First Pilates Post :) Teaser

I usually follow Yoga asanas in this blog, but today (the beginning of summer) I thought it was time to mix things up and share my other passion: Pilates. 

I stumbled upon Pilates after moving to Portland this past September. As a dedicated yogi for years, I had the mistaken understanding that Pilates and Yoga were enemies. So, I faithfully stuck with Yoga. Finding and training for Pilates under my teacher, Leslie Hamm, turned my world upside down. In case you had the same misunderstanding as me, Pilates and Yoga are NOT enemies. In fact, when they're put together, they work beautifully in harmony and help one another. So, the elegant klutz shall now be covering BOTH Pilates and Yoga :) 

Not convinced about Pilates yet? There is a reason that Pilates exercises are listed in the top 5 exercises for your abs. Check this chart to compare a gym crunch to a Pilates ab exercise. 

Position: Teaser

Type of Pilates: Pilates’ Mat & Pilates’ Reformer

Notice the "C" curve position: rolled off your sits-bones and resting on your sacrum

“How To” While Sitting on a Pilates’ Mat:

1.     Sit at the top of your Pilates’ mat (different from a Yoga mat, a Pilates’ mat has much more cushion and is shorter). Inhale to sit up tall with your shoulders over your hips.

2.     Exhale as you roll of your sits-bones onto your sacrum. You will find yourself in a “C” curve where you’re rounded in the lower belly and tall in your sternum and upper chest. Allow your shoulder blades to drop down your back.

3.     Inhale bring your right knee into tabletop (knee stacked over your hip), exhale bring your left leg to meet it. If your lower back or hip flexors start to scream, bring your hands behind your thighs for support, otherwise reach both arms out by your side. If you’re getting into your neck, lower your arms. If you feel comfortable in your neck and shoulders, lift your arms up higher while keeping your shoulder blades dropping down your back.

4.     Finally, if you feel steady and ready to go to the next step, exhale and reach your legs long so that your toes point up towards the sky. Your core stabilizes your legs and arms if you stay static in this position. To go further, activate your core muscles reaching your legs in closer towards your body. Keep breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Each time that you activate, reconnect to the core muscles (the power house in Pilates). Stay for 5-7 breaths or 30 seconds. Repeat 3X.

*Pilates’ Teaser exercise is dynamic and usually moves. In today’s blog, we are simply holding the Teaser position in an isometric hold as shown in my picture doing Teaser on a Pilates’ Reformer.

Joseph Pilates, the founder of Pilates, demonstrating the Teaser. 

Body Points:

*Keep your legs stick straight if you are ready to reach them out long

*Drop your shoulder blades down your back

*Whether you keep your legs in tabletop or straight, push yourself and bring them in closer towards your chest

Emphasized Body Parts: Rectus Abdominis and External Obliques

Mental Achievements: Teaser brings a lightness, energy, and uplifting spirit to your body and mind.

An aid for beginners: For those having trouble bringing both legs up, try the one-legged teaser. Keep one foot on the floor with your knee bent, bring the other leg into tabletop and then reach it long up towards the sky. Continue using your breath, deep inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Do not let your abs go and stomach expand as you inhale!

Modification: bent knees (less weight on the abs) and hands holding on behind thighs (for hip flexor or lower back issues)

Modifications: Pilates’ exercises do not simply work your Rectus Abdominis (surface abs). They also get into the deeper abdominal muscles (External Obliques, Internal Obliques, and Transverse Abdominis) that aid in stabilization and strengthening. If there is one exercise that you dislike or find really challenging, you can use different Pilates’ exercises to strengthen the same abdominal muscles. There are also millions of levels and modifications for Pilates’ exercises. Here are some modifications for Teaser, but a good rule of thumb is to listen to your body. It’s important to know the difference between a good hurt (muscle strengthening) versus a bad hurt (injuring yourself). Similar to Yoga, Pilates is a somatic technique that encourages a mind/body connection.

Lower back/hip flexor issues: keep hands behind thighs with shoulder blades cascading down your back and legs long or bent in tabletop

Spinal Fusion in Lower Back: Keep legs down, feet on the floor. Roll down into your “C” curve and lift arms up.

Pain in Neck/Shoulders: Lower arms to relieve pressure.

Rotator Cuff Injury: Keep arms down unless you find that lifting to a comfortable height is appropriate for your body.

