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Chez les Yoghis

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Grounding

All posture work should be preceded by a sense of grounding so that we don't carry tension and previously held patterns into our practice. A slow but fruitful practice!
Posture work is a constant investigation into ways to maintain the integrity of a movement without accumulating tension.
Tension = unnecessary effort put into an action.

image from here

Karnapidasana!!

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) 

Remember to RELAX

Here's a little something simple to help...follow the links if you are unsure of the poses.
needed: x1 blanket, x1 bolster (or blankets rolled into a bolster)

Supta Sukhasana 

Parshva Bharadwajasana

Downward facing corpse pose

Balasana 

Virasana (on edge of bolster)

Adho Mukha Svanasana - Uttanasana - Adho Mukha Svanasana 

Savasana 

Enjoy!! ♥

p.s. an article about the benefits of being still for a little while....

Be present

During practice start to sense the quality and clarity of the movements you make and ask yourself these things...

Are you bringing more effort then required?

Are you adding anything unnecessary to the movement?

Are you really trying to sense how you feel, moment by moment, through the movement?

YOGA KALEIDOSCOPE!

from here

This guy is living the good life!! Floating lotus...what more could you need?!

Found at staywiththebreath

Favorites...

I don't have a favorite yoga pose, i have a favorite feeling and i sequence my practice to find that feeling...it changes everyday!

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

The rooting of the foundation, or base, allows extension, space, balance, and ease in a pose.
Lightness is cultivated from grounding so start here. Give your attention to mastering Tadasana from the very beginning, everything you need is in this pose.

Try this simple exercise. Sit down on a firm chair with your heels directly under your hips. First sit in a slouched position and notice how the body feels and be aware of the quality of your breath. Now, sit up tall, without leaning against the chair back. Find the center of each sit bone and balance your weight evenly over both sitbones and into the chair seat. Observe the rebounding, lengthening action that lifts your spine out of the pelvis. Enhance this by using your inhalations to broaden the back and you exhalations to softly lengthen up through the spine, right to the top of your head. Observe the body and the quality of the breath. Do you feel lighter? Is the breath fuller and deeper than when you sat in a slumped position?

The tallest trees in the world, the redwoods, have a vast intricate network of roots supporting their skyward stretch. I like to think of it the same way in practice. Whenever my hands or feet are touching the floor I consciously ground my awareness down toward the ground. This is where I gather my strength.

The standing poses, among other things, are designed in a manner to ground and center, attaining an intimate relationship with our bodies. We start from a gross level of awareness, then through time and practice, slowly, things become more subtle. They are intelligently designed. Often I feel gathering strength originates from focus and awareness. Even if it hasn't physically manifested yet, it doesn't matter. We are working the most challenging muscle of all in between the ears. You have to start to learn to work from the inside out. 

Finding the 'perfect' pose isn't really the goal, think of it more as the byproduct of consistent practice. Practice is the goal. Your body will change everyday.

Grounding is also about fully inhabiting the body from root to tip. Feeling every part of our body integrated with the greater whole. This doesn't mean tensing, grasping or holding. This simply means feeling and being aware.  If we can't feel it, we can't transform it. Equally stated, we can't let it go either. What we are trying to do in practice is wake up the parts of ourselves that lie dormant or inert. We already have everything we need so think of it as an excavation. Some may have to dig deeper than others, however in the larger of scope of things it doesn't matter. Our body, our lesson. Somethings you can't just be told. you need to practice and find out for yourself. If in doubt just take yourself back to the beginning.


"Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."  
 - St. Francis of Assisi

Pose of the week

Parighasana(Gate Pose) Parighasana (Gate Pose) really stretches and lightens the side body and invites the breath to become truly three-dimensional. The pose stretches the intercostal muscles that connect the ribs (and much more...) When these muscles are tight, which commonly happens when we cough and sneeze repeatedly or have poor posture, the rib cage's movement is restricted, and so is respiration. Elongating the intercostal muscles improves breathing; consequently, Parighasana helps respiratory problems usually associated with asthma, allergies, colds, and flu. It's a pose i like to practice before exploring the breath with the three-part breath exercise.  

Sequencing Parighasana can be used as a preparation for many of the standing poses, including Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)and Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose). It's also a good preparation for Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose) and a nice addition to an asana practice that is preparing the body for Pranayama.  

Benefits Stretches the sides of the torso, intercostal muscles and spine, Stretches the hamstrings and iliopsoa, Opens the shoulders and frees the breath.  

Cautions With any serious knee injury, kneeling might be difficult or impossible. In this case, perform the pose sitting on a chair. Arrange your legs either in front of your torso, with knees at right angles, or stretch one leg out to the side, mimicking the full pose.

Pose of the week

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Savasana is a pose of total relaxation, which can make it one of the most challenging poses to be in.
  
After a balanced practice, the entire body will have been stretched, contracted, twisted and inverted. Savasana allows the body a chance to regroup and reset itself.  This means that even the deepest muscles will have the opportunity to let go and shed their regular habits, if only for a few minutes. Most importantly the physiological benefits of deep relaxation are numerous.

In the classic pose you lie out flat on the ground, like the image above, with no support, but this isn't a truly comfortable position for us all. Comfort is essential in the pose! The fairy tale of The Princess and the Pea always comes to mind when preparing for this pose. The slightest point of discomfort can be endlessly distracting. There are a few things you can do to support the body in this posture, for example placing a bolster or rolled blankets under the knees to help relax the low back, or placing a blanket under the head to help lengthen the neck and release tension at the base of the skull. You might also like to have something over the eyes, if that helps you soften the face,  and make sure you are warm enough.

Savasana can come at the beginning and/or at the end of a practice. I often start and always finish my practice with a version of corpse pose, and there are loads of visualisations for relaxation out there, but i like the simplicity of melting, with a focus on the breath.

When you come into the pose it's nice to start by internally patrolling the body, releasing tension bit by bit, from the crown of the head to the tips of the toes. Have the idea of simply allowing your body to melt as a whole, like butter, into the floor.
As you continue to let go you'll feel like your body is spreading into the ground, the whole of the back of your body literally taking more and more space.

Just enjoy watching all your muscle tension melt with gravity and an easy breath into the ground. It's bliss!

One of the most challenging aspects of this pose is keeping your attention on what you are doing as you are doing it...a challenge in all yoga asana!
Your attention often seems to want to run ahead of you, so that you feel like you are constantly trying to keep up with it. It may help to think of your attention as a young and eager puppy. Every time you catch yourself wandering off call your attention to heel so that it follows what is happening rather then trying to lead. Over time you'll find that you've trained it into to staying with you for longer and longer.

Last of all, and most importantly (i think) is to be careful not to judge what you you come across when relaxing. See if you can be with yourself without judgement and accept what ever you come across in each moment. Let yourself be, allowing your attention to linger in the places that you feel it might benifit from most. 

image from here

Pose of the week

UTTANASANA (Standing forward fold) 

Uttanasana is the basic forward fold. Everything you learn here will be applicable to all forward folds. There are many variations so, as always, find what works for you in each given moment and work to your own edge. Whatever stage you are at will be perfect.  

Practice  I like to think of Uttanasana as lengthening down.
Start in Tadasana and ground yourself from the top of the pelvis down, firming the legs and spreading the soles of the feet. Allow the upper body to soften and watch for the exact moment at the very end of your exhalation. Let you spine 'catch' the rebound - feel space rippling up your spine like a snake - and at the bottom of the exhalation see if you can feel space opening up at the base of the spine - just above and around the sacrum.

Use that space! At the end of an exhalation hinge slowly and gently down over a quiet pelvis. You can keep the hands on the hips or float them upwards lightly as you fold forward. Which ever you chose keep your shoulder blades on the back and as soft as possible. Try not to let any tension into the upper body and do not disturb your strong roots.

As you hinge keep breathing down evenly through the soles of your feet, heels and tips of the toes included, and try not to let the weight of your head or arms drag on your spine. You are not pulling or pushing to come into this pose so keep the belly soft and don't 'flatten' the back. Once in the pose bring the finger tips to the floor or clasp the elbows over the head.

There are a few visualisations that help me with the quiet internal feeling forward folds give you....

1. As you lengthen forward into your fold, visualise your pelvic girdle as a fan. This fan has the potential to open enormously - being pulled in two directions; the weight of the head Vs. the tail and heels creating space all around the sacrum and lower spine. The opening of the fan as you lengthen forward should help you feel the whole lower back really open and begin to soften.

