Pose Down: Upavishta Konasana / Wide Angled Seated Forward Bend

My latest pose for myyogaonline

Upavistha Konasana (Wide Angled Seated Forward Bend)

Benefits

• Stretches Adductor muscles of the groin
• Stretches Hamstring muscles
• Strengthens the supportive musculature of the spine
• Encourages activation of the core
• Traditionally thought to increase blood flow to the pelvis, keeping it healthy

Contraindications

• Low Back Pain: Sit up on a block or blanket, high enough that you can maintain the natural curve of your low back. When you are folding forward, use your hands for support on the floor. If you cannot safely enter and exit the pose without pain, it is not appropriate for you.
• Sacroiliac Joint Pain: If you have been diagnosed with Sacroiliac Joint pain, avoid wide legged poses until the pain subsides. Return with caution, using your core to support you.
• Pregnancy: The hormone Relaxin causes the bones of the pelvis to be more mobile that usual. Take your legs slightly less than 90 degrees, and gently lift and support the pelvic floor muscles (a Kiegel) to prevent unnecessary shearing in the pubic symphis. Do not allow your stomach to be compressed against the floor.

Step by Step
(oo-pah-VEESH-tah cone-AHS-anna)
upavistha = seated, sitting
kona = angle
1. Sit with your legs open to a 90 degree angle (with your pelvis in the centre). Flex your feet to align the knees, toes pointing up to the sky. If you feel your pelvis rocking back, or a loss of the curve in the low back, sit up on some height, allowing the pelvis to tilt forward.

2. Place the finger tips on the floor behind your hips. Inhale, drawing the sides of the body long, creating space in the spine. Stay here if you are feeling a stretch in the legs.

3. To move deeper, first support your low back using your core musculature. Draw the muscles of the pelvic floor gently upward (the same muscles you use to stop and start the flow of urine). Draw the lower abdomen gently in.

4. Start to walk the hands out in front of you, slowly, using your breath as a guide. Keep the spine long and lead with the heart. Stop when you feel you have reached a challenging but sustainable position. Rather than trying to get closer to the earth, imagine growing longer through the spine.

5. Advanced: If you are able to bring your chest to the earth, you may wish to reach for your ankles or feet. Keep your core muscles drawing in. If you are hovering above the floor, use a supportive prop to avoid straining the Sacroiliac Joints and the lumbar spine.

6. Breathe comfortably.

7. To exit the pose, reconnect with your core, and slowly walk the hands back towards your body. Use your hands to gently bend the knees, and bring the legs back together.

Modifications / Cautions

• Knee Discomfort / Inability to straighten legs: Place a rolled up blanket or towel under the bend in each knee for support.
• If you are in between the stage of supporting your self with your hands, and allowing your torso to meet the floor, use a bolster to rest your torso on, or a block for your forehead but ensure you are supporting your low back by gently contracting your lower belly.
• Avoid rounding the lumbar spine to avoid stress on the discs between the vertebrae.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca

Sivasana: Even Blogs Need One

Oh my it has been a while. But as the title of this post reads, even blogs need a sivasana once in a while.

To make it up to you I will post below a wonderful script for 61 points relaxation. This is a powerful way to shift from our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) to our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). The wonderful and surprising thing about our bodies is that we can trick them into a parasympathetic state. Simply by recreating some of the actions that occur during that state, our body will start to shift. Deep, slow breaths, which in turn cause our heart rate to decrease, which allow us to slow down and notice the tension in our body - and voila we are in a parasympathetic state of being.

Enjoy a deeper, calmer state of being.
61 Points Relaxation
Lie in sivasana.
Begin to slow down your breathing – taking deeper inhales and longer exhales.
Become aware of your right thumb and mentally say ‘right thumb’ without moving. Bring your awareness to:

Right hand thumb, first finger, second finger, third finger, pinky finger, palm of the hand, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, waist, hip, thigh, knee, calf muscle ankle, heel, top of the foot, sole of the foot, right big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe.

Now go to the left side. Become aware of the left hand thumb, first finger, second finger, third finger, pinky finger, palm of the hand, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, waist, hip, thigh, knee, calf muscle ankle, heel, top of the foot, sole of the foot, left big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe.

Next move to the back of the body. Back of the head, back of the neck, right shoulder blade, left shoulder blade, right buttock, left buttock, right heel, left heel.

Now the front of the body. Top of the head, forehead, right temple, left temple, right ear, left ear, right eyebrow, left eyebrow, middle of the eyebrows, right eye, left eye, right nostril, left nostril, whole nose, right cheek, left cheek, upper lip, lower lip, both lips together, chin, neck ,right collarbone, left collarbone, right side of the chest ,left side of the chest, middle of the chest, navel, upper abdomen, lower abdomen, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, the whole of the head. The whole body, the whole body, the whole body.

Become aware of the body lying on the floor. Bring your awareness to the points of contact between your body and the floor. Both heels are on the floor and there is a point where they touch the floor. Now, from the top of the body. The head and the floor, the back and floor, the right hand and the floor, the left hand and the floor, the right elbow and the floor, the left elbow and the floor, the buttocks and the floor, the hamstrings and the floor, the heels and the floor. Imagine the meeting points of the body and the floor, the whole body and the floor. The body is on the floor. Become aware of the whole body, the whole body, the whole body.

Slowly bring your attention back to the room, making small movements with the body. Roll to your side and come back to sitting.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca

Pose Down :Utthita Trikonasana /Triangle Pose

My latest pose break down from myyogaonline.com
Benefits

• Expands chest and shoulders
• Increases mobility of hip joints
• Increases neck mobility
• Stretches spinal muscles
• Strengthens and tones muscles of the thighs
• Stretches calf muscles, hamstrings, hip musculature
• Increases proprioception (sense of position in space) of feet and ankles

Contraindications

• Neck pain: keep the head level and look straight forward.
• Low Back pain: turn the back foot in slightly to limit force across the Sacroiliac joint, and allow the hip to naturally rotate inwards.