*If your lower back, hip flexors, and/or neck begin to hurt while in Teaser, take a break and then come back into the position. Those areas are trying to take the weight off of your abs, not strengthening the back, abs, or hip flexors. So, be safe and know when to come out of the position! 

Contraindications: sciatic pain, osteoporosis (depending on severity)

Sources:

http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/pilates-exercise-lessons-lab-1. Viewed 6/6/13.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/340335-what-is-the-pilates-teaser-move/. Viewed 6/6/13. 

Agnistambhasana or "Fire Log" Asana

Sanskrit: Agnistambhasana                        Western Term: Double Pigeon or Fire log Asana

Origin of Word

Agni = fire; stambh = pole; column; log

Type of Asana: Seated Asana

Another photo by the wonderful Christine Sears :) 

How To:

1.     Sitting up tall on your mat, inhale as you stack your right shin on top of your left shin. Try to align your right ankle directly over your left knee. Exhale grounding your hips into the earth.

2.     There are many arm variations that you can do in this asana. Today’s blog, we will focus on a shoulder opener for both arms called gomukasana (“cow face”) arms. Inhale as you bring your right arm out to the side and bend your right elbow to reach your right fingertips down your back. Press your left hand down on your right elbow to encourage the energy down and help open the right shoulder. Reach your left arm out to the side and bend your left elbow to reach your left fingertips up your back, trying to connect both fingertips together.

3.     Exhale keeping a flat back as your hinge from your hips over your legs. Feel both elbows reaching to the back of the room to increase the shoulder opening. Stay in flat back for 3 breaths before rounding your back and dropping both hands forward. You’re welcome to stack both hands in fists (for more height) or flat on the ground (to drop your head lower) as your round and release your head and neck. Make sure to keep weight in your sits bones. Stay for 3-5 breaths until you’ve found the climax in the asana before rolling up through center and switching sides (for legs and arms).

Body Points:

*feel earthy in your hips, keeping weighted and dropping your energy down

*simultaneously lengthen your spine when seated up tall, feeling the energy reaching upward

*listen to your shoulders! Find your edge. It’s important to not only improve and push yourself, but also to know when to back off.

 Emphasized Body Parts: hips, groin, shoulders

Mental Achievements: the earthy element in this pose encourages your body to relieve stress

An aid for beginners: kramas are the various levels for a certain asana (pose). The krama of any pose should be approached with love and respect for your body on that specific day that you practice, for we are constantly changing. For any given pose, there are various levels of advancement. This krama that I offer is for those who are newer to the pose or looking for a more lunar variation:

-If you find it difficult to sit up straight with your shoulders over your hips, place a folded blanket or block (depending on severity) under your hips.

-Help release your hips by gripping your thighs at your hip crease and using your hands to encourage rotation outward before folding over the legs.

Chakra: Muladhara or 1^st chakra found in the base of your spine. It is symbolized by a four-petaled red lotus. This chakra is similar to a root. When you gain consciousness of your first chakra, you can build your life upon a solid foundation.

-the bija mantra or “seed sound” to repeat while in a 1^st chakra yoga asana is “lam” in order to unlock the secrets of the earth.

Ancient Sanskrit Proverb: “Regular exercise gives you good health, longevity, strength, and happiness. Health is the biggest wealth. It is the key to every success.”

In Ayurveda, the season of spring is a kapha or earthy time.

Element: earth

Alternative Uses: this asana is used in not only Yoga classes but also various fitness classes like BarSculpt. In BarSculpt, fire log pose with gomukasana arms is a pose that we use to open our shoulders after strengthening your front and back body of your arms.

*Be cautious and make sure a Yoga teacher is present while doing this pose if you suffer from lower back injury or knee injury

Sources:

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2477. Viewed 5/23/13.

http://morethanasana.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/swadisthana-sacral-chakra-yogic-practice/. Viewed 5/23/13.

http://www.tulaa7.com/chakra1-red.html. Viewed 5/23/13. 

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana or "Upward Facing Two-Foot Staff" Pose

Urdhva dhanurasana (Yoga wheel) is one of my favorite poses. In the least corny way possible, it makes my heart sore and makes me feel light. So, you can imagine my excitement as I deepened this asana (pose) to move towards the deeper shoulder opening of dwi pada viparita dandasana, which today’s blog explains. This pose makes my heart feel as if it is spilling out of me with joy. That said, it is definitely an advanced asana for those who feel not only comfortable in Yoga wheel but also are very open and strong in the shoulders.

