But what a fantastic feeling to break through the procrastination wall and be on the other side that is full of motivation and purpose and forward movement! How did I get here? No idea. Well, small little pushes and shoves from my self and others. Not sure what the magic formula was exactly but I'm not going to analyze it in case it disappears under scrutiny.
So let's get to the point. Here is a Pose/Sequence Focus Post!
I want to begin with one of the most common and popular poses in yoga. Warrior! In this day and age of sitting on couches watching tv, sitting at desks writing and reading blogs, sitting in the car on roads packed with more cars we desperately need some warrior spirit to kick us into gear. Warrior II in particular is such a powerful pose to me that it is the best for invoking a warrior attitude - a can-do attitude - a WILL-do attitude. As you may or may not know my motto is Never Stop Moving. Stolen from the great Luigi actually. He coined this motto. A jazz dancer who nearly lost his ability to walk when hit by a car, but trained himself to dance again and teach others to dance. How warrior is that right?
Warrior II strengthens the legs from top to bottom, opens the hips, relieves issues related to the lower back (such as sciatica) opens the chest and energizes the whole self.
How does this pose do so much?
When you set up for Warrior II you are standing very wide with one foot pointing to the top of your mat and the other foot pointing to the long edge of your mat. The leg that has the toe pointing to the top of the mat is the leg that bends to 90 degrees (ideally). The bent knee should be directly over the ankle joint and not over the toes, going beyond the ankle joint will put too much pressure on the knee joint. The back leg is long and straight.
The spine is directly vertically above the pelvis. If the hips are tight the body has a tendency to lean forward. To correct this imagine your pelvis is a bowl full of water that you are not allowed to spill.
The arms are extended out to either side of your body with palms facing down to the floor.
As you hold Warrior II for about five full breaths, use imagery to engage your body on a deeper level. Imagine your thighs are wrapping up, back and around the leg bones - this alone will make sure to activate the outer hip rotator muscles which includes the glutes! Next imagine your pelvis is heavy and dropping towards the floor (while still keeping the "bowl of water" level) and at the same time imagine your head is floating up to the ceiling. This imagery helps to create space in the vertebral joints of the spine which will alleviate issues that affect the lower back. Finally, imagine your fingertips are being pulled in opposite directions to further stabilize the rotator cuff muscles (surrounding the shoulder joint) and open the chest.
Once you have arrived in your Warrior II, pay attention to your breath and pay attention to your mind! This is where cultivation of will power enters the practice. Your mind may start to tell you things like - that's enough, my legs are starting to get tired, the stretch is getting intense. As long as you are still breathing you are okay. There is no need to react to those thoughts. A warrior fights for what is right. You can fight for your willpower to go beyond what you think you are capable of and come through the other side with a sense of accomplishment.
Don't forget that your pose is YOURS as well. If you want to come in and out and test the waters first, go ahead! If you want to challenge yourself and add a variation like Sun Warrior, also go ahead! Add dynamic movement by inhaling into sun warrior and exhaling back to warrior two etc. Explore your inner warrior!
I want to begin with one of the most common and popular poses in yoga. Warrior! In this day and age of sitting on couches watching tv, sitting at desks writing and reading blogs, sitting in the car on roads packed with more cars we desperately need some warrior spirit to kick us into gear. Warrior II in particular is such a powerful pose to me that it is the best for invoking a warrior attitude - a can-do attitude - a WILL-do attitude. As you may or may not know my motto is Never Stop Moving. Stolen from the great Luigi actually. He coined this motto. A jazz dancer who nearly lost his ability to walk when hit by a car, but trained himself to dance again and teach others to dance. How warrior is that right?
Warrior II strengthens the legs from top to bottom, opens the hips, relieves issues related to the lower back (such as sciatica) opens the chest and energizes the whole self.
How does this pose do so much?
When you set up for Warrior II you are standing very wide with one foot pointing to the top of your mat and the other foot pointing to the long edge of your mat. The leg that has the toe pointing to the top of the mat is the leg that bends to 90 degrees (ideally). The bent knee should be directly over the ankle joint and not over the toes, going beyond the ankle joint will put too much pressure on the knee joint. The back leg is long and straight.
The spine is directly vertically above the pelvis. If the hips are tight the body has a tendency to lean forward. To correct this imagine your pelvis is a bowl full of water that you are not allowed to spill.
The arms are extended out to either side of your body with palms facing down to the floor.
As you hold Warrior II for about five full breaths, use imagery to engage your body on a deeper level. Imagine your thighs are wrapping up, back and around the leg bones - this alone will make sure to activate the outer hip rotator muscles which includes the glutes! Next imagine your pelvis is heavy and dropping towards the floor (while still keeping the "bowl of water" level) and at the same time imagine your head is floating up to the ceiling. This imagery helps to create space in the vertebral joints of the spine which will alleviate issues that affect the lower back. Finally, imagine your fingertips are being pulled in opposite directions to further stabilize the rotator cuff muscles (surrounding the shoulder joint) and open the chest.
Once you have arrived in your Warrior II, pay attention to your breath and pay attention to your mind! This is where cultivation of will power enters the practice. Your mind may start to tell you things like - that's enough, my legs are starting to get tired, the stretch is getting intense. As long as you are still breathing you are okay. There is no need to react to those thoughts. A warrior fights for what is right. You can fight for your willpower to go beyond what you think you are capable of and come through the other side with a sense of accomplishment.Don't forget that your pose is YOURS as well. If you want to come in and out and test the waters first, go ahead! If you want to challenge yourself and add a variation like Sun Warrior, also go ahead! Add dynamic movement by inhaling into sun warrior and exhaling back to warrior two etc. Explore your inner warrior!
