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 |
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 |
The other night in yoga class, during an especially challenging flow of poses, our instructor encouraged the entire class with these words: You can do it, we are all stronger than we think. How true those words are. Sometimes we just have to push ourselves a little harder to get results, believe in ourselves enough to realize we have the potential to reach our goals, or hold ourselves up for a few breaths longer in that challenging yoga pose. You are stronger than you think you are, so go out and apply some of your super-power strength in everything you do today.
This is why I love yoga—I get to take the learning off the mat. Yoga Rocks!
