES YOUR BLOOD FLOW (which leads to:)
- Leads to increased blood flow to the brain, which carries raised oxygen and energy to the
mind.
- Stimulates the pineal and pituitary glands
- Regulates your metabolism
- Improves memory and concentration and aids circulation
- Raises the pressure on diaphragm and so it calms and deepens breathing
- Strengthens the lungs which helps to cure cough, colds, sinusitis, asthma and sore throat
- Works on neck, abdomen, shoulders, back and arm muscles, and strengthens the core.
- Carries attention to balance and alignment.
- Relieves a fluid buildup in the legs and feet
- Increases the production of sex hormones
- Stimulates the nervous system
- May reverse the effects of sleep loss, lethargy, and memory loss
- Increases the glow of the face and decreases the dark circles around the eyes
- Helps to defeat problems of the kidneys, liver, intestines, stomach and reproductive
organs by reversing the gravity pull
- Aids in the treatment of headaches, sinusitis, hay fever, diabetes, depression and
symptoms of menopause

THIS POSE CARRIES CRAZY AMOUNTS OF BENEFITS... grab a mat, push it up against the wall and get upside down already!! You'll be glad you did.

NAMASTE

Pose of the Month (March 2012)

Pose dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I (Eka Pada Koundiyanasana I)How to:

Come into it from a standing position. First bend your knees as if you’re coming into a squat, then take your left knee to the floor. Turn your left foot so it points to the right and sit on the heel. Cross your right foot over your left thigh and place it, sole down, beside your left knee. Your right knee should point toward the ceiling.

To twist, bring your left waist, side ribs, and shoulder around to the right. Place your left upper arm across your right thigh and slide your left outer armpit down the outside of the thigh. Maintaining this contact high on the arm and far to the outside of the thigh is the secret to the pose.

To place your hands on the floor, first straighten your left elbow and put your left palm down (you may need to lean to the right to bring your hand all the way down). To place your right hand, carefully lift both hips without losing the left-arm-to-right-thigh placement, lean even more to the right, and put your right hand on the floor. Your hands should be shoulder width apart, with your middle fingers parallel to each other. Most of your weight will still be on your knees and feet.

Without losing contact between your left arm and your right outer thigh, lift your hips so you can flip your left foot and stand on the ball of the foot, heel up. Next, lift your left knee off the floor so most of your weight is on your feet. Lift your hips a little higher and start shifting your weight to bring your whole torso above and between your hands with its midline parallel to your middle fingers. Leaning your weight slightly forward, bend your left elbow a little, and then tilt your head and shoulders a bit toward the floor. This should leverage your right foot up in the air. When your right foot is up, lean your weight farther forward until your left foot becomes light, then lifts up with an exhale.

To finish the pose, straighten both knees simultaneously with an inhale. Lift the left leg until its parallel to the floor. Bending your left elbow more, lift your right foot higher, and reach out through the balls of both feet. Adjust the height of your right shoulder so it's the same as the left. Lift your chest to bring your torso parallel to the floor. Breathing smoothly, hold the pose for 20 seconds or longer, then release both feet to the floor with an exhale. Repeat on the other side for the same length of time.


Benefits:

§ Strengthens the arms and wrists
§ Tones the belly and spine

Start toning your belly for Spring!!

~NAMASTE~

Pose of the Month (February 2012)

Upward Plank Pose (Purvottanasana)

Don’t be a Valentines Day hater, give your heart a holiday. This pose is a gift you can give to your well deserved heart, it takes on a lot.

How to:

Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with your hands several inches behind your hips and your fingers pointing forward. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor, big toes turned inward, heels at least a foot away from your sit bones.

Exhale, press your inner feet and hands down against the floor, and lift your hips until you come into a reverse tabletop position, torso and thighs approximately parallel to the floor, shins and arms are perpendicular.

Without losing the height of your hips, straighten your legs one at a time. Lift your hips still higher without hardening your buttocks. Press toes into the ground; this will lift your hips higher.

Without compressing the back of your neck, slowly drop your head back.

Hold for 30 seconds, then sit back down in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with an exhale.

Benefits:

· Opens heart center
· Strengthens the arms, wrists and legs
· Stretches the shoulders, chest, and front ankles
· Relieves fatigue
· Wrist opener for those who write and type all day

BE GOOD TO YOUR HEART, NAMASTE!!

