Happy Birthday Mr Iyengar

95 today!

“We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather about us that they may see, it may be, their own images, and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet.”

 -W.B. Yeats

Image found here

Hip Happy

I like to do this sequence, or a version of it, every week. I find spending quality time stretching, toning and relaxing the muscles of the hips and pelvis has a really positive effect on the rest of my practice and the way my body feels. Releasing these big muscles helps take stress from the smaller joints, like the knees and ankles, brings the pelvis back to a more 'neutral' position and has a direct affect on the diaphragm, freeing the breath. 

As you practice (without judgement!) take the time to notice the affect each movement has on your body so that you can adjust as necessary.

Constructive rest pose 

Be careful not to flatten or exaggerate the curves of the lumbar (low back) or cervical (neck) spine as you lie down, instead focus on allowing the whole of the back edge of the rib cage to settle towards the floor. Once comfortable shift your attention to the support of your bones sinking into the floor and take note of any part of the skeleton that feels as though it is suspended from the floor. Any place where muscular contraction is preventing the bones from surrendering to the pull of gravity. as the psoas muscle continues to relax, the distribution of weight will start to feel increasingly even through the body. Stay here until you feel this happen.

Windshield wiper twist
Lying abdominal twist (shava udarakarshanasana)
Cross leg side lying twist
Sucirandhrasana (Eye of the needle)
Sucirandhrasana twist (Eye of the needle twist)
Supta Padangusthasana 1-2-3
Supta Gomukhasana
Supta Virasana
Malasana
Baddha Konasana
Upavistha Konasana
Supta Baddha Konasana
Savasana

ENJOY!

Image of Mr Iyengar in Supta Padangusthasana found here.

A chair for yoga

The Iyengar yoga chair is one of my favorite class props, but it can be a little daunting to get to grips with. If you are interested in getting one to aid your home practice then I recommend the book 'A Chair For Yoga' to help you on your way.

This is a really practical guide and will teach you everything you need to know about using a chair to improve your practice, whatever your level.

The author uses simple, accurate language and focuses on the specific benefits of using the chair for some familiar postures. There are some nice tips for beginners, in terms of teaching how to relax and soften into the poses, and also shows you how to extend your range and duration if your level is more advanced.

Here's a little youtube guide if you need some more convincing...i love the cat spine vest the lady is wearing!

Top image of BKS Iyengar from here

Pose of the week

Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

When practised with attention to the distribution of movement, this posture is the most fundamental of backbends. It engages the extensor muscles of the body in a patterned way, developing an even tone, while at the same time encouraging a release of the flexor muscles. It is the only back bend to to act this way, making it and important posture for restoring the balance between flexion and extension. 

The muscles used here are the hamstrings and gluteals to extend the legs, the erector spinae to extend the spine and the lower trapezius to anchor the scapular down. The difficult places to move from, as with most backbends, are the hip joint and the thoracic spine. Pursuing the extension needed to much from the neck and low back, which most people can do with ease, when practicing these back bending movements is pointless.  

When movement comes from the hip joint, the lumbar will be protected, but this can only happen if there is enough length and release in the iliopsoas muscle and the iliofemoral ligament. If you attempt to lift against resistance from the hip flexors, you will likely find yourself compressing the lumbar and trying to bend from another easily accessible place, the neck.

Remember, as always, it is not how far you bend that is important, but how well distributed your pattern of movement is. 

(image found here) 

Pose of the week

Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand)

To loose the unnecessary tension in the body (especially the shoulders!) needed to do this pose you have to find adequate support from your bones. The grounding is important. A well grounded body can become still, like the way a bowl of water becomes still if undisturbed - unlike being still like a brickwall - the bowl of water always has the potential for free movement. 
Also, always keep in mind that it is the quality of the pose that is more important then the length of time you hold the pose. 

Practice

The biggest challenge coming in is maintaining the moment by moment attention needed to preform the pose. It is only when you are able to proceed with complete attention on what you are doing and feeling, rather then what you are anticipating, that this pose becomes truly safe. 

Based on the variation in the second image,  learning how to take weight into the elbows, forearms and the crown of the head is an essential first step. You need to strike a balance between pushing the base of the pose into the floor to help maintain a lift in the shoulder girdle and (as much as possible) thinking about your weight being transmitted through the bones of the upper arms into the elbows and through the spine into the crown of the head.  There should be no compression in the neck.

