POW! Pose of the Week

POW! This week's pose: Utthita Parsvakonasana - because we're still opening those hips!

Extended Side-Angle pose is yet another pose you can easily transition into from Warrior 2. As simple as this pose looks, there are lots and lots of subtle variations that make this a pose that I am still working on (and may be working on for some time!) Yes, ALL asanas are postures to "work on", but this, similar to my much-reviled chair pose, is a posture that I have not gotten perfect. I haven't nailed it yet, not even for a second. I have several postures that I really like my progression with, and this is not one of them.

Like all postures, it has its benefits: Building focus and willpower, it opens the hips, strengthens the ankles, calves, knees, and thighs, lengthens the spine and (here's a new one) increases lung capacity! Interesting, because as you see from the picture above (shamelessly plagerized from some website), the open ribs seem like they could just iniflate and puff right out with your breath - which is what I do. But, my teacher always comes around and adjusts me so that I'm straight as a board on my open side, at which point, I don't dare inflate to break the line from ankle to wrist, but then I lose balance, or start to straighten the front leg, or lift the forward arm, or shift the top arm, and Oh-gosh-darn-it, we've moved on to another posture, and another week passes and let's just say this won't be one of those poses I'll be nailing on the Standup Paddleboard...

So, coming into this posture is quite easy from Warrior 2 (see 2 weeks ago, "POW" for reference). Let's start with the Right leg forward, left leg back, slightly angled out, arms raised shoulder-height. Instead of facing forward (as in Warrior 2), keep the head and shoulders in line with the hips, opening outward. Bend your forward knee 90 degrees, and anchor the outside edge of your left foot onto the mat. Reach downward with your right fingertips so that your wrist is in line with your ankle, shoulder alongside your knee. Extend your left arm up and over your left ear, and look up towards the sky, as if peeking out from under your bicep. If you are like the model in the photo, your entire left side will be a straight angle from your left ankle to your left wrist. Good luck with that.

Create balance and honor your spirit...

POW! Pose of the Week

Pose of the Week - This week's pose: Virabhadrasana III - because you knew it was coming! Warrior 3 is the final pose of the Warrior series (thank goodness, because after this, you can only imagine what could be next!). Of course, it improves your balance - how else could you form a Capital letter T with your body? - and improves your posture, but it also strengthens your ankles and shoulders while toning your abdominals. Believe me, you are not going to be able to support this posture without using your abs!

You can find yourself tipping into Warrior 3 from standing (mountain pose), leveling out from Ardha Chandrasana (half-moon pose), or swooping out from Trikonasana (triangle pose). In this way, Warrior 3, though extremely challenging, is versatile! It turns out, that this month's issue of Yoga Journal has an article that discusses the "stories" behind some of our favorite yoga postures. Much like the Greek and Roman legends describe the formation of the Constellations, there are stories and legends to explain the origins of the Sanskrit names for yoga postures. The author of the article didn't go into the legend of the Warrior series, but a simple online search revealed the story behind Virabhadrasana (a powerful hero born from the hair of the god Shiva), and the story almost compels you to follow the asanas in order (Vira. I, Vira. II, and finally Vira. III), so that's how I'll take you there!

Starting from where we were last week, Virabhadrasana II, your front knee is bent, toes pointing straight ahead, looking to the future. Your back leg is straight with the foot at a 45 degree angle, hips are open to the side. Arms stretch forward and back, palms facing down. Sweep your back arm overhead and bring it in line with your forward arm while rotating the hips and back foot forward. Place your weight on your forward foot, and lean into it. Balance on the front leg while you allow the back leg to lift off, coming parallel to the floor. Your torso also will tilt forward in line with the back leg, parallel to the floor. Wrists, shoulders, hips, and ankles should all be level. From the side, you will look like a giant, capital T. Now you're flying!

Allow the balance of this series to help you seek balance and happiness in your life!