Pose of the Month (January 2012)

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

Happy New Year 2012! For some, the celebration weighs hard on your liver… so here is a pose that will massage it back to health!How to:

Lie supine (chest facing upward) on the floor, and if necessary, place a thickly folded blanket under your shoulders to protect your neck. Bend your knees and set your feet on the floor, about shoulder width and heels as close to the sit bones as possible.

Exhale and press your inner feet and arms actively into the floor, push your tailbone upward toward the pubis, firming (but not hardening) the buttocks, and lift the buttocks off the floor. Keep your thighs and inner feet parallel. Clasp the hands below your pelvis and extend through the arms to help you stay on the tops of your shoulders.

Lift your buttocks until the thighs are about parallel to the floor. Keep your knees directly over the heels, but push them forward, away from the hips, and lengthen the tailbone toward the backs of the knees. Lift the pubis toward the navel.

Lift your chin slightly away from the sternum, firming the shoulder blades against your back. Press the top of the sternum toward the chin. Firm the outer arms, broaden the shoulder blades, and try to lift the space between them at the base of the neck (where it's resting on the blanket) up into the torso.

Stay in the pose anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Release with an exhalation, rolling the spine slowly down onto the floor.

Benefits:

•Stretches the chest, neck, and spine
•Calms the brain and helps alleviate stress and mild depression
•Stimulates abdominal organs, lungs, and thyroid
•Rejuvenates tired legs
•Improves digestion
•Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
•Relieves menstrual discomfort when done supported
•Reduces anxiety, fatigue, backache, headache, and insomnia
•Therapeutic for asthma, high blood pressure and osteoporosis

NAMASTE!!!

Pose of the Month (December 2011)

Simhasana (Lion Pose)


How to:
Kneel on the floor and cross the front of the right ankle over the back of the left. The feet will point out to the sides. Sit back so the perineum snuggles down onto the on the top (right) heel.

Press your palms firmly against your knees. Fan the palms and splay your fingers like the sharpened claws of a large feline.

Take a deep inhalation through the nose. Then simultaneously open your mouth wide and stretch your tongue out, curling its tip down toward the chin, open your eyes wide, contract the muscles on the front of your throat, and exhale the breath slowly out through your mouth with a distinct "ha" sound. The breath should pass over the back of the throat.

Set your gaze (drishti) at the spot between the eyebrows. This is called "mid-brow gazing" or bhru-madhya-drishti; (bhru = the brow; madhya = middle). Or direct your eyes to the tip of the nose (nasa-agra-drishti; nasa = nose; agra = foremost point).

You can roar two or three times. Then change the cross of the legs and repeat for the same number of times. You may feel goofy doing this pose, but the benefits are great from it.

Benefits:
- Relieves tension in the chest and face.
- Stimulates the platysma, a flat, thin, rectangular-shaped muscle on the front of the throat.
The platysma, when contracted, pulls down on the corners of the mouth and wrinkles the skin
of the neck.
- Helps keep the platysma firm as we age.
- Destroys disease and facilitates the three major bandhas: (Mula, Jalandhara, Uddiyana).

Pose of the Month (November 2011)

Uddiyana Bandha (Upward Abdominal Lock)Before beginning the practice of Uddiyana Bandha or the Upward Abdominal Lock; it is best to perform it only on an empty stomach, only after an exhalation and never before an inhalation.
How To:
Stand with your feet slightly apart, eyes open. Your torso is rounded forward, knees are bent, hands are resting on your knees. Inhale deeply through your nose, then exhale quickly and forcibly, also through your nose (or pursed lips). Contract your abdominal muscles fully to push as much air as possible out of your lungs. Then relax your abdominals.

Perform what's called a "mock inhalation"; that is to expand your rib cage (thorax) as if you were inhaling, but don't actually inhale. The expansion of the rib cage (without the inhalation) sucks the abdominal muscles and viscera up into the thorax and hollows the belly.

Hold the bandha (root lock) for 5-15 seconds. Then slowly release the abdominal grip and inhale normally. Perform 3-10 rounds depending on your capacity with one or more normal breaths between each round.

Benefits:
- Helps with constipation, indigestion and purifies the digestive tract of toxins.
- Strengthens the abdominal muscles and diaphragm
- Stimulates blood circulation in the abdomen and blood flow to the brain
- Stimulates and lifts the energy of the lower belly to unite it with the energies
localized in the navel and heart.