Note, the abdominal muscles are not what haul you up and keep you in the pose. Although you need good core strength, the belly actually remains fairly soft and the abdominal muscles really only act to help you balance the weight of the pelvis over the head.

It is worth experimenting with the different variations to find the right one for your body. If your upper arms are fairly short and your neck long then you might be better of trying the tri-pod (1st and 2nd picture) or taking a lift under forearms, like a folded blanket. If your upper arms are comparatively long then you might want to try placing the elbows further away from the head or taking the folded blanked underneath the crown of the head. Play! There is a variation for everyone, you just have to find it.

Sequencing
Salamba Sirsasana requires stability at the base, long, strong shoulder muscles that also know how to release, the muscles of the neck and spine need to be strengthened and you need a length in the hamstrings and shoulder flexors before attempting to lift the legs. Great preparation poses include;

• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Salamba Sarvangasana
• Uttanasana
• Virasana
•  Dolphin pose 
• Plank (including side plank and forearm plank)

Follow up with Adho Mukha Svanasana and Balasana.

Benefits

There are numerous benefits to the body when you turn yourself upside down; you are reversing the effects of gravity for starters, allowing all the oxygen rich blood that pools in the legs and feet throughout the day to flow down towards your vital organs and brain (which makes you feel like you've had a double espresso!), it can certainly help strengthen the arms, shoulders, legs, and spine and i've read claims that it can stimulate the pituitary and pineal glands and improve digestion. But, for me, one of the biggest benefits is the challenge to the nervous system. You need to beable to manage the fear, anticipation and desire that arises from attempting this pose to beable to make it safe. A big challenge!

Contraindications and Cautions

• Back injury
• Headache
• Heart condition
• High blood pressure
• Menstruation
• Neck injury
• Low blood pressure: Don't start practice with this pose
• Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don't take up the practice of Sirsasana after you become pregnant.
• Sirsasana is considered to be an intermediate to advanced pose. Do not perform this pose without sufficient prior experience or unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher. Some schools of yoga recommend doing Sirsasana before Sarvangasana, others vice versa.

Hip Happy

I like to do this sequence, or a version of it, every week. I find spending quality time stretching, toning and relaxing the muscles of the hips and pelvis has a really positive effect on the rest of my practice and the way my body feels. Releasing these big muscles helps take stress from the smaller joints, like the knees and ankles, brings the pelvis back to a more 'neutral' position and has a direct affect on the diaphragm, freeing the breath. 

As you practice (without judgement!) take the time to notice the affect each movement has on your body so that you can adjust as necessary.

Constructive rest pose 

Be careful not to flatten or exaggerate the curves of the lumbar (low back) or cervical (neck) spine as you lie down, instead focus on allowing the whole of the back edge of the rib cage to settle towards the floor. Once comfortable shift your attention to the support of your bones sinking into the floor and take note of any part of the skeleton that feels as though it is suspended from the floor. Any place where muscular contraction is preventing the bones from surrendering to the pull of gravity. as the psoas muscle continues to relax, the distribution of weight will start to feel increasingly even through the body. Stay here until you feel this happen.

Windshield wiper twist
Lying abdominal twist (shava udarakarshanasana)
Cross leg side lying twist
Sucirandhrasana (Eye of the needle)
Sucirandhrasana twist (Eye of the needle twist)
Supta Padangusthasana 1-2-3
Supta Gomukhasana
Supta Virasana
Malasana
Baddha Konasana
Upavistha Konasana
Supta Baddha Konasana
Savasana

ENJOY!

Image of Mr Iyengar in Supta Padangusthasana found here.

Pose of the week

Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Ustrasana is one of my favorite back-bends. It gives my body a great energy boost when i'm feeling drained and it has the potential to help you find great openness in the thoracic spine—the upper back—where many of us are relatively tight. Most people tend to be more mobile in their cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (lower back).

Practice: When backbending it is less about 'bending back' and more about lengthening the spine and lifting up to move back.  Getting the right amount of space and lift in the upper spine and chest is crucial in Ustrasana to avoid compression in the lower back and to help free the neck. This article describes how to practice at the wall with props to aid that lift before coming into the full pose.

Bringing the head back is not necessary to reap the benefits of this pose. If you can comfortably maintain the lift of the thoracic spine and chest enough to comfortably follow through with the neck then fine, but keep the chin gently tucked towards the chest if it is at all uncomfortable. The neck should not be held in a state of collapse. 