Surf Yoga Soul - DVD review

♥ Well, dear readers, my shipment of yoga DVDs came this afternoon, and without delay, I ripped right into them and hopped on the mat for a test drive. This DVD, Surf Yoga Soul is subtitled "the ultimate flow yoga practice", and it's lead by Shiva Rea, yogini extraordinaire. {It seems to be produced for (or even by) Acacia, unlike all of my other yoga DVDs, which are from Gaiam.}

I purchased this DVD to support my hubby's dream of me doing yoga on his SUP. After trying this practice, I can say with all honesty that I am not hopping on that Paddleboard any time soon. My first impression is that this DVD is awesome, and it is definitely NOT for beginners. My previous experience with Shiva Rea's offerings on DVD was her Pregnancy Yoga DVD by Gaiam. That practice wasn't the best, but the offerings for Pregnancy Yoga are slim pickings, so I found myself practicing with Shiva a few times a month throughout each of my pregnancies. Surf Yoga Soul, on the other hand, has gorgeous scenery, a hip soundtrack, and a very cool "matrix" format, which means I can customize my workout! It has 7 different segments of varying length, and the viewer is able to pick and choose the segments, organizing them however suits, and voila! the practice is set.

To start, I chose a 17 minute segment that worked the arms/shoulders, an 11 minute segment to stretch, and finished with a 2 minutes Savasana. The first segment was so challenging, the second segment stretched it out, and the third segment finished beautifully. I was so pleased with the flow I put together for myself, that I went back and tried the 20 minute "balancing" segment. I can tell I am going to get a lot out of experimenting with the different segments in different orders, which is so motivating!

Bottom line: This DVD is going to be a staple in my rotation! Highly recommended for people with a firm knowledge of and experience in advanced level poses (crow, Warrior 3, Pigeon, and King Dancer, to name a few).

More to come... ♥

Namaste.

Updates...

Just a quick post today...

First, I felt I should give an update on my "Do Yoga Everyday for a Week" goal. I am a teacher, and during the school year, I don't have the time (a more dedicated yogi would say, "oh, you just don't make the time...") to practice as often as I like. I do squeeze in a class whenever I can, but once school is in session, classes at 9am during the week just aren't going to work, nor are evening classes at 7pm, which is precisely bedtime for my two littlest boys. Weekends are relegated to grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry, plus kids' sports and other committments. It's hard to practice.

SOOOOO, I take full advantage of the summer and the more flexible schedule I have as a "sSAHM" (seasonal Stay At Home Mom), and practice as much as I can. At the start of the summer, I made a pledge to myself that I would take at least one week and try doing yoga every day, and I was finally able to accomplish this goal. So, why the insistence on every day? Well, I do read a lot of celebrity rag-mags, and everyone with a fab body always chalks it up to Yoga. Madonna, Gwyneth, Jennifer, you name the celeb, they name yoga.

My results? No, I don't look like a celebrity. It's going to take a lot more dedication than one week (and a LOT less M&Ms). But I feel happy, which is probably more than I can say for the aforementioned celebs! The accomplishment of meeting a goal, of course, gives you a bit of a "glow", but I do feel more limber, and I feel like it's almost part of a routine now...I just knew each day that I was going to find myself on a mat at some point during the day. After my dedicated week, I did take a 2 day break (Thursday and Friday) from yoga...but I still did some cardio at the gym. Today, I think I'll hop back on the mat and look forward to some more opportunities this week. Maybe by September I'll have that celeb bod...

Speaking of celebrity rag mags - in the latest issue of "Life and Style", who is pictured paddling down some river on an SUP (stand up paddleboard - see last week's post)? And speaking of SUPs, what was featured, front and center, in the New York Times Style Section this past Thursday? And where were the paddleboarders headed? To do Yoga on the beach. Sometimes the connections we can make are a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

As I mentioned last week, our SUP has been ordered, and as my final update today, it is due to arrive on Monday. Will I hop on and paddle on over to my SUP yoga class? You'll just have to check back and see ;)

Connect with your spirit on the mat. Soon. I promise it will feel good...