it’s amazing how much certain poses become more effortless the more you practice. I love crow pose too. The first time I ever did it, I was scared and kept feeling like I’d fall.
salted pretzel.
deadly ninja monkey..
lolol wind removing (I have a childish sense of humor). These are all so great.
If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.
Lao Tzu (via hallucinatio)
(Source: cavum)
We often practice Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation) in a yoga class; however, Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) - one of the positions in the Sun Salutation sequence - is often misunderstood by students. Some don’t even see it as an asana itself, but flow through it in transition from Plank Pose to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog). Others perform some version of a push-up. This challenging pose can take time to master as you build strength in the arms, wrists, and abdomen. Keeping the integrity of the pose from the start to the end of our yoga practice is important to avoid injury and benefit from the work it takes to master Chaturanga Dandasana.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Beginning in Plank Pose, and on an exhalation, slowly lower your torso and legs to a few inches above and parallel to the floor. There’s a tendency in this pose for the lower back to sway toward the floor and the tailbone to poke up toward the ceiling (as in Figure One).
- Throughout your stay in this position, keep the tailbone firmly in place and the legs very active and turned slightly inward. Draw the pubis toward the navel.
- Keep the space between the shoulder blades broad. Don’t let the elbows splay out to the sides (as in Figure Two); hold them in by the sides of the torso and push them back toward the heels.
- Press the bases of the index fingers firmly to the floor. Lift the top of the sternum and your head to look forward.
The completed form of Chaturanga Dandasana (as in Figure Three) is quite difficult to perform at first, until your arms, back, and legs are strong enough to support you.
You can get a feel for this challenging position by practicing it standing upright. Stand and face a wall, a few inches away from the wall. Press your hands against the wall, slightly lower than the level of your shoulders. Imagine that you are trying to push yourself away from the wall, but the firmness of your shoulder blades against the back prevents any movement. Lengthen your tailbone into your heels and lift the top of your sternum toward the ceiling.
You can also modify this pose by lowering your knees to the floor from Plank Pose and then, with an exhalation, lower your sternum to within an inch or two from the floor.
To make this pose more challenging, if possible, slowly roll over the balls of your feet onto the tops of your feet and shift the torso slightly forward. This will bring the hands back beside your waist and increase the challenge of the position.
Practice with pose for anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds. Release with an exhalation. Either lay yourself lightly down onto the floor or push strongly back to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog), lifting through the top thighs and the tailbone.
I enjoy this pose. I hated it when I couldn’t do it but when I discovered that I could some months later (hadn’t done it at all in between that time), I liked it.
this show….
(Source: iruntothefutureandjump)
Tried Kundalini Yoga for the first time today
it was a tv program I found on fios demand, so not sure if that’s the best way to try a new style, but anyway, it was good. I like it so far. I think I’ll explore Kundalini more, I love Vinyasa, but I think I need a change up.
- Tense shoulders: It doesn’t look like it, but this pose is all about upper-body strength. If your arms and shoulders are weak, you might compensate by scrunching your shoulders up to your ears. This is a big no-no, as it can cause neck strain, shoulder pain, and headaches. Be sure to actively draw your shoulder blades down your back, creating space in your neck. If you find your shoulders tensing up, it probably means you need to take a break. Bend your knees and rest in Child’s Pose, and rise back into Down Dog when you’re ready. As you continue your practice, upper-body strength will quickly increase, making it easier to hold Down Dog with correct technique.
- Unstable hands: A good amount of your body weight is in your hands so be sure this base is strong and stable. Don’t allow your palms to lift up; spread your fingers as wide as you can, creating a straight line between the elbows, forearms, and middle fingers; actively press your fingertips and the knuckles at the base of your fingers firmly into the mat along with the heel of your palm, which can often relieve wrist pain. Your hands should be strong and stable enough that you could jump into a handstand at a moment’s notice.
- Rounding your spine: If your hamstrings are extremely tight and you struggle to straighten them, you’ll compensate by rounding your spine. The best thing to do is bend your knees softly so you can concentrate on lengthening your pelvis away from your shoulders. Don’t tuck your tailbone in, but rather stick it out, as if you were pressing your belly button toward your thighs. As your hips and hamstrings open up, you can work on straightening the legs — just be sure your back stays long and straight.
- Heels pointed in: Touching your heels to the mat isn’t necessary, as it depends on the flexibility of your lower body. But in order to effectively work your inner thighs, hamstrings, and calves in this pose, press your heels out slightly so the outside edges of your feet are parallel with the outside edges of your mat. Doing Down Dog this way is more challenging on your leg muscles, but with practice, it’ll increase flexibility and you’ll be closer to pressing your heels to the floor.
Doing it correctly is most important. Otherwise you’ll end up like correcting it 2 years later.