If this is the first time that you’ve seen this pose, don’t be taken aback. It can appear more fantastical in a “cirque-de-soleil” manner than it truly is. Honoring the karmas (Yoga levels) of each asana and listening to your body will ensure that you keep yourself safe and find the greatest enjoyment out of your practice. Om shanti :)

Sanskrit: Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana            Western Term: Upward Facing Two-Foot Staff 

Origin of Word

This asana is a blend of sirsasana and urdhva dhanurasana

Type of Asana: backbend asana

Photographed by the talented Christine Sears :)

How To:

1.     Please only attempt this pose if you’re already comfortable with urdhva dhanurasana. Assuming you’re comfortable, come into urdhva dhanurasana.

2.     Inhale as you bring weight into your left hand and exhale to bend your right elbow bringing your right forearm onto the floor. Repeat the same action on the opposite arm. Breathing right here is a great krama (level) to remain.

3.     If you’re ready to go further, feel your chest pressing forward opening your shoulders. Exhale and start to straighten both legs, feeling the pada bhanda, energy of your feet, pressing into the ground.

4.     Stay for about 5 to 7 breaths or until you’ve found your climax and very carefully bend your knees keeping your feet on the ground. Come back onto the palms of your hands into urdhva dhanurasana and tuck the chin as you exhale and lower your bed. Come into constructive rest pose and happy baby/dead bug asana as a counter pose to this deep backbend and shoulder-opener.

Make sure you tuck your chin into your chest (to protect the neck) as you come down. 

Body Points:

*For safety reasons, you MUST keep both forearms firmly on the ground while keeping your elbows shoulder width

*Do not straighten your legs if you feel pinching in your back

Emphasized Body Parts: stretches the front body and opens the chest; deep shoulder opener; balances the endocrine system (pituitary, pineal, thyroid, and adrenal glands) can be useful to relieve menopause symptoms

Mental Achievements: heart-soaring and opening to not only share your own love with others but also better receive their love

Arms straight in Yoga wheel is a good sign that you're ready to try dwi pada viparita dandasana. 

An aid for beginners: kramas are the various levels for a certain asana (pose). The krama of any pose should be approached with love and respect for your body on that specific day that you practice, for we are constantly changing. For any given pose, there are various levels of advancement. This krama that I offer is for those who are newer to the pose or looking for a more lunar variation:

-Add security to the shoulder opening by elevating your elbows on to a rolled-up sticky mat

*when you can fully straighten your arms in urdhva dhanurasana, it is a good sign that you’re ready for dwi pada viparita dandasana

Chakra: Anahata chakra, 4^th chakra, found at the center of the chest; The Anahata chakra is symbolized by a green twelve-petaled lotus, located over your heart and lungs. This chakra represents love and self-love. If balanced, one may experience unconditional love for self and for others.

-the bija mantra or “seed sound” of the 4^th chakra is “yam.” Repeat this sound in a 4^th chakra asana to help open your heart to love.

Ancient Sanskrit Proverb: “It is called friendship, when seeing someone, or touching them, or hearing them, or talking to them, touches your heart. Otherwise it is just an acquaintance…”

Element: air

Make sure you take time to rest in happy baby or dead bug as a counterpose after this deep backbend. Stay in happy baby or dead bug as long as you were up in your backbend. 

*Do not do if experiencing wrist, shoulder, low back, or neck injuries

As we move from spring into summer, the days grow longer and more sunlight is added to each day. Ayurvedically this is a peak time to cultivate creative projects with the aid from the energetic sun. Jai! 

Sources:

http://yogaformenopause.blogspot.com/2012/11/viparita-dandasana-for-endocrine-system.html. Viewed 4/25/13.

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1335. Viewed 4/25/13.

http://www.tulaa7.com/chakra4-green.html. Viewed 5/6/13.

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/173?page=6. Viewed 5/6/13. 

Bhujangasana or "Cobra Asana"

Cobra pose is a great alternative to upward facing dog. It’s a wonderful backbend that helps many yogis know exactly how far they can go in their backbends without getting into their shoulders.

Bhujangasana is also a great asana for a lunar practice. So, connect to your inner cobra asana  or as my 2 year old yogis say: “hissssssssssssss.”

Sanskrit: Bhujangasana                                    Western Term: Cobra Asana

Origin of Word

Bhujanga = serpent, snake

Type of Asana: backbend

How To:

1.     Lie on your belly with your hands a bit wider than shoulder distant. Exhale, insuring that your legs stay hips distant apart.

