To me, this pose evokes or reminds me of grounding and connecting with the earth in order to open, lengthen and renew the body to make room for new growth. Evoking or stirring things up for yoga students is essential to do every now and then. We all need to acknowledge and honor where we came from, what we have been through, and things we hold on to, in order to let them go and open ourselves up to positive transformation. The yoga practice helps us do this and the coming spring season provides a natural stimulus to support these changes.

~ Michele

From a wide legged seated position, bend one knee as you place your foot against your thigh. Lift out of your pelvis and waist, lengthening your ribcage and spine. Then reach with both hands towards the toes of your extended leg, rotating your heart center upwards. Continue to press the sitting bones equally down, while reaching the crown of your towards your toes.  The hamstrings and spine stretch well in this posture, as do the shoulders, armpits and groins. Thus alleviating some backaches, fatigue and headaches as well as promoting digestion. Surrender to this sweet, seated opening in class this month as you create more space within.

With all the goodness we can get from handstands, it is not recommended if one has had injury to the back, shoulders or neck, and those with high blood pressure, headaches, heart condition or during menstruation and pregnancy. As with any posture, we know our bodies the best and if it doesn’t feel appropriate, it’s more important to listen to that inner wisdom instead of the ego.

Build strength with a regular yoga practice including Plank pose (Kumbhakasana) and other inversions such as Dolphin (Adho Mukha Svanasana variation), Forearm stand (Pincha Mayurasana), and Headstand (Sirsasana). Using props for handstand may be helpful; a strap around the upper arms to stabilize and keep the elbows straight,  and of course, one of my favorites, the wall. Whether it’s kicking the feet up to the wall or making an “L” with the body as the hands plant on a mat and the feet walk up the wall to hip height. All teachers have their tips and tricks to help you with this month’s pose, so bring your Beginner’s Mind and join us standing on your hands!

As a more advanced posture, Handstand can seem intimidating to many students.  Combining wrist and shoulder strength and flexibility, balance, alignment, and focus, this pose gives us much to think about.  One of our biggest challenges with Handstand, however, isn’t weakness, stiffness, or coordination, but fear.  Fear of falling is one of the primary causes of falling.  Perhaps it’s because we are so focused on our fear, we take our attention away from our breath, our stable center, and our alignment.  Fear makes us forget everything we’ve been taught and practiced and the next thing you know you are wiggly, wobbly, and coming out of your handstand.

As we explore Handstand at evolution this month, your teachers will guide you with cues to find your way into this pose.  Approach the posture with a light heart, fun, creativity, and humor.  Let go of the fear or falling, of failure and judgment.  Smile, as you kick your feet up and see if by letting go of your fears, you reach new heights with Handstand.

Friday, December 17th from 6 pm to 7:30 pm

Join us for an evening of relaxing and renewing. Restorative yoga incorporates the use of props to support the body in a variety of positions meant to rejuvenate the body and mind. What a great way to begin the weekend! Every 3rd Friday of the Month for $14 or 1 class on 10 class card. Pre-registration suggested ~ Call 802.864.YOGA (9642) or register online ~ drop-ins welcome!

Laying down on our back (accept in the last trimester of pregnancy or with back injury/discomfort) is a wonderful way to relax and rejuvenate the body and mind, reducing stress and tension, lowering blood pressure, reducing fatigue, insomnia and headaches, as well as calming the brain by letting go of all the events and tasks that have passed and those that await.

When settling into Savasana, use blankets or bolsters under the low back (or full back for a more inclined resting pose), and/or perhaps under the knees to support the body so that all the muscles and bones can completely relax and surrendering the complete weight of the body into the earth. Let your palms face up a few inches away from your sides (arms away from torso about forty-five degrees), and the legs are a mat’s width apart, with the toes falling away from the center-line of your body. The tailbone, pelvis and lower back soften, the chin slightly draws towards the chest to lengthen the neck, and the eyes close falling deeper into their sockets.

Allow your breath to be calm and steady, coming back to it’s natural breath. If you find that you are restless, deepen your inhalations and lengthen your exhalations, focusing on your breath to open into pure relaxation.

Find yourself in this posture in class and at home for 5 to 10 minutes, perhaps even longer. As December fills our calendars with endless obligations, remember to slow down and find time for yourself to just rest.

