Tag Archives: asana

Tree Pose Variations

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Tree Pose Variations:

This is one of several poses I really like. I think the standing poses where each leg is doing something different are really informative, especially in terms of the adductors and abductors and in my experience, can have therapeutic applications for the hip

In sanskrit, the pose is Vrksasa  (vrik-SHAHS-anna)

Here is how to move into it

Tadasana is your first pose. Keep the left leg firm without locking the knee and bend your right knee. Reach down with your right hand and clasp your right ankle or just let the foot go where it can. You then draw your right foot up and place the sole against the inner left thigh; if possible, press the right heel into the inner left groin, toes pointing toward the floor. The center of your pelvis should be directly over the left foot, although it is easy to sway this should not be the place you hang out in.  Make sure the pelvis is in a neutral position, with the top rim parallel to the floor, and adjust so that your side waist lengthen equally. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor. Firmly press the right foot sole against the inner thigh and resist with the outer left leg. The gaze is soft and at a fixed point in front of you on the floor about 4 or 5 feet away. There are many different ways to prop this pose depending on who you are. Contact me if you would like private yoga lesson to make it accessible to you

 

tree pose variations

tree pose variations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are three common ways to use the arms:

-hands in prayer pose at heart level

-hands in prayer pose above the head

-arms open and reaching up

 

moon salutations in yoga

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moon salutations in yoga:

You may be familiar with ‘surya namaskar’, sun salutations, a vinyasa which is translated to mean: “bow to the sun.” There is much lifting of the arms and bending forward and stepping, hopping, or jumping back which is heating to the body and thus embodies the more ‘solar’ energy.

Sun salutations are one way to warm up, which is necessary and common sense sequencing. However, there are a gazillion warm ups and you don’t need to over do or just stick to one way. If you are feeling depleted, overstimulated, or overheated, which can happen to anyone – think : stress, emotions, lack of sleep, it is good to know that there are soothing practices in Yoga. Remember that the key word is balance not over-doing.

The whole concept of yogatherapy is to suit the practice to the person. Let’s say you don’t want to do a completely restorative class, you are looking for a slow flow. Here is Chandra Namaskar, or Moon Salutation. As the name suggests, Chandra Namaskar is more quieting sequence that invites you to cultivate the moon’s soothing lunar energy. This doesn’t mean that you are not warming up, rather, you are doing so in a less strenuous way. Think: conserve, it can still be intense, but not draining. Some days, you need a little more R and R. In fact, if you practice at nighttime, this would be a good little flow, adding a restorative child’s pose and savasana. For more info please contact me, I am here in Jersey City and available for private yoga lessons

moon salutations in yoga

Core Strength

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core strengthCore Strength:  this is a fun quiz to see whether you understand the meaning of core strength

What is the core?

a. What you throw away when you’ve eaten the tasty bit

b. More with a ‘C’

c. Only computers have one these days

d. An essential part of our being

e. What the tree huggers are after

If you answered ‘d’ you are on the right track. There is still some misunderstanding of the term ‘core strength’ or core stability. It used to be a term used in conjunction with the abdominal area, and whether you could do 50 crunches at the gym or just hold yourself rigidly through the centre. There is an ingredient of truth in this insofar as if you habitually let your tummy drop forward, therefore straining your lower back, you are not promoting core strength. You do however, want to keep your lower belly toned.

I would go further here and suggest that the term ‘core strength’ in terms of muscle action is composed of different muscles that will stabilize the pelvis, acting on spine and entire trunk of the body. When there is a good balance, you are able to be upright without collapsing your weight into one area. Yoga asana can help you develop these skills. One of these safe alignment skills we practice in yapana® yoga is to keep the lower belly toned all the way up to the top throat, and if you find this skill in your asana, you are on your way to building a pretty good core awareness.

Since I believe in #liveyouryoga, I will also add that you can breathe from your core, and connect through relaxation to you inner core of peace…so keep practicing core strength for different reasons!