2.     Inhale as you lift up the shoulders, chest, and neck. Bring your gaze up towards the sky, opening the chest. Press your hands down into the floor and drop the shoulder blades down the back. Do not lift the legs up! Stay up for 15-30 seconds enjoying the backbend.

3.     Exhale as your lower your chest back down towards the floor.

Body Points:

*keep legs hips distance apart           

*shoulder blades drop down the back, keep the elbows bent towards the back body

*keep the pelvis heavy

 Emphasized Body Parts: strengthens the spine; stretches the chest, lungs, shoulders, and abdomen; firms the glutes; opens the heart and lungs; soothes sciatica; very therapeutic for yogis with asthma; increases body heat

Mental Achievements: Helps to relieve stress and fatigue; awakens kundalini

An aid for beginners: kramas or levels of a pose give us yogis with various levels options. For any given pose, there are various levels of difficulty. This krama that I offer is for beginners to the pose:

-stay in baby cobra, only lifting the back half way up. Make sure to use the upper muscles of the back and lift the hands off the floor for a moment to ensure you’re using the upper muscles of the back. Keep your gaze down toward the floor to keep your head in line with the spine. Stay for 15-30 seconds.

Chakra: 4^th chakra, anahata chakra, it is symbolized by a green twelve-petaled lotus. This chakra is found over the heart and lungs. This chakra helps us open our heart to love and become ready to embrace others.

-bija mantra or “seed sound” of 4^th chakra poses is “yam” repeat it in 4^th chakra poses to feel the power of love.

Ancient Sanskirt Proverb: “It is called friendship, when seeing someone, or touching them, or hearing them, or talking to them, touches your heart. Otherwise it is just an acquaintance…”

Element: air

*Do not perform cobra if you have a back injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, headache, or are pregnant.

Happy April Showers :) 

Sources:

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/471. Viewed 4/12/13.

http://www.tulaa7.com/chakra4-green.html. Viewed 4/12/13. 

Vira III or "Warrior III"

In balancing poses, let yourself wiggle a bit, fall, maybe even smile. Let the judgment go!

Sanskrit: Virabhadrasana III                                    Western Term: Warrior III

Origin of Word

Virabhadra = fierce warrior, an incarnation of Shiva with a thousand heads, thousand eyes, and a thousand feet.

Type of Asana: balancing pose

How To:

1.     Start in a high lunge position with the right leg forward and left leg long behind you. Inhale as you move the weight on to the right leg, feeling the pada bhanda of the right heel to ball of the foot pressing into the ground. Slowly lift the left foot off of the ground, keeping the hips squared.

2.     Exhale as you reach the arms in front of you with the finger tips coming together making a prayer mandala with the hands. Keep the shoulder blades dropping down the back.

3.     Lower the chest down, keeping your chest open in slight extension as you raise the back left leg higher. Feel the pada bhanda of the back left foot, energy shooting out of the ball of the foot as you lift the leg higher. Stay for 5 to 7 breaths, do not be embarrassed if you shift side to side or fall out of the asana for a moment. Breath and try to focus on one point with your gaze or dristi in order to stabilize yourself and calm your mind.

4.     To get out of the asana, exhale as you lower and begin to re-bend the right knee and lower the left foot down to the ground into high lunge. Make sure you do both sides!

Body Points:

*keep both hips even and squared; Do NOT lift the raised leg’s hip higher

*keep extension through the back and energy through the top of your head without straining in the neck

*keep pada bhanda of heel to ball of the foot on the grounded foot and energy through the heel of the raised foot

 Emphasized Body Parts: thighs, hamstrings, calves, ankles, hips, shoulders, and spine. Strengthens the ankles, legs, shoulders, and muscles of the back. Warrior III improves balance and posture, as well as toning the abdomen.

Mental Achievements: Helps give us strength, like the courage to put ourselves out their to speak

An aid for beginners: kramas or levels of a pose give us yogis with various levels options. For any given pose, there are various levels of difficulty. This krama that I offer is for beginners to the pose:

-If you’re finding it very difficult to balance with your arms in front of you in a prayer mandala, move your arms by your sides with energy through the fingertips with your arms like airplane arms

For Advanced Yogis: Advanced yogis can enter Vira III from Vira I (see earlier blogs for further description of Vira I).

