Hello pretty 🥰
Hope this blog finds you well & you are having a gorgeous day.
Let’s jump right in, in no particular order,
My favorite yoga positions right now:
Pyramid: This asana is standing & inverted, so it’s rather gentle (not taxing to knees or joints) & it’s good for your heart!
Pyramid stretches the hamstring and the back of the leg, both legs, but you might feel the back leg stretching more.
chakras nourished: root, sacral, throat
In regards to props, you can use them for your hands. So placing yoga blocks in between your legs supports your body, & allows you to feel the benefits of the curve.
You can experiment with different heights for your blocks too!
Some days you might need more props, and some days less, so it’s good to know all of your options to modify.
A further note on this: if you are practicing one pose throughout a session, you may be able to start with props, and then as you loosen your muscles, work your way down to the ground fully without the assistance of props. The goal is not in the aesthetics, but rather maintaining proper form to allow for energy flow and the release of tension.
In pyramid, you feel the energy flowing through the legs, through the arms, through the spine as it curves & out the tip of your head.
Make sure to take time to feel this energy flow, using all of your body to achieve the pose, each limb doing it’s own job, working together as one unit.
Warrior I: I learned a modified Warrior I can set you up for Warrior III
Meditation note: if you want to hold this pose for longer (1-3 minutes) You can visualize an orb of positive energy strengthening and empowering you in between your hands. We have chakras in our hands so this is a great pose to work with those energy centers.
As you get more comfortable in this position you can squat deeper into your front leg, keeping alignment through your body: toes pointing forward, knee pointing forward.
chakras: root, sacral, solar
Warrior III: This pose can be considered a little more challenging, but anyone can practice it. Start with Warrior I, and then left your foot off just a bit, so you can get the sensation and balance. From there, you can reset in Warrior I and then lift that back leg higher.
A good prop for beginners is a foam roller in front of you that you can hold onto for balance!
chakras: root, solar plexus 💛
A note for this asana: your torso should tip forward as far as your leg lifts, but not further than that.
Maintain energy flow from tip of foot, through top of head and fingertips
1/2 Monkey: This asana stretches the hamstring, and relaxes the spine into a restorative curved position. It is considered a kneeling position. (Use a folded blanket/towel to protect your knees)
1/2 Monkey engages the root and sacral chakra, it also compresses the abdominals, which can assist in digestion.
Some schools teach this position with a straight spine, but I learned it with a curve. The focus is on the stretch in the hamstring. This is not altered by spinal position. 🥰
I’ve found 1/2 monkey to be a great restorative pose. It feels less active compared to some other poses, and it provides nice relief before bed. I would recommend partnering this pose with an arched position like 1/2 moon, so you could get motion through the whole spine. Another complimentary pose could be gate, that one has a side bend in the spine.
Think: arch, curve, straight spine, side-bend
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