Healthy Living Club

Ardha Chandrasana

The moon has a rich symbolic significance in yoga mythology. In hatha yoga, for example, the sun and the moon represent the two polar energies of the human body. In fact, the word hatha itself is often divided into its two constituent syllables, “ha” and “tha”, which are then esoterically interpreted as signifying the solar and lunar energies respectively.

(are-dah chan-DRAHS-anna)
ardha = half
candra = glittering, shining, having the brilliancy or hue of light (said of the gods); usually translated as ?oon?

Step by Step

Perform Utthita Trikonasana to the right side, with your left hand resting on the left hip. Inhale, bend your right knee, and slide your left foot about 6 to 12 inches forward along the floor. At the same time, reach your right hand forward, beyond the little-toe side of the right foot, at least 12 inches.

Exhale, press your right hand and right heel firmly into the floor, and straighten your right leg, simultaneously lifting the left leg parallel (or a little above parallel) to the floor. Extend actively through the left heel to keep the raised leg strong. Be careful not to lock (and so hyperextend) the standing knee: make sure the kneecap is aligned straight forward and isn? turned inward.

Rotate your upper torso to the left, but keep the left hip moving slightly forward. Most beginners should keep the left hand on the left hip and the head in a neutral position, gazing forward.

Bear the body? weight mostly on the standing leg. Press the lower hand lightly to the floor, using it to intelligently regulate your balance. Lift the inner ankle of the standing foot strongly upward, as if drawing energy from the floor into the standing groin. Press the sacrum and scapulas firmly against the back torso, and lengthen the coccyx toward the raised heel.

Stay in this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then lower the raised leg to the floor with an exhalation, and return to Trikonasana. Then perform the pose to the left for the same length of time.

Ardha Bhekasana

Step by Step

Lie on your belly. Press your forearms against the floor and lift your head and upper torso.

Bend your right knee and bring the heel toward the same-side buttock. Then, supporting yourself on the left forearm, reach back with your right hand and clasp the inside of your foot. As you slowly rotate your elbow toward the ceiling, slide your fingers over the top of the foot and curl them over the toe tips. The base of your palm should be pressing the top of the foot.

To start press your foot toward the buttock; after a while, if you have the flexibility, take the foot slightly off to the side and press it toward the floor. Be sure to keep your knee in line with your hip. Don’t push your foot too hard if it hurts your knee.

Square your shoulders with the front of the mat and don’t collapse into your left shoulder. Instead, press down with your elbow to lift your chest.

Do Half Bhekasana on each side for the same length of time, 30 seconds to two minutes. Once your thighs and groins open enough, you can try the full pose-both legs at the same time.

Anjaneyasana

Step by Step

From Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), exhale and step your right foot forward between your hands, aligning the right knee over the heel. Then lower your left knee to the floor and, keeping the right knee fixed in place, slide the left back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the left front thigh and groin. Turn the top of your left foot to the floor.

Inhale and lift your torso to upright. As you do, sweep your arms out to the sides and up, perpendicular to the floor. Draw the tailbone down toward the floor and lift your pubic bone toward your navel. Lift your chest from the firmness of your shoulder blades against the back torso.

Take your head back and look up, being careful not to jam the back of your neck. Reach your pinkies toward the ceiling. Hold for a minute, exhale your torso back to the right thigh and your hands to the floor, and turn your back toes under. With another exhale, lift your left knee off the floor and step back to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Repeat with the left foot forward for the same length of time.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Like its inverted cousins such as Forearm Balance and Headstand, a major obstacle to Handstand is a natural fear of falling. So the basic pose will be described with the heels supported against a wall. Make sure that there are no hanging pictures or other decorations on the wall directly above you.

(ah-doh moo-kah vriks-SHAHS-anna) adho mukha = face
downward (adho = downward; mukha = face)
vrksa = tree

Step by Step

Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) with your fingertips an inch or two away from a wall, hands shoulder-width. If your shoulders are tight, turn your index fingers out slightly; otherwise arrange them parallel to each other. If you?e uneasy about this pose, you?e not alone. To ready yourself for and secure yourself in this inversion, firm your shoulder blades against your back torso and pull them toward your tailbone. Then rotate your upper arms outward, to keep the shoulder blades broad, and hug your outer arms inward. Finally spread your palms and press the bases of the index fingers firmly against the floor.

Now bend one knee and step the foot in, closer to the wall (we?l say it? the left leg), but keep the other (i.e. right) leg active by extending through the heel. Then take a few practice hops before you try to launch yourself upside down. Sweep your right leg through a wide arc toward the wall and kick your left foot off the floor, immediately pushing through the heel to straighten the left knee. As both legs come off the ground, engage your deep core abdominal muscles to help lift your hips over your shoulders. Hop up and down like this several times, each time pushing off the floor a little higher. Exhale deeply each time you hop.

Hopping up and down like this may be all you can manage for now. Regularly practice strengthening poses, like Adho Mukha Svanasana and Plank Pose. Eventually you?l be able to kick all the way into the pose. At first your heels may crash into the wall, but again with more practice you?l be able to swing your heels up lightly to the wall.

