Balasana/Child's Pose
Today has been rainy and relaxing. When I was walking the dog, I started thinking about this week's yoga pose. I literally almost did "naptime pose" because it's just that kind of Sunday. In that spirit, I give you child's pose - best known as a resting pose in both yoga and Pilates. Literally, there are days I come home from work and my body is craving child's pose. I think I cannot possibly work out or walk the dog or make dinner, but after doing balasana for a few minutes, I'm rejuvenated. Several instructors I've had also start off class in this pose because it helps prepare the mind and body for the practice to come.
This is how I go into child's pose, and there's a cheesy video at the end to show you another variation (complete with shirtless man. You're welcome!).
1) Get in table top position - on your hands and knees, flat back.
2) Spread your knees wide and let your toes touch.
3) Press your hands into the mat as you push your butt and hips onto your heels. If you aren't that flexible, try putting a block or blanket on your thighs and calves. Rest your head on the ground.
4) Either bring your hands palm facing upward by your hips or remain in extended child's pose with your palms pressing into the mat, arms extended. If taking the latter variation, remember not to let your shoulders crunch into your ears but remain down your back.
According to Yoga Journal, this pose should NOT be practiced by pregnant women. Also, be careful of knee injuries; if it hurts your knees don't do it. For what it's worth, I have issues with my knees, but I've found this pose actually stretches them out and makes them feel better. But those are my issues, my knees, and the pose doesn't hurt. If it hurts, stop!
Otherwise, you can enjoy these benefits from the pose (taken from Yoga Journal):
* Stretches hips, thighs, ankles
* Calms the mind, relieves stress
* Relieves neck and back pain when doing the supported version
Almost anyone can do this pose, so I encourage you to try it and feel the calming effects for yourself!
Namaste
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Yoga Pose of the Week: Padahastasana
Padahastasana, or Hand to Foot Pose
This is my favorite variation on a forward fold. Forward folds in general have a calming, re-focusing effect on the body and are great to do right after last week's YPW - Handstand. I like this version for a few reasons. 1) It gives me a nice stretch on my shoulders while also stretching the hamstrings and low back. 2) It's fun to say! (Pronounced - PAH-duh-ha-STAH-san-uh, Pada = foot, hasta = hand, thus hand to foot pose)
Here's a video which demonstrates the proper alignment and steps to the pose. It's pretty simple.
Some thoughts from my own practice:
* Keep your low back straight. If you cannot come all the way to the floor with straight legs, just bend your legs. You will increase your flexibility more and better by being mindful of your body rather than rushing just to the floor.
* Don't let your shoulders get scrunched into your ears. Envision them sliding down your back to get the best benefit from this pose.
* This pose has a slight balancing aspect. It's good to try to put more weight on the hands than the heels, which can be a little scary. I *may* have almost fallen over trying to do this, so be careful! But don't worry, as one of my yoga teachers used to say, you have a roll bar if you do fall. :)
* Check out these couple of pages for the numerous benefits of this posture, which include increasing blood flow to the head, alleviation of bloating or constipation, toning of the abdominal muscles, and increasing spinal flexibility.
Namaste
This is my favorite variation on a forward fold. Forward folds in general have a calming, re-focusing effect on the body and are great to do right after last week's YPW - Handstand. I like this version for a few reasons. 1) It gives me a nice stretch on my shoulders while also stretching the hamstrings and low back. 2) It's fun to say! (Pronounced - PAH-duh-ha-STAH-san-uh, Pada = foot, hasta = hand, thus hand to foot pose)
Here's a video which demonstrates the proper alignment and steps to the pose. It's pretty simple.
Some thoughts from my own practice:
* Keep your low back straight. If you cannot come all the way to the floor with straight legs, just bend your legs. You will increase your flexibility more and better by being mindful of your body rather than rushing just to the floor.
* Don't let your shoulders get scrunched into your ears. Envision them sliding down your back to get the best benefit from this pose.
* This pose has a slight balancing aspect. It's good to try to put more weight on the hands than the heels, which can be a little scary. I *may* have almost fallen over trying to do this, so be careful! But don't worry, as one of my yoga teachers used to say, you have a roll bar if you do fall. :)
* Check out these couple of pages for the numerous benefits of this posture, which include increasing blood flow to the head, alleviation of bloating or constipation, toning of the abdominal muscles, and increasing spinal flexibility.
Namaste
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Yoga Pose of the Week: Handstand
In my effort to return to semi-regular blogging, I'm going to attempt to feature a yoga pose every Sunday. I know some of you would rather eat pigs' feet than try yoga, but one of my new goals in life is to get my yoga teacher certification so I can convince even more people that yoga is awesome. In that vein, I'm going to share some of my 7+ years of yoga love with you.
Adho Mukha Vrksasana/Handstand (click it to learn how to pronounce)
Handstand is probably one of my top five favorite poses even though I have not "mastered" it, and that's one of the reasons I chose it as my first pose to feature on the blog. It shows that yoga can be fun and fulfilling regardless of where you are in a pose. It isn't about being flexible or making a perfect triangle. It's about trying the movements and feeling the benefits in your body and mind. With that said, let's get to handstand.
The Benefits:
Handstand is excellent for waking you up and giving you productive energy. Most of ya'll know I'm hyper sensitive to caffeine, so I rarely drink coffee. It kind of makes me feel cracked out - I am awake, but I feel so spazzy I can't focus. Instead, I get my energy boost by doing handstand in the morning. I have noticed that when I do handstand, I get more accomplished, and with a better attitude, than days I do not. My co-worker and I have also been known to do them around 3pm in one of our offices instead of hitting the M&Ms. It makes us laugh, too, which is also an awesome stress reliever.