As always you need to be completely aware of what your own body is capable of in this pose. Use the time between trys resting and assess how the back feels before continuing.

Sequencing: Poses like Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana and Salabhasana are all great for preparing the back, but you will also need to stretch the muscles and skin of the front thighs, ankles and feet. Try Virasana, Supta Virasana and a little low lunge sequence to warm up. To follow it is wise to twist, try Ardha Matsyendrasana, before taking a forward bend like Balasana or Paschimottanasana.  A pose like Malasana can also be beneficial afterwards if the lower back feels a little compressed.

Benefits: Stretches the entire front of the body, the ankles, thighs, groins, abdomen, chest and throat. Stretches the deep hip flexors (psoas), Strengthens back muscles, energy boost. 

Cautions: Take care if you have high or low blood pressure and do not practice if you have serious neck or lower back injuries...also not so great if you have a migraine...

 images from here and here.

The Kolbergs

Love the little girl!
Photos from Rachel Yula Kolberg via Yogadork

B.K.S. Iyengar – The Ultimate Freedom Yoga

B.K.S. Iyengar - The Ultimate Freedom Yoga [1976] from Praktijk Ourobouros on Vimeo.

this is a long clip, but i highly recommend watching if you have the time!

"When world-famous yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar visited the San Diego Zoo in 1990, he was struck by the effortless aplomb of the flamingos. He pointed to a gaudy pink bird as it balanced on one foot, steady as a boulder. Oblivious to its squawking neighbors, beak tucked under its feathers, the flamingo was fast asleep. Surveying the group of yoga teachers accompanying him, Iyengar playfully challenged them: "Can you relax like that?"

 -- Roger Cole

Quote from Yoga Journal image from here.

Pose of the week

 

Malasana (Garland Pose)

A re-post...because  this pose is important!
Squatting is a fundamental movement that everyone, regardless of yoga practice and barring injury, needs to get right. We all have the intrinsic physical tools to squat the right way, and, as Mark Sisson so eloquently puts it... "if it weren’t for those pesky creature comforts of civilization (chairs, toilets, heeled shoes, Smith machines) softening us up and messing with our joint mobility, Grandma might be darning you a sweater from the Grok squat pose instead of the rocking chair."

Malasana is, i think, one of the most important stretches for the body and the beauty is it's about letting go and allowing gravity to do the work.

Practice Here's a 'how to' guide. I would advise using blocks or a folded/rolled mat under the heels if they don't comfortably come to the ground. It can also be a nice pose to do in partners to help you with that sense of surrender and spreading weight evenly over the feet.

Sequencing Good poses to prepare include Baddha Konasana, Upavistha Konasana and Virasana. Follow with Uttanasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Benefits Stretches the ankles, lower legs, hips, groins and back torso and can help prevent compression on the tailbone, the sacrum and lower back.

Cautions  Low back or knee injuries.

Pose of the week

Uthitta Trikonasana (Extended Triangle pose)

If you can walk, you can do the standing poses and they really are important. Standings are a great place to start when you are new to yoga, brilliant for building and improving strength, great for warming up the big muscle groups and working through some of the fundamental principles of alignment that apply to many other poses....i could go on...my favourite at the moment is Trikonasana and right now i practice it most days.

As with so many poses there is a play of opposites in Trikonasana—establishing a solid foundation in order to fly, standing firmly on your feet in order to grow away from the earth, and finding muscle support and strength in order to expand and become lighter (and less serious.) - and it is really worth exploring!

Practice  For full pose instruction see here.

Sequencing Begin with Tadasana and then Vrkasana, if you are the mood for a balance. Trikonasana extends the spine and opens the hips in preparation for backbends; lengthens the hamstrings and opens the hips in preparation for deeper forward bends; teaches the connection between legs, hips, and spine in preparation for inversions; and lengthens the spine and strengthens the back in preparation for deeper twists. You can think of this pose as a teacher of basic movement principles that apply to many other poses.

Benefits Stretches and strengthens the thighs, knees, and ankles, stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, and calves; shoulders, chest, and spine, Strengthens abdominal muscles, can help relieves backache, especially through second trimester of pregnancy, Therapeutic for flat feet, osteoporosis and sciatica.

