There are hundreds, no thousands! of poses and variations in yoga. The reality is that we don't have time to do it all. I know most of you are busy with jobs, kids, life, making food, eating food, sleeping, checking the mail, and all of the tasks that life demands, so it's hard to fit yoga in sometimes. 

I recommend yoga daily. A daily self-healing practice! Maybe you have a whole hour to dedicate to it, great! Maybe you only have half an hour, twenty minutes, maybe even only two minutes, but for sure you have time!

If meditation is not in your practice (which I highly recommend- there are so many benefits to meditation!), try this pose at least to quiet your mind. 

Allignment:

• hands shoulder width apart, pointer fingers facing forwards
• feet hip distance apart (hip bone- not the outside of your hips!)
• tailbone pointing towards the sky
• head in between the arms, so not looking up or down
• keep shoulders away from ears
• Note!! This pose is about getting a long spine NOT straight legs or heels to the ground, that will just come with time. Keep your knees bent if you need to ensure a straight spine

Benefits

• reverses blood flow
• lengthens hamstrings
• clears the mind
• reduces backpain
• strengthens arms and wrists
• stretches calves

Once you find your perfect posture in this moment, hold for five to ten nice long deep breaths. Slowly come out and enjoy your day!!

Sitting! How easy yet how complex.

Perfect pose is the pose we come to in order to meditate and find stillness. Siddhasana is found by bringing the left heel in towards the perineum, activating the root chakra, and then bringing the right foot on top of the left. Ideally we want the knees to be bellow the hips for proper blood flow and comfort. This requires open hips and healthy knees. We also want to make sure the spine is straight!

If you are having trouble keeping your spine straight or getting your knees bellow the hips, prop yourself on a block or blanket. If you're really tight you might need a few blocks, and that's totally ok. Do what is best for your body.

Siddhasana is a pose we can sit in for a good half an hour or an hour so make sure you're comfortable. From here we can practice meditation or pranayama. It's a great pose for before and after a yoga class.

Enjoy the process and let me know how it goes!

~Namaste~

Pose 1: TADASANA: Mountain Pose

Basic standing pose. Key alignments:

• point the second toe forward
• ankles under hips
• micro bend in the knees
• relaxed pelvis
• ribs calm
• chin neutral
• palms face forward

Think of reaching your feet down into the ground, planting firmly like the base of a mountain. From there reach the top of the head, the crown, high into the sky floating on top of your strong, solid base. Take 5-10 deep breaths here rooted firmly between both feet, weight centred between the front and the back, all four corners of the foot. 

Many benefits of Tadasana include stability, calm, feeling centred and powerful. Open to receiving life from a grounded place. Easing the nervous system and reseting the mind. 

Tune in next week!

​~Namaste~