 

yoga for everybody

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yoga for everybody:

This post is inspired by two things.  The first is by this photo. The second, is I recently met someone who said “this body is not meant to do yoga”. the comment made me a little sad that this person felt excluded from the entire eight limbed system of yoga because of the shape of the body this person lives in.

yoga for everybody

The Western culture very much identifies Yoga with the body. Yes, we do have one, live in one, and use it to move around in, so let us respect it and maintain it. I like how she expresses things up above. “Not all yoga poses are upside-down and pretzelly. They can be simple like this and still work their magic”.  I have heard before, “If you are breathing, you can do yoga”. I agree, and as a yoga therapist, I would say that most of the poses can be brought to you, whether through the use of strategically placed yoga props, or modifications, and substitutions. Breathing practices can also find you, as can visualizations, relaxations, and meditation. You can focus on your breath and do a simple joint opening series, and bring mindfulness into sitting at your desk. Not everything has to be bendy and fancy in order for you to be yoga. “All bodies are yoga bodies”. It is not a one-size fits all practice, your uniqueness can be respected and appreciated.

Child’s pose

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Child’s pose – called Balasana in Sanskrit is one of the prone poses in yoga, meaning the face is down rather than up. In some yoga schools they refer to it as embryo pose as well. For some people, bending this way is really uncomfortable, which is one reason why strategic prop placement is important. For example, in an active (unsupported) variation, the challenge  is to bring the sitting bones to the heels and forehead to floor.childs pose

These actions require a lot of lengthening from the spinal extensors, gluteals, piriformis, calves, feet. You also need to be able to widen the knees in order to make room for the front spine/belly. It is a pose where tightness in the hip flexors will show up and it may be hard to feel anything other than congestion and the inability to breathe. A helpful tip obviously practicing this pose on a full stomach – suffocating. So – in order to allow gravity to work for you rather than against you, in order for your nervous system to approach calm – which is the idea behind it, the props you use matter. Here, you can see we used a bolster, folded blanket, and 2 ThreeMinuteEggs. These just helped with tightness in the shoulders and actually freed up more space in the side ribs to be able to access a calm breath. Also, you can see how the hips and shoulders are kept in the same plane, instead of having one pull on the other. Generally, done this way, child’s pose can help blood flow to the pelvis, relieve some general back tension, and improve the flexibility of the hips. There are many ways, many options so contact me to help set you up in this fine pose!

child's pose yoga

It can be really uncomfortable or really relaxing and restorative. Sometimes in a vinyasa class, child’s pose is used as a segway or prep to downward facing dog.

Yoga Twists Without The Shout

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Yoga Twists Without The Shout: Yoga Twists can either unwind the spine and help digestion or they can torque the spine and de-stabilize the SI joints..etc.  Most of my students – especially those with generic back pain tell me twists feel great but you do want to approach yoga twists with safe alignment (think belly button up).  Using your yoga as therapy, a few tips to keep in mind when you want to unwind with a yoga twist:

~ avoid twisting from the lumbar; stacking the pelvis and shoulders while maintaining a ‘straight’ spine … you may not go as deep but it will be a safer exploration

~ try to open the thoracic area enough to be able to emphasize the rotation here

~ put yourself into neutral after a twist (child’s pose for eg)

~ typically if you have just had abdominal surgery, are pregnant, have sciatica, herniated discs, SI joint dysfunction, twists are contraindicated. Some people want to go deeper into a twist and then you may have to let the opposite hip slide forward with you.

You may find one side easier that the other. You can do the tighter side twice. Feel it out.
Yoga twists Rana-twist garden

Revolved Head To Knee Pose – Yoga Therapy Version

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Revolved Head To Knee Pose – Yoga Therapy Version was written on a day I felt like experimenting….sometimes I get into a playful mood about being so tight ~ sitting, driving, walking…feel a bit seized up here: Quadratus Lumborum  – the QL – the hip hikers that never quit….so I try to mix in some inspiration from my trusty yoga props and get going to explore the terrain of the side waist. Here is a fun pose to try. One of the articles that I incorporated was a study of how to use the feet in asana by one of my teachers – this is why I have used the block on my extended foot – to keep doing the work in the feet and explore how that translated to working the hips

Revolved Head To Knee Pose - Yoga Therapy Version

Revolved Head To Knee Pose Rana Waxman

Revolved Head To Knee Pose Rana Waxman A

 

 

 

 

 

Revolved Head To Knee Pose – Yoga Therapy Version –

parivrtta = revolved

janu = knee
sirsa = head

Revolved Head To Knee Pose Rana Waxman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found using a strap and block made me really have to do the work of grounding the femurs, engaging my glutes and lifting through the spine to get the side bend.