If your armpits and groins are tight, your lower back may be deeply arched. To lengthen this area, draw your front ribs into your torso, reach your tailbone toward your heels, and slide your heels higher up the wall. Squeeze the outer legs together and roll the thighs in. Hang your head from a spot between your shoulder blades and gaze out into the center of the room.

To start stay in the pose 10 to 15 seconds, breathing deeply. Gradually work your way up to 1 minute. When you come down, be sure not to sink onto the shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades lifted and broad, and take one foot down at a time, each time with an exhalation. Stand in Uttanasana for 30 seconds to 1 minute. We tend to kick up with the same leg all the time: be sure to alternate your kicking leg, one day right, next day left.

Anjali Mudra

(ON-jol-ly MOO-drah)

anjali = a gesture of reverence, benediction, salutation (from anj, “to honor, celebrate”)
mudra = seal (The gesture “seals” energy in the body and “seals” your relationship with the Divine.)
This gesture is also known as Hrdayanjali Mudra (pronounced hri-DIE-ahn-jah-lee, hrd = heart), the Reverence to the Heart Seal, or Atmanjali Mudra (OT-mon-JAH-lee, atman = self, derived variously from an, “to breathe,” at, “to move,” or va, “to blow”), Reverence to the Self Seal

Step by Step

Sit comfortably in Siddhasana (as shown) or stand in Tadasana. Inhale and bring your palms together. Rest the thumbs lightly on your sternum.

Press the hands firmly but evenly against each other. Make sure that one hand (usually your right hand if you are right-handed, your left if left-handed) doesn’t dominate the other. If you find such imbalance, release the dominant hand slightly but don’t increase the pressure of the non-dominant hand.

Bow your head slightly, drawing the crease of the neck toward the center of your head. Lift your sternum into your thumbs and lengthen down along the back of the armpits, making the back elbows heavy.

Practicing Anjali Mudra is an excellent way to induce a meditative state of awareness. Start your practice sitting in meditation in Anjali Mudra for 5 minutes. You can also use this hand position in Tadasana prior to beginning the Sun Salutation sequence, contemplating the “sun” or light of awareness the yogis say is resident in your heart.

THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2008

EVOLUTION Bodywork & Nutrition, a Bristol based wellness center, today announced they will be hosting “Inside Out” a one-day intensive Pelvic Floor Workshop for health and fitness practitioners. This workshop will be taught by Pilates expert Kelly Kane, owner of NYC based The Kane School of Core Integration, on November 15, 2008, 10 AM – 5 PM.

Health and fitness practitioners that will benefit by attending this workshop include; Personal Trainers, Pilates Instructors, OBGYNS, Nurse Practitioners, Midwives, Physical Therapists - any health or fitness professional with clients who are looking to reduce; postpartum vaginal stretching, prevent age-related vaginal atrophy, improve urinary incontinence, lower back problems, hip joint pain, SI joint pain and neck problems.

“We are thrilled to have Kelly come to Evolution. She’s recognized as a leading authority on the pelvic floor, she lectures and trains health practitioners worldwide on the importance of the Pelvic floor and how to strengthen this group of muscles. Most people don’t realize that the Pelvic Floor is the foundation for movement, balance, stability and flexibility.” said Jen Morin, Pilates / Corporate Fitness Director, EVOLUTION bodywork & nutrition.

Pelvic Floor disorders affect one in three women, according to a 4,000-person Kaiser Permanente study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Other research shows that at least 11% of women end up having surgery for a pelvic floor disorder. Specific exercises can do much to rehabilitate the pelvic floor muscles through non-surgical interventions, using the same principles of exercise, tissue mobilization and rehabilitation as applied to any other area of the body.

At the end of this seminar participants will be able to:
1. Develop an increased awareness of the pelvic floor
2. Integrate full body movement with the pelvic floor
3. Work on creating strength, flexibility and coordination of the pelvic floor
4. Integrate use of the pelvic floor to assist in functional
movements such as; going from sitting to standing, going upstairs, lifting and more
5. Teach patients and clients to integrate their pelvic floor to reduce stress and strain on the lower back, the hips and the knees through improved pelvic floor coordination

Registration Space is limited to 20. Register by 5pm Fri. 10/24 Save $40! Pay $180
Date: Sat. November 15th
Time: 10am – 5pm
Cost: $220 Register
online: www.evolutionri.com/pelvicfloor
Questions and additional information: Contact Jen Morin 401-396-9331 or jen@evolutionri.com

Bakasana

(bahk-AHS-anna)
baka = crane

Step by Step

Squat down from Tadasana with your inner feet a few inches apart. If it isn’t possible to keep your heels on the floor, support them on a thickly folded blanket. Separate your knees wider than your hips and lean the torso forward, between the inner thighs. Stretch your arms forward, then bend your elbows, place your hands on the floor and the backs of the upper arms against the shins.