2. As you breath into the pose keep your awareness in your spine and see if you can feel the individual vertebrae of your spine moving away from each other.

3. As with all poses it is important not to hyper-extend the backs of your knees. you want to allow your kneecaps to engage and lift evenly to open the backs of the knees, but don't lock back. As you firm the legs try not to allow any other areas of the body to tense in sympathy. To keep your knees open without hyper-extending or tensing, rest your attention at the back of the knees, like you have eyes there...just let it live there for a little while.
Can you feel feel the direct relationship between the backs of the knees and the heels? Between the four corners of the feet and four corners of the kneecaps?

Sequencing  Tadasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana,  Supta Padangusthasana and Malasana are all good preparation for Uttanasana. It can also be benificial to stretch the front thighs with Virasana or lunges to help open the hamstrings.

Benifits Calms the brain, stimulates the liver and kidneys, stretches the hamstrings, calves, and hips, strengthens the thighs and knees, improves digestion.  

Cautions Uttanasana can be dangerous for the lumbar discs so it is important not to bend forward from your lower back. Instead fold from your hips and allow your groins to deepen and soften. Strive for the feeling of moving from your groin area like a fulcrum. If the lower back is already an issue do this pose with bent knees, or perform Ardha Uttanasana (with your hands on the wall).

 Image from Shirley Srey

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)  

Yoga Wall Stickers from amazon

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)

Sequence: Headache Relief

Whenever I work with a headache, I like to wrap my head with a bandage or pashmina scarf...its looks a little crazy but feels good! You can either firmly wrap your forehead only, or wrap both your forehead and your eyes (but not to tight around the eyes). The pressure of the bandage around the head and eyes as well the bandage's blocking of outside light help to release the tension.

As you hold each position, imagine your brain "shrinking" away from the wrap. Imagine a space opening up between the front of your brain and the inner surface of your forehead, and let the brain "sink" onto the back of the skull. Practise this visualisation especially in the reclining positions.

When trying to alleviate a headache, you should emphasise the lengthening of the exhalation of your breath. One of my favourite tricks for this is focusing on the feeling of filling my lungs as i inhale and then filling the room with my breath as a exhale, it really helps me lengthen my exhalations in a natural even way.

1. Balasana (Child's Pose)
Perform either with your head on the floor, or with your torso and head supported on a bolster positioned between your thighs. The bolster's long axis should be parallel to your torso. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.)
2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) 
Support your head on a bolster or block. (Total time 1 to 2 minutes.)
3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
Place your head and crossed forearms supported on a padded chair seat or table. (Total time 1 to 3 minutes.)
4. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)
A simple version is to support the torso on a rolled blanket orbolster underneath and parallel to your spine.  Support the legs with blocks or books so that you are not just 'hanging out' in your joints. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.)
5. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose) 
Support the torso on a bolster, and shoulders and head resting lightly on the floor. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.)
6. Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose) 
Let the pelvis be supported either on a bolster or rolled blanket. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.) To avoid any possibility of straining your back when exiting, be sure not to twist off the support. Either 1) slide off the support first before turning to your side, or 2) bend your knees, press your feet against the wall, and with an inhalation lift your pelvis off the support; then slide the support off to one side, lower your pelvis to the floor, and turn onto your side.
7. Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Take normal inhalations but lengthen the exhalations as much as is comfortable for you. When in Corpse Pose you might also want to lay a weighted sandbag, or something similar, on your forehead. As with the wrap, the pressure of the weight on your head helps release the tension.

If you were just going to practice one of these poses my favourite is Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) with a warm flannel over my forehead.

(Image source: yoga-beautiful)

Restorative Sequence

For this sequence you will need 2 bolsters (or lots of blankets to roll into bolsters), one cotton blanket, one fleece blanket, 1 belt, 4 blocks and at least 2 mats so that the floor is cushioned.

Effortless rest pose

Windscreen wipers

Knees to chest

Pavanamuktasana 

Supta Padangusthasana 1, 2 and 3.

Cat/Cow Stretch

Supported Adho Mukha Svanasana 

Supported Uttanasana

Supported Supta Baddha Konasana

Supported Upavistha Konasana

Viparita Karani 

Supta Sukhasana

Supported Savasana

Image from oldchum