POW! Pose of the Week

Hello Dear Followers! Sorry I didn't have a Pose of the week for you last week...things have been busy in "real life", and I truthfully haven't had (or should I say "made") the time to devote to my practice, let alone blog about it! I actually went to a class on Sunday, and halfway through, I realized I hadn't been on my mat in over a week! That's an eternity, considering I was spending an hour on my mat at least 3 days a week this summer. No wonder the stress feels like it's mounting and I'm not being as efficient as I like. Perhaps devoting some time, even if it's just 15 minutes every other day, to practicing might turn things around. For now, I'm back with another Pose of the Week!

This week's pose: Parivrtta trikonasana, or Revolved Triangle pose - because you've had two weeks to work on Triangle, and I wanted to throw you for a loop! At least this pose throws ME for a loop!

Revolved Triangle is a wonderful, cleansing pose thanks to a pretty intense twist. It certainly improves your balance, lengthens your spine, and despite the twist, opens you up all over! (hips, chest, groin, you name it!)

The most direct way to find yourself in this posture is to begin in Mountain pose, and step one foot forward about 3 feet, angling the back foot outward, about 45 degrees. This is similar to the open leg stance you find for regular Triangle. Instead of holding your arms out at the shoulders, however, this time, bring both of your hands down to frame your forward foot. If your rear foot wants to lift, that means your stance is too wide, so adjust accordingly by shortening your stance. Once comfortable, slowly raise your opposite arm from the forward leg, twisting your waist, shoulders, and if balance permits, your head to gaze at that raised arm. Be sure to use your core to hold your torso and use your leg muscles to keep the small of your back level with your spine. Hold for several breaths, and slowly untwist and switch sides. This is a pretty intense twist, so feel free to use a prop (ie, a yoga block) to help support your posture.

So that's it for this week...more post ideas are percolating, so hopefully it won't be so long before I see you again!

C'mon baby, let's do the twist! Namaste.