Revolved Head To Knee PoseSometimes less is more

Benefits

Stretches the spine, shoulders, and hamstrings
Stimulates abdominal organs such as the liver and kidneys
Improves digestion

Therapeutic Applications

Mild backache
Anxiety
Fatigue
Headache
Insomnia

Tip- Before you work at a long hold, experiment with getting just the right amount of real rotation in the mid back….When you release, loosen anything that is straight and neutralize (center) the torso before moving to next sidestretch QL

Using Your Yoga Practice To Move From Spirit

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ego-spirit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Your Yoga Practice To Move From Spirit  is seeing practice as meditation in motion, mindful movement. Sometimes life is full of challenges, and we have to call upon some inner grace to get through it. Relaxation is the antidote to stress, it will help you find that grace..

The lotus flower grows from the bottom of streams and muddy ponds to rise above the water and bloom. At night, it closes and sinks below the water, just to resurface again, untouched the next day, Fully grounded in earth, yet aspiring towards the divine, the lotus flower lives in the muddy water, yet remains unsoiled.

spirit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time on the yoga mat is meditation in motion, mindful movement.

The “P” in practice can either be “push push push” or “patience patience patience”. Generally I like to tell students to go gradually and navigate a pose, considering where they are at in the present moment, what the cues from their breathing indicate, and what the general physical feedback is telling them. There is a skill to using yoga props that not only makes the asana approachable and possible but also, increases the benefits and your ability to learn how to be peaceful in a challenging situation because you aren’t fighting so hard to maintain alignment etc. If you have never tried Restorative Yoga therapy wow, here too is a most intelligent and awesome way to cultivate safe flexibility and the rest and digest attitude that the nervous system so needs

 

The High Lunge

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Do you walk a lot? Sit a lot? This is a photo of the classic lunge taken up a notch thanks to the Hoboken pier. (No, I don’t mean because of my jeans and coat 🙂 ) Actually the height of this rock helped to add length while keeping my knees safe. The jeans made it a little harder to get the back leg straight but that is ok; if you are at home, you can use a chair, placed against a wall instead – the variations in using yoga as therapy are endless, depending on who you are and what props you have available.

Rana Hoboken 2

If you are doing a regular lunge, here are some steps to help you get into the pose:

From a standing forward bend you can bend your knees ,inhale, and step your left foot back toward the back edge of your mat, with the ball of the foot on the floor under the heel. Step back with enough distance so that your right knee can form a right angle.

Lengthen the torso. To soften your right groin, draw the thigh back. Look forward. Simultaneously, firm the left thigh and push it up toward the ceiling, holding the left knee straight. Stretch your left heel toward the floor.

Exhale and step your right foot back beside the left. Then repeat the above reversing sides. Finish in downward facing dog or another forward bend…

Yoga as a Way to Cultivate Open Mind, Body, Heart

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I had this in mind when I practiced today ~ yoga as a way to cultivate open mind, body, heart

I reflected that I was grateful for a space to unroll my yoga mat, stack my props and breathe.

The pose, ustrasana = camel pose, can jam the neck if done in a hurry or incorrectly so it isn’t the first pose in your sequencing. There is an art to opening your upper spine (mid-back) and chest fully and this not only frees the neck but also helps ihelps protect your lower back from compression and improves nearly every other aspect of the posture ~ that’s my yogatherapy tip of the day. It is a pose that really prepares you for pranayama too.

That and “make an attitude to be in gratitude”…an attitude of gratitude can help