The pose of the day... is... drumroll...
...Tadasana!
Also known as Mountain Pose, this powerfully grounding posture is an important part of any style of yoga. In a vinyasa flow it serves as a nice resting place to reconnect with a quiet mind and the heart's intention. It plays a major role in the Sun Salutation series as the point at which you've either risen up from the ground, or you're about descend back down; it's the point of equanimity between the rise and fall, the line that separates yin from yang. If we can be present in Tadasana, we can connect with our will, our strength, sense of confidence and our right to be alive. You really feel your full-on humanness in all it's human glory when you stand with your feet firmly planted and your spine tall and straight, your neck long and head held high. It's a kingly feeling.
Once you know what Tadasana feels like - with feet firmly connected to the ground, knee caps slightly lifted, tail-bone pointing down as the lower abdomen gently pulls in to allow the heart to float up as the shoulders pull down and back, shoulder blades resting snug behind the heart, neck growing long out of the shoulders, chin slightly tucked to allow the top of the head to float up and out of that foundation - Once you have everything in alignment and you know what that feels like, you can find this Tadasana posture in ever other posture you move through. Whether you're in Warrior II, Plank, or Upward-Facing Bow, see if you can check in with your Tadasana: for the first couple breaths, mentally move up the line, from toe to head. Are you hugging to the center? Are your feet grounded, your core strong, and your heart lifted?
We can find Tadasana in any posture on our yoga mat, and we can practice the pose at any point in time when we're going about our daily lives. Where ever you are, you can always stop, ground yourself, and feel your alignment as you allow your spine to grow tall, your heart to open and your mind to clear. We can tap into the potential greatness that Tadasana offers, no matter what posture or life situation we're in. It's always there for us. Be the Mountain.
February 12, 2013
Yoga Tip for the Day:
Sit on the floor.
Yup, you heard me. Screw furniture. Chairs, couches, love seats, lazy boys, barstools, what-have- you - we don't need them. Chairs and couches take up space and they keep our bodies crammed into an unnatural mold, crunching our lower back, encouraging the upper back to round and the shoulders to droop, the belly to grow lax, the hips to grow stiff... And then we wake up in the morning wondering why we have this chronic pain in our shoulders and upper back, or why the first few stretches in a yoga class are so uncomfortable.
Furniture has been engrained into our culture since the beginning of Western civilization. Maybe it started as some pride thing about wanting to be elevated off the ground... I don't know, but since the advent of TV, and then the computer, and then video games, and then the internet - we've become overly reliant on furniture and it's taking a toll on our bodies, encouraging poor posture, muscle atrophy and bone loss.
Next time you find yourself hanging out in your living room, whether you're watching TV, reading a book, or visiting with loved ones - try sitting on the floor. It will give your body more freedom to move around in the way it wants to. The floor provides an infinite amount of ways in which the body can find comfort. The body wants to move around. It needs to, for it is a complex system with many parts working together, each part needing to be stretched, strengthened and restored. The floor provides a place to roll, stretch and shift around, to develop a feel for these parts.
Sitting on the floor will encourage a sense of grounding in the body and the mind. It will connect you to your body in a deeper way, as you'll feel your body in a different way. You'll notice things. You'll notice places where your body feels tight. You'll notice where the stress of your day has taken it's toll. You may notice that it's difficult to sit on the floor. It's important to notice these things, because that means you are developing an awareness of the state of your body. We cannot feel comfortable sitting on the floor until we are willing to accept the discomfort. When we are able to sit in the discomfort with love, full, relaxed breathing and full acceptance, we learn how to move through the discomfort, into comfort. It takes time, but it's an empowering practice - it's a nice way to develop strength and health in your mind and body.
Sitting back into a lazy boy masks your discomfort. It puts a band-aid on the discomfort. Sitting on the floor helps you become aware of the places of discomfort, and the floor space will allow you to move around to find out what will release that discomfort - wiggle your hips, roll onto your back and hug your knees to your chest, or do a gentle spinal twist, or child's pose always feels good... or lying on your back with your legs up a wall is incredibly restorative, especially if you're on your feet a lot... You'll find what feels good for you. It starts with paying attention to your body, feeling love and acceptance for the state of your body, and gently moving your body in ways that feel good to you, while allowing the floor to cradle you.
If you're not used to sitting on the floor, I recommend starting small. For 2 - 5 minutes at a time, as often as you can remember, sit on a pillow, on the floor, in an easy cross - legged position. Make sure your sits bones are on the edge of the pillow, with your knees spilling easily out to the sides. Use your abdomen to allow the spine to grow tall: gently pull in your lower belly as you smooth out the arch in your lower back; the tail bone reaches for the floor as the top of the head reaches for the sky. Take big, deep breaths and sit with whatever you happen to be feeling/experiencing. Notice what you notice, and let it go. In time, you will notice that you'll be able to sit for longer stretches of time. Then you'll find that you forget about the couch and sit on the floor without realizing it. With this practice, you will feel your body in ways you never imagined; you will have your mobility back. You will have your body back.
Sending love to you! May you find comfort and peace <3
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