Inspirations: Restore & Relax

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana~Bridge Pose

Lie on your back, bend knees, bring feet to buttocks.  Make sure feet remain hip width and parallel.  Placing a block between the thighs is very helpful. Inhale, curling tailbone up, lifting the spine, and extending it toward the knees.  If you feel tight or weak, curl spine and hips up and down gently several times, awakening Kundalini energy asleep in the spine. Once you are fully extended, keep hips high, clasp hands under the back, move shoulders closer.  As this is an inversion, keep eyes open. This is an active backbend, energizing, strengthening, invigorating.  Backbends increase prana, helping the emotional body with anxiety, and depression.  With Bridge, the endocrine and nervous systems are supported, which promotes healthier reproductive organs, and eases issues around elimination, PMS, menopause and menstrual cycles.   Do not do backbends with headaches, or nauseas. In this position, the kidneys, a source of vitality, are stimulated as they release from compression, and can be drawn deeper into the abdomen.  Since kidneys work with the adrenals, and stagnation, metaphysically, we are supported in releasing what is old, stagnant, and no longer supports life. As A Supported Pose:  Use a folding chair, and set up in the same way you did for Viparita Dandasana, with legs through back of chair, and bolster or other support under head and shoulders.  With Bridge, add a second chair for your feet as they extend out from back of first chair.  As you did in Viparita Dandasana, grab back of chair, and release back until your shoulders and head rest at the same even level on the bolster, or support.  Back of chair is under upper back, allowing abdomen to relax and extend.  Hold 3-5 minutes, breathing mindfully.  To come out of pose, bend knees, place feet on floor, and gently pull… Read more »

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Viparita Dandasana~Inverted Staff Pose, supported

This pose opens the chest, expands the thoracic, and brings blood to the brain. The supported version of Viparita Dandasana is done with a folding chair. First, place a bolster, and if needed, blocks or pillows at the foot of the chair, where your feet would normally be.  Sit in the chair backwards, extending legs through chairback. Grab back of the chair and slowly extend torso backward over the seat.  If this is uncomfortable, add a blanket or cushion to chair seat.  Middle of back should be supported by chair, legs are straight, and crown of head rests on the bolster.  Hands can move down to back legs of chair, allowing chest a greater opening. Remain 2-3 minutes and breathe into your crown chakra, the Sahasrara~ the thosand petaled lotus, ‘seat of the supreme soul.’  Braincells are not only bathed with blood but metaphysically this is our connection to everything. Visualize a white or clear light cleansing the pituitary and pineal glands. When ready to come out of pose, bend knees, plant soles of feet on floor, and gently pull torso upright, pause before moving on.

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Paschimottanasana/Seated Forward Fold

This simple pose offers several layers of healing.  1. As a basic stretch, it lengthens hamstrings, and spine. 2. As a restorative pose, it allows the body to ground down and release toward earth, softening ego so it does not push too far too fast.  3. Done with a partner, it adds connection and joy in supporting one another. Begin pose in Dandasana~Staff Pose, sitting tall, with legs parallel.  Lengthen spine forward, gently walking hands out, or you can place a strap behind the feet and slowly pull the torso forward. ( Keep elbows open out to the side so the lungs fully operate.) If hamstrings are tight, bend the knees, strap around feet, then very slowly extend legs, bit by bit. If you overextend hamstring stretches, you run the risk of tears at the hip insertion.  These take a long time healing, so do not let ego run amuck telling you to stretch faster/longer.  Tortoise wins this race every time. As a restorative pose, place folded blanket under the hips, then pull a bolster, with more folded blankets, and or blocks – if needed into groin, between legs.  Extend torso over the supports, resting the forehead on something.  You should feel the sweet support of the bolster under your belly. As the forehead~Third eye, Anja, 6 chakra rests on its support, feel your intuitive body expanding as it connects earthward.  All supported poses not only nurture the physical body, but allow it to expand, release and open to subtle body layers, inviting spirit to enter the stillness. If partnering, and if you are very flexible, sit facing one another, soles of feet pressing against each other, reach forward and grab partner’s hands, or wrists,  If this is not yet possible, you can take turns bending your knees and gently pulling the partner toward… Read more »

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Viparita Karani~Legs Up The Wall Pose

This is a wonderfully restorative pose, perfect to close down a day, or offer a moment of renewal at a stressful time.  It can be done either with or without support.  To enter the pose, without support, sit facing wall with buttocks against, and sideways to the wall, then extend torso back onto forearms as you lift legs up against the wall.  Back of hips and legs should lie agains wall.  If your legs tend to fall open, strap them so you can completely rest.  This pose can be in place of Savasana; close eyes, open arms out, palms up, enter a conscious breath, with longer exhales. With support: Add either a rolled blanket, or bolster, or blankets added to a bolster, and place against the wall, running length of wall.  Repeat the same entry as above.  It will be a bit more difficult to get sacrum and legs against wall, but do your best.  Spend 5-10 minutes here. When coming out of the pose, do it slowly by bending knees, rolling to one side, and coming off the bolster.  Lie completely flat to bring spine into its alignment before getting up. Happy dreams!