Step by Step
Utthita Trikonasana (oo-TEE-tah trik-cone-AHS-anna)
utthita = extended, trikona = three angle

1. Stand at the top of your mat in mountain pose. Take a big step back (approximately 3+ feet) with your right foot, turning your foot towards the side of the mat while keeping your left toes pointing forward. Your two hip points are now facing the side of the mat.

2. Take the arms out in a “T” with palms pointing down; shoulders relaxed moving shoulder blades down the back.

3. Begin to hinge at the hip towards your left leg, deepening the crease where the hip bone meets the pelvis. Continue to reach out through the top of the head, keeping the spine long, and both sides of the torso of equal length. Lift the knee cap of the front thigh, contracting the quadriceps to support the knee.

4. Allow your left hand to float towards your (from beginner to advanced) shin, a block on the inside of the foot, a block on the outside of the foot, or your fingers/palm on the mat or big toe. Your right arm will float up towards the sky, keeping the arms in a “T”. Whichever hand position you choose for your bottom hand, ensure you keep your spine and torso long, without creating a bend in the waist. Draw the low belly in to support the lower spine.

5. Tuck your chin in slightly, lengthening the top of the neck near the skull, and turn your gaze up towards your right hand.

6. Keep your connection with the earth, especially grounding with the outside of your back foot, and all four corners of your front foot.

7. Breathe comfortably.

8. To exit the pose, on an exhale look down towards your left foot, draw the low belly in, root down through the feet, and inhale as you rise up. Turn and step back to the top of the mat and repeat on the opposite side.
Modifications / Cautions

• Use satya, truthfulness with yourself to determine how far you will enter into the pose. Often backing off our furthest limit in Trikonasana allows a better opening in the pelvis and shoulders.
• Although the intention is to square our hips to side of the mat, do not force this action which can put unnecessary stress across the joints of the lower back. To increase the opening of your pelvis, move from your feet. Connecting strongly through both feet (as above) to allow movement to trickle up to the pelvis. Imagine the tailbone lengthening away from the crown of the head and the crown away from the tail.
• Maintain space between the ribcage and the pelvis on both sides of the body. Focus on keeping the spine long and avoid crunching the ribs into the pelvis.
• If you have neck pain, keep the head level and look straight forward.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca

To prop or not to prop - That is the question

Imagine feeling completely weightless and light in Sirsasana/Headstand, or have balance and openness in Trikonasana/Triangle Pose. These are just some of the poses that can benefit from props. Things like wooden blocks, foam bricks, straps, bolsters, blankets, even chairs can change the way you practice. Allowing you to experience poses in a completely different way.

Some yoga traditions, such as Iyengar, heavily rely on props to enhance the practice. Whereas others - Ashtanga or Anusara for example- tend to be light on the props, with the exception of a block or strap here and there.

Why would I Use Props?

A yoga prop is not a crutch. When used correctly, props can allow us to experience the true essence of a pose, actively recruiting the correct musculature, and relieving strain in other areas.

Props also allow us to practice OUR yoga for our own bodies. We do not all have the same length of torso, shape of our humerus/arm bone, or length of femur/thigh bone. When we use a prop to modify a pose we can often feel lightness, stability, and access our strength in a very individual way.

Often deciding to use a prop, especially if you do not typically use one, can be a battle with our ego. Maybe our teacher only suggests props for beginners or people with inflexibility. A prop can be a way to advance your practice, not simply slow it down. When we back off of our edge, we can often gain new insight into how the pose "should" feel in our body.

Prop This

Ardha Chandrasana / Half Moon Pose

Props: Wooden or foam rectangular block

Place the block at the top of your mat, on the floor about a foot in front. From Tadasana/Mountain pose, step back into Virabhadrasana II/Warrior 2. Your back foot is parallel to the end of the mat, and your two hip points/iliac spines are facing the side of the mat, as we lunge into the front knee.

From here, place your back hand on your hip, slowly begin to shift your weight into your front leg, allowing your front hand to float towards the block in front of you. You may be able to reach the floor, but experiment with a block. Remember, the block has three heights, find the one that works for you. Press the hand into the block allowing your chest to expand and open to the side of the mat. The back foot is flexed, toes pointing towards the side wall. Taking your time, raise your top hand up towards the sky, maybe eventually shift your gaze up towards your palm.

Exit the way you entered, and switch sides.

Setu Bhandasana / Bridge Pose

Props: Wooden or foam rectangular block, strap/belt/tie

Set up your strap so that it makes a loop. Place it around your elbows with arms in front of you, the loop should be only as wide as your arms are firmly by your sides. Remove the strap and put it aside for a moment.

Lie on your back with feet hip width apart, parallel to each other. Place the block between your thighs (keeping the legs hip width) approximately one inch above your pubic bone. Press into the feet, lifting your hips up off the floor. Reach for your strap and place it around your arms, just above the elbows, with your arms behind your back. Bend the elbows so that your humerus/arm bone is on the floor, and your hands are pointing up towards the sky. Press your arms into the floor and feel the expansion of your chest. Notice the connection of the shoulder blades on the back. Squeeze the block and feel the release in the sides of the hips. Lift your hips a little higher and open your chest more, sending the heart up and back. Before lowering, remove your strap, then lower the hips to the earth.

These are just two examples of how props can enhance your practice, allowing you to experience a deeper version of the pose.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca