Aug 1, 2010 |
Last week I wrote about how my yoga instructor basically had us play mind games to get us through the difficulty of boat pose. I’ll say it again: Yoga boat pose is definitely on my top-five list of poses I really dislike and is a boat trip I do not want to take.
So, this week the instructor asked us to get spiritual in the pose. What? Spiritual! I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can get spiritual when I’m working my abs.
But since it worked last week, I figured I would give it a try. When I really looked inside myself and tried to see the beauty of the pose and concentrate on the good spiritual effects that yoga and this pose has brought to my life, I lost myself again in the spirituality and was able to hold the pose with an amazingly reduced amount of pain and mental anguish.
So, the moral of the story is: When you are doing abdominal exercises or a pose that you just don’t like, use your mind to think of the positive aspects of the pose or everything that is beautiful in your life. Breath into it, play mental mind games, and you can make it through. It really works!
Photo: Karin Lindstrom
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Aug 1, 2010 |
In yoga class the other night, we were in half-moon pose (ardha-chandrasana), and our instructor encouraged us all to take a risk and try some of the more advanced stages of the pose (like letting go with the hand holding us up and taking that hand to your calf or taking a bind with the lifted leg). It’s fun and challenging to take a little risk in yoga class and also a little scary at times, but if we don’t take risks, we’ll never know if we can take it to the next level. I, for one, am still trying to master the basics of half-moon pose (there’s this thing called balance that is a slight issue for me), so there is no way I’m going to try the advanced stages, but I do try to push myself each time I’m in this pose by raising my leg a little higher or holding the pose longer than I think I can.
The instructor encouraged us to not only take risks on the mat, but to take this learning off the mat and take risks in life. What a great message and one I try to practice as much as possible. I guess the same thing goes in real life as on the mat: It doesn’t always have to be a huge leap of faith, but a slow, gradual push to get to somewhere new may just be the trick.
So, get out there, take some risks, and don’t be afraid of falling.
Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my journal of cool yoga experiences, Yoga for Back Pain Relief, and Affordable Yoga Products. Thank you for checking out the ads and products when you visit to help fund this site!
Aug 1, 2010 |
I’ve been writing a lot about savasana, the time at the end of yoga class where you lie still, breathe, and seal in your yoga practice. It’s basically a mini nap, and how cool is it that you get to take a nap at the end of a workout?! I never take naps on my own, so savasana, to me, is a guilty pleasure and unexpected delight.
I recently went to a more challenging Vinyasa yoga class and really got a great yoga workout. The instructor that day did an incredible job of taking the class through the relaxation process during savasana. It was wonderful listening to his calming voice and following his directions to get into a deeper state of relaxation.
So, while in savasana he asked us all to remember the state of calm we were in, to take that feeling throughout our day, and to come back to it whenever we encounter stressful situations. I was feeling rather yummy at the time, so I am doing my best to remember that place so I can visit it whenever I need to feel at peace. Yeah, I’ll take that savasana to go!
Next time you’re in savasana, take a mental picture of your calm, peaceful state and tuck it away in your brain’s internal photo journal for future use.
Photo: Lianne van der Laan
Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my journal of cool yoga experiences, Yoga for Back Pain Relief, and Affordable Yoga Products. Thank you for checking out the ads and products when you visit to help fund this site!
Aug 1, 2010 |
One of my yoga instructors has designated the month of July as Hip-Opener Month!
We hold a lot of crap and tension down in our hips, and I, for one, love a great hip-opening pose in yoga class to stretch out those muscles and release the massive quantity of angst I’ve stored up in my hips over the years. Plus, I really think hip-opener poses help release tension in my lower back.
If you want to chuck some of the tension you’ve been holding in your hips, try pigeon pose (eka pada rajakapotasana), my favorite hip-opener pose. You’ll find directions at MyYogaOnline. Please warm up before you try this pose, and be sure to follow the directions and modifications.
I think we need to start a national movement and make Hip-Opener Month a worldwide event so everyone can let go of that nasty stress and angst building up in our hips.
There’s only a week left of July, so get out there and try some hip-opener yoga poses and leave me a comment below and let me know what your favorite hip-opener is.
Photo: Martin Louis
Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my journal of cool yoga experiences, Yoga for Back Pain Relief, and Affordable Yoga Products. Thank you for checking out the ads and products when you visit to help fund this site!
Aug 1, 2010 |
Tree pose is definitely one of my top ten favorite yoga poses. I love it when I feel totally balanced and can lift my hands up over my head and spread them out in a V. I push my lifted leg out farther, stand a little taller, and reach my arms up as far as I can. I feel like a tree flowing in the wind, my branches ready to bring in all the possibilities of life. It is so affirming.
When I began yoga I had horrible balance, so I started tree pose by just resting one of my feet up on my toes on the floor. When I started to feel more stable, I moved my foot slowly up my shin but always below my knee. Moving my foot up above my knee was just too risky; I’d lose my balance and wobble all over the place.
So today—I’m not sure why (maybe it was because there were only a few people in class to see me fall on my face), but I just decided to go for it, and I grabbed my foot and pulled it up above my knee and rested it there. Whoa! I immediately had to reach over to a wall to firm up my balance and then pushed myself back up straight. I could have abandoned the pose right then and there, but I held on and got my stability back and just stood there in all my glory with my foot above my knee in tree pose. Woohoo! I did it! Well, not quite; I still needed to lift my arms above my head and was wondering if I should even attempt it. Sure, why not? Go for it, I said and I raised my branches up into the air and experienced my full expression of tree pose. It was even easier the second time on the left side than it was on the right side.
So, the moral of the story is: Don’t be afraid to try new (more challenging) variations of a pose. When you’re ready give it a shot. Don’t be afraid of falling; you’ve got nothing to lose, and you may just find that you’ve graduated into another level of your yoga practice.