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Supta Baddha Konasana

You may wish to begin by sitting upright in Baddha Konasana, with knees bent, soles of feet pressing together, close to groin.  If there are knee issues, and or hips are tight and knees are in the air, place blocks under outside of knees for support. The ‘Supta’ or sleeping part of this asana is to lie back while keeping soles of feet together, and knees supported ~if necessary.  If you have lumbar or sacral issues, keep spine supine on the mat, otherwise this is wonderful with the chest opened and lifted by placing a block, rolled blanket, or bolster under thoracic spine.  Don’t tuck the sacrum For deep restoration, sit up and place a belt around lower back/hips, bring it over the thighs, and loop around, under, and outside of feet.  Pull the belt tight once in place.  Lie back with eyes soft, breath long.  Use a kumbaka breath if you want to create more internal space.  This pranayama has a short kumbak, or hold, at the end of each exhale and inhale, bringing consciousness and stillness to the breathing process. By lifting arms overhead on to the floor, you can expand and elongate the abdomen, taking pressure off the pelvic floor.  This is helpful for incontinence.  The pose also awakens prana/energy in chest area, relaxes reproductive organs in women, softens stiffness during menopause or PMS, and alleviates fluid retention because legs and lower body are stimulated. My favorite ‘mudra’ or hand placement is to put left palm on the heart, and right palm on the belly, connecting emotion and heart energetically.  This feels like a mudra of listening, waiting for the the intuitive body to expand.  I have experienced it as very healing, supporting me through many a dark night.  Try it.  You’ll like it.

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Salamba Sarvangasana/Shoulder Stand

This is a ‘Mother of a Pose,’ according to Iyengar, as it supports and nurtures the entire body.  Begin by lying on your back, bend the knees and pull them into the stomach as you exhale.  Lift hips up off the floor on the next exhale, supporting hip with your hands if needed.  Continue lifting legs and hips straight overhead, pulling the elbows in line with shoulders, hands in middle of back, keep weight off the neck.  Exhale, extending legs and feet strongly, connecting the abdominal support to legs for added extension.  Remain for a minute at first, working up to five, then ten.  Keep breathing even and soft.  When ready to dismount, either bring knees in to chest and roll down the spine, or take feet over head into Halasana/Plow. Salamba Sarvangasana is a pose supporting harmony within.  It can be used as a panacea for many ills as it supports the endocrine system, which absorbs nutrients in the blood, secrete hormones.  It relates directly to the thyroid and parathyroid glands in the neck area, soothing the nerves, helping with headaches, nasal congestion, asthma, breathlessness, colds and throat ailments, as well as insomnia, anxiety, and hypertension.  In going up side down, it supports proper elimination, freeing toxins that create constipation, therefore giving the body greater energy.  It also aids urinary and uterine disorders, menstrual issues and hernia.  It may help in relieving epilepsy and anaemia.  Clearly spending a few minutes a day in this ‘Mother of all poses’ will repair and heal much of what modern life tears down. To make Salamba Sarvangasana a restorative pose, place the hips on a bolster, or block, and extend legs in the air.  Or place the bolster or block against the wall, sit sideways, with legs up the wall, and roll up onto… Read more »

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Ananda Balasana

Happy Baby Asana: Ananda Balasana/Happy Baby. As you lie there, staring at the sky, feet and knees pulled back, tail bone pressing into the earth. Rock side to side and consider the Universe in which you find yourself .  Let awareness flood the body for all that you are learning, all that you have to be happy about, all that lies ahead, all you have already become.  Bow to the mother who agreed to connect her soul to yours.  Bow to the soul within. Health Notes: Lengthens spine, opens groins, and when smiling, beckons contentment and gratitude, creating the healthiest bodies.

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Savasana

Corpse Pose There are few instructions for this sublime pose (that we long for in the middle of a difficult class, or at the end of a long, hard day.)  The only important thing is to be in a comfortable position, eyes closed,  lying restfully on your back, so that you do not fuss with the body.  Let back, neck, legs, arms, shoulders lie open, long and heavy with gravity.  Palms are open, feet and legs roll outward.  If you are there for a long enough period, and you know your back will ache, place a block or pillow under the knees. Support whatever needs supporting so that you can turn inward to your breath, to this moment of ending and surrender. Physical places that often need conscious attention are the eyes, tongue, and jaw.  Take a few breaths at the beginning to mindfully breathe through head channels, including ears, nose, back of neck, and around  forehead furrows, or third eye.  If class has been stressful for your ego, pay attention to an anxious stomach, and any feelings of  being less than.  In time, your Practice will not allow that, but often in the beginning, we all suffer from some form of not being as fabulous as we wish.  Let it all flow into the river, washing through the body, belly breathing that balm in Gilead. Ideally, you spend 5 minutes for each 30 minutes of class.  That is becoming rare, but when you do come out and up, roll to the side and slowly sit.  Let the head be last, keeping your eyes closed if possible.  Be aware of how different you feel now -than before. Health Notes:  This is a master pose, good for whatever ails us.  I have used it for depression and anxiety, insomnia, and nervous… Read more »

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