Inspirations: Standing Asanas

Virabhadrasana I

Warrior I This is basic standing pose is a great place from which to take stock. It grounds the body, and offers a place to integrate and prepare.  Indeed, standing still, with attention to breath, we grow toward our inner warrior: simple/powerful/ready. From Tadasana/Standing Pose, take a large step back on R foot . Bend L knee, extending R leg strongly back so that R foot plants into the earth, keeping arch lifted, foot turned out about 45 degrees, with energy moving to lift inner leg and pull outer leg and R foot back. The opposition of the L knee pulling forward and the R leg and foot pulling back is what creates the power of this pose.  Lift arms overhead, stretch torso up and back. To increase strength, deepen knee bend, and to expand torso, lengthen back, but do not drop into lower back, keep lifted as you extend.  Try to keep hips facing forward, but do not force them to be even.  When hips are tight, stand with feet slightly wider apart. Health Notes:  Strengthens legs and back, calms the mind, and grows capacity by strengthening thigh muscles.

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Uttanasana

Extreme Stretch or Forward Fold Pose Asana: Uttanasana/Extreme Etretch Pose. An extreme stretch can be done in many forms, but one of it’s most popular is to stand on one leg, lifting the other behind, and diving for the floor.  This places you into ‘standing splits.’  Walk the hands back toward standing leg, and if you wish, balance by grabbing the ankle with both hands.  Keep the leg in the air tall and strong, toes engaged. You can also take an extreme stretch by lifting arms up, lengthening torso, and on exhale reaching out and over to hang in forward fold. However you decide to create inner space in Uttanasana, inhale to start and exhale to move into it.  Amazing meta-discoveries are made when new space is opened up in the physical body. Health Notes: Strengthens legs, opens groins, improves balance, when done as standing splits.  Stretches hamstrings and back when done as a forward folding pose.

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Baddha Natarajasana

Asana: Baddha Natarajasana/Dancer Pose Begin standing, Tadasana, reach the R arm back as you bend R knee, lifting R leg back. Turning R thumb up, reach that hand back, clasping inside of R foot, and strongly use hamstrings to press leg back and up, thigh parallel to floor, or higher, if possible.  Extend L leg deeply into earth through your tap root, pulling energy up.  Extend L arm forward and up, lifting the chest.  Stand and breathe, feeling your luminous self appear. Do both sides.        This Pose is a lovely expression of joy in action, a place where we feel light, and dance with the cosmos as we stand still and strong. Health Notes: This pose works balance, leg strength, and thigh extension. For some, it will stretch the lower back area. It opens the chest, promoting deep breathing.

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Ardha Chandrasana

Half Moon Pose Asana: Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon Pose.  Begin from the long low side stretch of Utthita Parsvakonasana/Extended side Angle Pose.  As you lift up and out, over the R leg, balancing, with the R arm, parallel to that leg, feel yourself lifting into your dreams, opening your heart to the moon, to that feminine Self within that holds and nurtures your dream-space, no matter the disappointments. Health Notes: When we lose our ability to dream, or to renew lost dreams, we lose our juice, and thus begins the slide away from life. Ardha Chandrasana, strengthens leg muscles and increases balance.

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Tadasana

Stand Tall, Invoke Samasthiti Asana:  Tadasana/Stand Tall, Invoke Samasthiti.  Become your own best Guardian at the Gate.   You can bring hands into to Angeli Mudra and pay perfect attention to who, how and where your are, balancing perfectly on both feet: Tadasana is the physical pose invoking the ‘equal standing’ and perfect presence of  Samastiti!  This is a wonderful practice to bring all of self into total attention, especially if there is lots of distraction, worry, upset.  It can be calming, even restorative when Practiced with attentive care Health Notes:  Wild and wooly as being manic can be, we cannot live there, nor can we live only in meditation.  Pulling ourselves from whatever edge of imbalance takes hard work and help.  Ask for it.  Sometimes amazing Guardians appear, especially when we are totally present to open and ask.

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Parivritta Parsvakonasana

Revolving Lateral Angle Pose Asana: Parivritta Parsvakonasana/Revolving Lateral Angle Pose.  You can come into this Pose from Vira I by exhaling as you bring the arms down and across the forward knee.  If the R knee is front, move the L ribs long, to try and place the entire L arm over the R thigh.  Make sure the R knee remains over the R ankle, and that the back L leg remains strong.  If it is too difficult to keep the back foot down in Vira I, then allow the foot to turn over into crescent and press the heel back.  Continue inhaling to lengthen the torso, and exhaling to twist ever deeper.  The palms can press together, at the center of the chest, or place the L palm, or fingers on the floor.  If this is too difficult, place a block under the fingertips. Do both sides by returning to Vira I, lower arms over, releasing R leg back into Down Dog, then bring L foot forward into Vira I, or crescent. Health Notes: Because the abdominal organs are contracted, digestion is aided by taking waste matter more easily from the colon.  Deep twists bring more blood to the spine as well as abdominal organs, rejuvenating and cleansing, releasing waste matter.  

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Parivrtta Uttanasana

Revolved Standing Forward Bend Pose Asana: Parivrtta Uttanasana/Revolved Standing Forward Bend.  Standing tall reach up, out and over, hang there for a moment, then grab the outside of your feet, if you can, inhale, and on the exhale deeply twist the torso to the R, facing up.  Release any strain in neck.  Remain there inhaling/extending spine, exhaling/increasing the twist.  Do other side.  Feel your connection to earth through soul of feet, and look up to heaven as you hang, oddly suspended, in perfect, twisted, balance. Health Notes:  This Pose lubricates internal organs with its deep twisting.  It also lengthens hamstrings, side and back muscles.

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Parivritta Janu Sirsasana

Revolved Triangle Pose Take a large step forward on the R from Tadasana-Mountain Pose.  turn L foot slightly out, keep R foot directly forward, lift arms to side, parallel to floor.  Feet can either be aligned front heel to back instep, or if the hips are tight, allow legs to be hip width.  On inhale lift torso and extend forward, keep hips as square as possible, pulling R Humerus, thigh bone back into socket, and ground L heel as you pull forward and away from it. Once you are as long and lifted over front leg as possible, take a breath and on the exhale begin twisting toward front leg, reaching L hand down.  Place it on a block, on inside of R foot, or eventually on the outside of front foot.  Try not to hunch back, shift too much weight to front foot,  or let hips slip.  Keep pulling R thigh back, pressing outer muscles toward left.  Keep head either neutral on back, or allow it to turn to R, eventually looking up at R hand.  Remain in place, increasing the twist on each exhale. Health Notes: As with all twists, the digestion is helped, including constipation, lower back is strengthened, sciatica eased.  The twisting stimulates abdominal organs, opens chest, helping with asthma, and breathing issues, stretches, hamstrings, hips and spine.  It may help with balance.

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