Snuggle your inner thighs against the sides of your torso, and your shins into your armpits, and slide the upper arms down as low onto the shins as possible. Lift up onto the balls of your feet and lean forward even more, taking the weight of your torso onto the backs of the upper arms. In Bakasana you consciously attempt to contract your front torso and round your back completely. To help yourself do this, keep your tailbone as close to your heels as possible.

With an exhalation, lean forward even more onto the backs of your upper arms, to the point where the balls of your feet leave the floor. Now your torso and legs are balanced on the backs of your upper arms. As a beginner at this pose, you might want to stop here, perched securely on the bent arms.

But if you are ready to go further, squeeze the legs against the arms, press the inner hands firmly to the floor and (with an inhalation) straighten the elbows. Seen from the side the arms are angled slightly forward relative to the floor. The inner knees should be glued to the outer arms, high up near the armpits. Keep the head in a neutral position with your eyes looking at the floor, or lift the head slightly, without compressing the back of the neck, and look forward.

Stay in the pose anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 minute. To release, exhale and slowly lower your feet to the floor, back into a squat.

WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2008

With the publication of its 3rd issue, International Yogalayam announces the official launch of their distinctive new yoga e-zine, The Yoga News. This monthly electronic publication features current yoga-related news stories, yoga articles and special interest pieces, along with commentary on current issues of interest to the global yoga community.

The Yoga News is a free monthly yoga magazine of particular interest to both yoga teachers and yoga enthusiasts. Already, The Yoga News has received praise from its global readership for filling a need for impartial, non-affiliated commentary on important issues surrounding the profession and practice of yoga.

For instance, the inaugural issue of The Yoga News (July, 2008) featured an investigation into the formation of the Indian Yoga Association (IYA), an important development for the construction of global yoga teaching standards from the birthplace of yoga itself. The most recent September 2008 issue featured an exploration of the growing controversy surrounding the modern trend of yoga competitions, as well as the movement to get yoga selected as an Olympic sport.

The Yoga News also features articles that delve into the philosophy of yoga in a refreshing, yet practical and meaningful way. Features that explore various aspects of the ancient culture of India, and their importance to the modern yoga community are also a regular part of this inspirational new yoga e-zine.

In The Yoga News, International Yogalayam is setting a new standard of editorial in the yoga world with the publication of articles that reach beyond the typical, physical exercise culture of yoga, to address many other dimensions of its practice, while at the same time examining issues that impact the global yoga community as a whole.

For more information about The Yoga News, or to subscribe for free, visit: http://www.discover-yoga-online.com/yoga-news.html

WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2008

Just launched with a huge success in the bustling city of Hong Kong, Chakra Ma Jewelry for Sacred Living is yoga jewelry for healing, transformation and joy.

Chakra Ma jewelry is wearable inspiration with a conscious intention: each Chakra Ma jewelry piece is specifically designed to open and bring into balance particular chakras in the body. Chakras are the major energy centers that receive, assimilate, and express energy along our physical and subtle body. An imbalance in a particular chakra can manifest as a mental, emotional or physical ailment. During our yoga practice and everyday lives, we strive to balance all the chakras in our bodies to achieve a healthy mind, body and spirit.

Each chakra has a corresponding sacred symbol and gemstone which can help balance the physical and emotional aspects of that chakra, bringing harmony, health and healing. We have designed beautiful jewelry that fuses the energy of chakra gemstones and the sacred chakra symbol into wearable inspiration as a way to extend your yoga practice and balance your chakras.

Chakra Ma is not just jewelry; it is a way to experience sacred living through the intention and energy of the chakra symbols and the healing light in the crystals and gemstones. Chakra Ma offers beautiful yoga jewelry that we may wear as reminders of who we truly are, what we desire to feel, what we are able to share and where we are going.

Accompanying the new yoga jewelry line is a new website where you can purchase the jewelry, www.chakrama.com which offers extensive information on the chakra system as well as kundalini classes, retreats, and workshops. Also included are yoga recipes for healthy mind, body and spirit.

Yoga Jewelry for Sacred Living, includes information on yoga, kundalini yoga classes, retreats, workshops, chakras, and yoga directory

Anantasana

Step by Step

Lie on the floor on your right. Press actively through your right heel, flex the ankle, and use the outside of the foot to stabilize the position (if you still feel unstable, brace your soles against the wall.)

Stretch your right arm straight out along the floor parallel to your torso, so that you create one long line from the heels to your finger tips. Bend your right elbow and support your head in your palm. Slide the elbow away from your torso to stretch the armpit.

Externally rotate your left leg so the toes point toward the ceiling, then bend and draw the knee toward your torso. Reach across the inside of the leg and take hold of the left big toe with your index and middle fingers. Secure the grip by wrapping the thumb around the two fingers. (If you’re not able to comfortably hold the toe, loop a strap around the sole and hold the strap.) On an inhale, extend the leg up toward the ceiling.

The raised leg will likely angle slightly forward, while the top buttock will drop back. Firm the sacrum against the pelvis; this creates a kind of fulcrum that will help you move the leg slightly back toward a perpendicular position.

Press actively through both heels. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release the leg, take a few breaths, and roll over onto your left side. Repeat for the same length of time.