Many yogis also believe inversions help with circulation and give internal organs a rest. Handstand also gives the physical benefit of strengthening wrists, arms, and shoulders.
What you need:
* A wall (eventually you can do it without the wall, but I'm still working on that)
* Open space
* Courage
What you DON'T need:
* A skirt w/o bloomers
* A yoga mat - if you have one, great, otherwise a stable, non-slick surface is fine; I have used regular carpet, commercial carpet, hardwood floors, almost anything.
* Fear - A certain amount of anxiety is completely normal with this pose. Check out this excellent article from Yoga Journal to help fight the fear. As an added benefit, doing handstand can also increase our ability to overcome fears outside the yoga mat.
Notes of caution:
Use your common sense. If your wrists are hurt or you are having problems with your arms, don't try this pose.
If you have high blood pressure or if you are menstruating, some yogis caution against doing any inversions whatsoever.
But don't trust me. If you have any misgivings, do NOT do the pose without consulting a doctor.
How to do it:
Here's the method I use (taught to me at my favorite yoga studio):
1. Place your hands about 1 hand length away from the wall.
2. Go into downward dog.
3. Slowly walk your legs forward about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to your hands.
4. Engage your abs. (Practice building your abdominal strength with plank poses. A lot of handstand is in the abs.)
5. Look toward the wall. (This is very important. Your body follows your eyes.)
6. Bend one leg and kick up to the wall with the other. Let your bottom leg follow. (See the video below on not bicycling the legs. One leg will be easier than the other. I always bend my right and kick up with the left. When I do it the other way, it's a disaster, so I should probably work on that, but I don't.)
7. Once you're upside down, press your hands into the floor and use your back, shoulders, and abs to keep you up. Eventually you want your body to be in one straight line (again, I'm still working on this).
8. Come back down. (I usually do the pose 2-3 times, holding for as long as I can, which isn't very long because I'm working on keeping my feet away from the wall. If I were just staying on the wall, I would probably hold it longer and only do it once.)
9. Rest in child's pose or standing forward fold.
It definitely helps to watch someone. Here is a video from yoga journal that shows a way very similar to the one I just described:
If you still can't quite make it up to the wall, or if you want to know more about improving your handstand, I urge you to not only read this awesome Yoga Journal article but also go to a yoga studio!
Be careful and have fun!
Namaste
Adho Mukha Vrksasana/Handstand (click it to learn how to pronounce)
Handstand is probably one of my top five favorite poses even though I have not "mastered" it, and that's one of the reasons I chose it as my first pose to feature on the blog. It shows that yoga can be fun and fulfilling regardless of where you are in a pose. It isn't about being flexible or making a perfect triangle. It's about trying the movements and feeling the benefits in your body and mind. With that said, let's get to handstand.
The Benefits:
Handstand is excellent for waking you up and giving you productive energy. Most of ya'll know I'm hyper sensitive to caffeine, so I rarely drink coffee. It kind of makes me feel cracked out - I am awake, but I feel so spazzy I can't focus. Instead, I get my energy boost by doing handstand in the morning. I have noticed that when I do handstand, I get more accomplished, and with a better attitude, than days I do not. My co-worker and I have also been known to do them around 3pm in one of our offices instead of hitting the M&Ms. It makes us laugh, too, which is also an awesome stress reliever.
Many yogis also believe inversions help with circulation and give internal organs a rest. Handstand also gives the physical benefit of strengthening wrists, arms, and shoulders.
What you need:
* A wall (eventually you can do it without the wall, but I'm still working on that)
* Open space
* Courage
What you DON'T need:
* A skirt w/o bloomers
* A yoga mat - if you have one, great, otherwise a stable, non-slick surface is fine; I have used regular carpet, commercial carpet, hardwood floors, almost anything.
* Fear - A certain amount of anxiety is completely normal with this pose. Check out this excellent article from Yoga Journal to help fight the fear. As an added benefit, doing handstand can also increase our ability to overcome fears outside the yoga mat.
Notes of caution:
Use your common sense. If your wrists are hurt or you are having problems with your arms, don't try this pose.
If you have high blood pressure or if you are menstruating, some yogis caution against doing any inversions whatsoever.
But don't trust me. If you have any misgivings, do NOT do the pose without consulting a doctor.
How to do it:
Here's the method I use (taught to me at my favorite yoga studio):
1. Place your hands about 1 hand length away from the wall.
2. Go into downward dog.
3. Slowly walk your legs forward about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to your hands.
4. Engage your abs. (Practice building your abdominal strength with plank poses. A lot of handstand is in the abs.)
5. Look toward the wall. (This is very important. Your body follows your eyes.)
6. Bend one leg and kick up to the wall with the other. Let your bottom leg follow. (See the video below on not bicycling the legs. One leg will be easier than the other. I always bend my right and kick up with the left. When I do it the other way, it's a disaster, so I should probably work on that, but I don't.)
7. Once you're upside down, press your hands into the floor and use your back, shoulders, and abs to keep you up. Eventually you want your body to be in one straight line (again, I'm still working on this).
8. Come back down. (I usually do the pose 2-3 times, holding for as long as I can, which isn't very long because I'm working on keeping my feet away from the wall. If I were just staying on the wall, I would probably hold it longer and only do it once.)
9. Rest in child's pose or standing forward fold.
It definitely helps to watch someone. Here is a video from yoga journal that shows a way very similar to the one I just described:
If you still can't quite make it up to the wall, or if you want to know more about improving your handstand, I urge you to not only read this awesome Yoga Journal article but also go to a yoga studio!
Be careful and have fun!
Namaste
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