Chakra: 3^rd chakra, Manipura, meaning “lustrous jewel” is the seat of personal power inside the body. It is the chakra of the life force giving strength to cultivate the creativity found in the 2^nd chakra. It is symbolized by a 10 petaled yellow chakra and found in the navel.

-When this chakra is balanced, we feel at peace, energetic, fearless and free and are able to take full responsibility of our life. The balance of manipura gives us not only a strong sense of self-worth but also positive self-value. This chakra also rules the organs of digestion including the abdomen, upper intestines, liver, adrenals, gallbladder, kidneys, and pancreas.

-If the manipura chakra gets out of balance, some people experience problems with digestion, liver dysfunction, anorexia, bulimia, colon/intestinal problems, and/or somach ulcers. All the more reason to do Vira III and help balance your manipura chakra.

-“Seed sound” or bija mantra is “ram.” Repeat this mantra in your 3^rd chakra poses to connect to your strength and confidence.

Ancient Sanskirt Proverb: “Person with enthusiasm is a powerful one. There is no power equal to will power. For a person with enthusiasm and will power there is nothing that is difficult.”

Element: Fire

*Do not perform Vira III if you have high blood pressure.

Sources:

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/941. Viewed 4/4/13.

http://kukhahnyoga.com/2011/08/08/yoga-posesmanipura-third-chakra/. Viewed 4/4/13.

http://www.tulaa7.com/chakra3-yellow.html. Viewed 4/4/13. 

Pincha Mayurasana or "Feathered Peacock" Asana

In the past, feathered peacock asana was an asana that caused me a lot of fear and anxiety. So it was no surprise to me when my students looked at me like I had three heads when I told them that we were moving towards this asana during my 9:15 a.m. Monday class. Luckily, they breathed and opened to the pose. One of my students even helped me demonstrate by coming all the way up into the asana. A shout out to Micaela for being open and exploring a new pose :)

I, personally, am still working on this asana at the wall. So, I encourage you to face your fears and spread your feathered peacock wings.  

Sanskrit: Pincha Mayurasana            Western Term: Forearm Balance/Feathered Peacock Asana

Origin of Word

Pinca = feather; mayura = peacock

Type of Asana: inversion

How To:

1.     If you feel more comfortable, take your mat toward a wall rather than in the middle of the room. Take a block and bring it in between your hands, bringing the longer area of the block on the ground in between your hands.

2.     Place your pointer finger and thumb around the block and keep your wrists in line with your elbows, shoulder width apart. Bring your shoulders over your elbows and come into a forearm plank.

3.     Walk your feet in towards your forearms to come into a dolphin pose (forearm down dog). Krama or “stage one:” inhale as you reach your heels up lengthening and opening your shoulders, exhale as you lower the heels down toward the ground. You can stay raising and lowering your heels or move towards something affectionately called “donkey kicks.” Donkey kicks begin by moving both feet in towards the midline of your body. Keep the left foot grounding down, raise the right leg up towards the sky. Bend the left knee and kick the right leg up towards the sky bringing the left leg with you. Make sure you do both sides! If you feel ready, reach one leg up and the other up in the air to meet it.

4.     Stay up for as long as you can! Make sure you rest in balasana (child’s pose) for as long as you were up.

Body Points:

*Feel pada bandha through the balls of the feet

*Squeeze your inner thighs and lengthen through your shoulders

*Spread your fingers and engage the core to stay upright

Emphasized Body Parts: brain, pituitary, arms, shoulders, legs, spine, and lungs

Don't hit your head against the floor...relieve your stress with Pincha Mayurasana. And please don't attempt to stand on your forehead...ouch. 

Mental Achievements: Great pose to relieve stress! Pincha Mayurasana calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression

An aid for beginners: kramas or levels of a pose give us yogis with various levels options. For any given pose, there are various levels of difficulty. This krama that I offer is for beginners to the pose:

-if you find it difficult to keep your elbows shoulder distance without letting your elbows splay away from one another further, make a loop with a strap and place it over your upper arms (above the elbow). Use the strap in the pose, but think of pushing the arms slightly toward your midline rather than letting them bulge out toward the strap.

Chakra: 5^th chakra, Visuddha chakra is symbolized by a blue sixteen-petaled lotus found in your throat. The throat chakra helps improve your communication.

-The “seed sound” or bija mantra is “ham.” Repeat this seed sound in a 5^th chakra poses like forearm balance to help improve your communication and creativity.