In savasana, we release the weight of ourselves, into the earth, into the world.  When there is tension, discomfort, or strain due to our position or temperature, the mind has a hard time to avoid distraction.  By supporting ourselves – we can let ourselves go.

When our hip flexors (iliacus, psoas, rectus femoris) are tight, they pull our pelvis into a forward tilt which arches the low back.  Tightness in iliacus can also cause compression of the vertebrae.  By placing a bolster under the knees to keep a slight bend at the knees and hips, this tension is released.  The spine can settle towards the ground.

In some people, the pelvis is rotated or uneven which places one of the large pelvic bones (the ilia) or the central pelvic bone (the sacrum) more prominently into the ground.   A blanket under the pelvis can protect you from pressure that can become uncomfortable after a few minutes.

Naturally, there is a small curve at the back of the neck.  A small rolled blanket can help to support this curve so that it doesn’t flatten onto the floor.  If the muscles in the front of the neck are tight, lying flat can place too much strain on them and a blanket under the head can keep the neck in good alignment.

Eye pillows are great to relax the facial muscles.  Warmth helps to relax all muscles.

Props help to keep our bodies in good alignment.  While they aren’t necessary, their support can make Savasana  more effective.

If you feel that any of these issues is a persistent problem, or lying flat is so uncomfortable that you can’t even sleep, physical therapy may be able to help.  Call the office to schedule an appointment with Janet or Alison at 864-9642.  Your health insurance plan may require a referral from your physician.

I was a single parent of two small children and in nursing school when I began to take yoga more seriously. It would have been an understatement to say I had stress in my life! There were nights when sleep seemed impossible. I was so wound up with assignments and papers that I found myself scrubbing walls at midnight.

As I learned more yoga, the frenzied wall scrubbing was replaced with poses like shoulderstand or viparita karani. My furrowed brow began to soften and my nerves calmed. An added bonus was my health improved – I rarely got sick.

We now know that the nervous and endocrine (hormone) systems function as one system. There are many poses in yoga that work specifically on the endocrine glands, including the pituitary, adrenals, thyroid and parathyroids. These glands help to control processes associated with the regulation of metabolism and energy supply, responses to stress, extracellular fluid, and, with growth, development and reproduction.

The following poses and their sequence strengthen the endocrine system and improve the body’s immune response. You can hold the poses for several minutes each. If time doesn’t allow you to complete the entire sequence, you can omit some of the poses, but it is important to follow the order suggested. If you are pregnant, seek the guidance of one of SHC’s prenatal instructors for adjusting the poses. Refer to “Yoga the Iyengar Way” or “Light on Yoga” for detailed descriptions of the poses, or click on the links to see definitions from Yoga Journal.

• Alternate nostril breathing – 5 rounds
• Downward facing dog
• Baddhakonasana with bolster
• Shoulderstand
• Plow pose
• Viparita karani – legs up wall
• Janu sirsasana with head supported by bolster or chair
• Downward facing dog
• Uttanasana – standing forward bend
• Alternate nostril breathing – 5 rounds
• Savasana - corpse pose

After warming up with several standing postures followed by a few sitting postures, Marichyasana I is a fold with one knee high. From Dandasana (Staff Pose), bend one knee placing the sole of the foot on the floor as close to the sitting bone and inner opposite thigh, and flex the foot of the extended leg, keeping it stable. Bind your arms around the lifted knee and fold forward, reaching your forehead towards your knee, keeping the torso and spine long and centering your sternum over the extended leg.

After a few breaths in this fold, rise up and twist into the raised knee for Marichyasana III. In this twist, one are can simply hug the knee/leg with the other arm behind the lower back on the mat for support (or at a wall). For a deeper arm variation, bind one arm around the raised knee meeting the other as it comes from behind the lower back.

Marichyasana II, is a fold similar to the first version, except instead of one extended leg on the mat, the knee is bent with its heel close to the opposite sitting bone or the bottom leg is in lotus (foot/ankle sandwiched in the opposite hip crease).

The use of props, such as a blanket under the sitting bones or a strap to work towards the binds may make these postures more comfortable. With all these variations, be careful of the sensations in your body and be kind to your hips and knees as not to injure your precious joints. Mindfully bow down towards your inner light and twist embracing the subtle changes.