Cautions Heart Condition: Practice against a wall. Keep the top arm on the hip
High blood pressure: Turn the head to gaze downward towards the front foot in the final pose. Neck problems: Don't turn your head to look upward; continue looking straight ahead and keep both sides of the neck evenly long.

(Image source)  

Currently Reading...

First There is a Mountain - A Yoga Romance by Elizabeth Kadetsky.
I'll let you know how it goes...in the mean time here is a picture of the Author making shapes...

(image source)

pose of the week

Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)

Yoga practice really helps you find a balance between expansion and contraction. Every posture demands both. In a very tangible way, finding stability in any asana requires you to really tune in and listen to your body; it's important to become present to your circumstances, moment by moment, so that you can sense exactly where you need to draw energy in and where you need to radiate it out. As you develop this awareness on the physical level in asana practice, it starts to become possible to  apply it to everything else in life. 

Virabhadrasana 3 teaches you precisely how to balance between gathering your energy in and extending it out. The pose asks that you stay stand grounded on one leg, yet at the same time to lift the other leg and stretch horizontally from the tips of your toes to your fingertips— But if you expand out too much, you lose your power and balance. On the other hand, if you contract too much and hang on too tightly, you lose expansion and tend to collapse and lose your balance. Instead, we must work to stay present with each of these opposing forces. It's a challenge, but a fun one!

Practice  For full pose instruction see here. A little tip...don't forget the lifted leg foot. press out evenly with all four corners of the foot. The benefit of sending your energy down the leg and out of the sole, your spine will naturally lengthen away from your lifted foot, helping open up the centre of your pose.

Sequencing To develop the strength and steadiness needed for Virabhadrasana 3, spend some time working with these postures: Salabhasana (Locust Pose), Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior Pose I), a transitional posture that will help you go from Virabhadrasana I to Virabhadrasana 3, and Virabhadrasana 3 with the assistance of a wall. Virabhadrasana 3 is usually practised as part of a standing sequence.

Benefits Strengthens the ankles and legs, strengthens the shoulders and muscles of the back, tones the abdomen, improves balance and posture.

(Image source)

pose of the week

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)


"You want to stand on your head and you don't even know how to stand on your feet." 
-- B.K.S. Iyengar


Tadasana is the foundation of the asana yoga practice, everything comes back to Tadasana! Tadasana is also called Samasthiti, which translates as equal standing. For me the art of standing correctly starts with this pose.

Practice always begin Tadasana by placing the feet properly and work up from that foundation. Traditionally you have the feet together in this pose, but if you are new to it or find it hard to balance then start with the feet hip width apart. This description by Brad Piddy is the most precise i could find.

Sequencing whenever and wherever you like! Do it to establish strength and balance in your feet, legs and spine before standing poses, after standing poses, a the beginning of a session, at the end, when you are standing in line at the supermarket or waiting for the bus....

Benefits improves posture, Strengthens thighs, knees, and ankles, is said to relieves sciatica and reduce flat feet.

pose of the week

Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (Extended hand-to-big-toe pose)

This is a great pose for experimenting with that tricky balance between action and release, being and doing. It is a strong pose which requires strength, flexibility and balance and it is ALL about staying connected to a firm foundation. You need to be precise with the alignment, but not lose focus of the pose as a whole...i always find a focus on the breath helps with that.

Practice: There are three main variations of this asana.  The first is simply the lift and extension of one leg while the other acts to strengthen and stabilise (see picture).  The second version abducts and externally rotates the lifted leg, while the final version realigns the lifted leg at the midline then revolves the torso. Practising them as a three makes for a really uplifting sequence. 

The most common limitation in all variations of Hasta Padangusthasana is tight hamstrings.  To extend the leg, we lengthen the hamstrings intensely.  This can be more accessible when done with a strap, but when done by taking hold of the big toe (as the name of the pose suggests) it then involves the muscles of the forearm and the shoulder as well.    In striving for balance in standing Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, it is often common to create imbalance in the hips to compensate for weakness in the standing leg adductors in order to achieve a false sense of centre.  In addition, it is common to experience hip flexion as a compensatory expression of the full pose. This description of the pose from Brad Priddy is a good guide for the different variations.

Sequencing: Practice Supta Hasta Padangusthasa first to insinuate the mechanics of the pose into your mind and body.  When we first practice the pose on the floor with the pull of gravity working in our favor, we can open the hamstrings and the work with the hip flexion and neutralisation of the pelvis in a more easeful way.  In this space we can also begin to feel the rooting of the femur bone into the hip socket and the power that is required in the straightened leg to maintain the stability of the pose.  

Follow with poses like Uttanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana and Supta Virasana.

Benefits: Strengthens the legs and ankles, stretches the backs of the legs, improves sense of balance.

Cautions: Be careful if you are recovering from an ankle injury and if you have any lower back issues.


image of Mr Iyengar from here.

Pose of the week

Pincha Mayurasana

Like Adho Mukha Vrksasana, this pose involves learning to open your shoulders, and similarly, you use a wall to assist with balance until the pose becomes easy.   Classically this pose is essentially a vertical one.   Although there will be some arch in your back naturally, you aren't specifically trying to achieve any sort of real backbend such as in Vrschikasana.

You may find it helpful to use a belt around tour elbows to keep them from splaying outward and to keep your forearms parallel. Similarly, having your hands on either side of a block placed against the wall will keep your hands from moving inward and provide extra leverage for the pose.

Practice: This is a great sequence if you want to concentrate on working towards Pincha Mayurasana.

Sequencing: I like to come into this before or from headstand and generally inthe middle of a sequence or after a good warm-up. Postures for preparation include; Adho Mukha Vrksasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Gomukhasana, Prasarita Padottanasana (with a block squeezed between the bent elbows), Supta Virasana, Uttanasana. Follow up with;

Benefits: Strengthens the shoulders, arms, and back. Stretches the shoulders and neck, chest, and belly. Improves sense of balance. 

Cautions: Back, shoulder, or neck injury, headache, heart condition, high blood pressure, menstruation.

 This variation made me giggle...

Pose of the Week

Parivrtta Trikonasana

Parivrtta Trikonasana is a forward bend, a twist, and a balance.   In this pose, your spine is in extension as well as rotation.   All of the standing asanas including Uttanasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana help you to prepare for this pose.

If you find Parivrtta Trikonasana too difficult initially, you should modify it and use props as much as necessary to allow you to feel the spirit of the pose, that is, the spinal twist.   For instance, take a much shorter step between your feet than the asana usually calls for.  Use a wall for assistance or a block inside and close to your front foot for your lower hand to press on.   Do not try to place your lower hand outside your front foot at first. 

Practice: I found this article by Natasha Rizopoulos for Yoga Journal useful.

Sequencing: Parivrtta Trikonasana is usually sequenced just after (as a counter pose to) Trikonasana.  All standings are a good preparation for this pose and you can also use this pose as a standing preparation for seated forward bends like Janu Sirasana and Ardha Matsyendrasana and Marichyasana 3.

Benefits: Tones the legs; Releases the thoracic spine

Cautions: Neck vulnerability; Hamstring injury; Sacroiliac issues; Pregnancy.

Pose of the week.

Upavistha Konasana
 

Upavistha Konasana requires a level of flexibility in the hip joints and thigh muscles, such as the adductors, that can be challenging. It is a good one to practice a few times a week, but please practice within your ability and with an attitude of exploration and curiosity about what is possible for you right now.

Practice: Once sitting, separate your legs as wide apart as you can without causing discomfort in your inner knees. If you find that, as you sit on the floor, your pelvis rolls backward, then use props to help you...as many blankets/blocks as you need! Keep your legs nice and straight throughout the pose, knees pointing up to the ceiling, activating the feet and extending through the inner seams of the legs (through to your inner heel and big toe). 

Remember, in all forward bends the 'bending' motion does not come from rounding the spine. it comes from tilting your pelvis forward and moving it over the thighbones, therefore leaving your spine relatively undisturbed. Rounding your back is a flexion movement that can put to much pressure on the disks between the lumbar vertebrae.

If you can easily lift your spine and maintain its normal curves, then come forward slowly, breathing with ease and using your arms and hands to support you. I like to use my inhalations to keep my spine long and my exhalations to initiate the forward movement from the hip joints and pelvis.  ENJOY!
 

Sequencing: As part of a seated series, it usually follows Janu Sirsasana and is practices before or after Baddha Konasana.

Benefits: Stretches the insides and backs of the legs (adductors and hamstrings), increases mobility in the hip joints,  strengthens the spine, can be a nice pose for period pain, releases groins

Cautions: Avoid this pose if you have any strain in your inner thigh muscles or problems in your lower back.