Ancient Sanskirt Proverb: “Why should men endowed with good sense speak harshly, when sweetness is within their own power and when sentences can be composed with sweet words.”

Element: sound

Yogi Tune of the Week: “Om Namo Bhagavate” by Veronique Dumont & Rogerio Jardim in their album “Shiva-Shakti Mantras”

*Do not perform forearm balance if you experience back, shoulder or neck injury, headache, heart condition, high blood pressure, or menstruation.

Happy Friday to all! I leave you with these 3 images to ponder...

Seriously don't...

Happy Passover & Easter :) 

Happy 22nd Birthday to my feather peacock, Jasp! Ok, he was dressed as an avatar in this picture but may as well have been a feathered peacock. Love you!!! Boop!

Sources:

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/1711. Viewed 3/27/13.

http://www.tulaa7.com/chakra5-blue.html. Viewed 3/27/13.

Matsyasana or "Fish Pose"

To be honest, I really disliked this asana for a long time. Maybe even hated…but as a wise yogi once told, “the asanas that you dislike are probably the asanas that you should be practicing more.” Despite the masochistic tone, there is truth behind the sentiment.

Matsyasana is now a pose that I practice with not only peace of mind, but also enjoyment. There is something to be said for facing your challenges head on, especially in your yoga practice.

Sanskrit: Matsyasana                                    Western Term: Fish Pose

Artistic yogi fish pose drawing

Origin of Word

Matsya = fish; asana = pose

Type of Asana: supine pose

How To:

1.     Lie on your back with your knees bent. Inhale as you lift your pelvis and place your forearms on the floor and hands under your bottom/buttocks/hiney/glutes…any other ladylike word for your “butt.”

2.     Inhale pressing your forearms into the floor and lift up through the upper torso and head. As you lift, imagine someone is pulling you up from the ribs and upper torso area to lower you gently on the top of your head.

3.     Yogi’s choice: keep the knees bent or straighten your legs along the floor. If you  straighten the legs, keep pada bhanda by pressing out through the heels and spreading the toes.

4.     Stay for about 30 seconds, inhaling and exhaling calmly. As you exhale, tuck your chin and lower your head and torso down. Bend your knees into your chest and breath.   

The version of fish asana shown above is a more solar version of the asana, engaging the core with the hands and legs up in the air

Body Points:

*keep energy through the soles of the feet in pada bhanda

*keep weight dropping down through the pelvis

*optional: inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth as you stick your tongue out in fire’s breath

Emphasized Body Parts: belly, chest, spine, shoulders, and neck

Physical Benefits: matsyasana is known as the “destroyer of all diseases;” stretches the psoas and intercostals (muscles between the ribs); stretches and stimulates the muscles of the belly and front of the neck and the organs of the belly and throat; improves posture

Mental Achievements: improve your communication

An aid for beginners: kramas or levels of a pose give us yogis with various levels options. For any given pose, there are various levels of difficulty. This krama that I offer is for beginners or those who are looking for a more lunar variation:

-if you feel a strain in your neck, either lower your chest slightly toward the floor or place a folded blanket underneath your head for padding

For Yogis looking for a Solar Variation:

-bring your legs into padmasana or lotus pose while remaining on the top of your head

Chakra: throat chakra, 5^th chakra, also known as visuddha chakra. It is symbolized by a sixteen-petaled blue lotus found in the throat.

-Bija mantra or seed sound of 5^th chakra asanas is “ham.” Repeat this word while in 5^th chakra poses to connect with your inner truth and communication with others.

Ancient Sanskirt Proverb: “Why should men endowed with good sense speak harshly, when sweetness is within their own power and when sentences can be composed of sweet words?”

Element: sound

*Helpful for yogis with constipation, respiratory ailments, mild backache, fatigue, anxiety, and menstrual pain

**Do not do this asana if experiencing high or low blood pressure, migraine, insomnia, or serious lower-back or neck injury

Happy Spring! Upon returning from another revoluionary yoga training with my teacher, Shiva Rea, on my path to receiving my 500 hr RYT, I was reminded about the benefits of this time of year. As the days get lighter, we move towards a more solar and energized state. This is a great time to focus on evolving creatively. Enjoy the light :) I know everyone here in Portland, Maine is ready for sunshine after a snowy winter.  

Sources:

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/786. Viewed 3/21/13.

http://tulaa7.com/chakra5-blue.html. Viewed 3/21/13.