ASANA ARTICLE
Out of all the wonderful yoga poses, I picked 3 of my favourites for this asana assignement. These 3 asanas bring me focus, fun, challenge and most of all they connect my mind and body, each in a different way. I feel grounded. Now, let me personally introduce you to my beloved asanas!
Trikonasana (Triangle pose)
A standing twist, in Vinyasa yoga commonly used in a sequence with Warriors and developed into Half Moon pose. It requires balance, focus, twist and strength and you are using your full body. Alignment is key: if the feet are not aligned properly, or when the hips turn out, Trikonasas great benefits are not there. And the best part of the Triangle pose is that everybody can do it; no matter your level. Just adjust the bend and the placement of the hand. As long as the alignment is practised correctly, one can experience Trikonasanas benefits. Opening the chest more and more, get deeper into the pose with every exhale, bringing the kidney more up to the sky. Just open your heart, breathe, and feel it!
If you think Trikonasa is just a twist – it’s way more than that. While twisting, you are engaging your abs, glutes, your whole legs, arms, shoulders. The tummy is squeezed, which gives a nice detoxifying to the internal organs. The whole spine is both lengthening and twisting – hernias and lower back problems? High blood pressure? Please be careful and listen to your teacher – which creates more space between the verdebreas. At the same time, your shoulders and arms are strengthening, your chest is opening and your longs are totally filling with fresh energy.
As a yoga teacher, Trikonasana is an opportunity to make your students feel the difference in alignment. “Visualise yourself between two walls” – and they will try to modify their hips accordingly. Once they are in the final pose, try to help them with hands-on adjustments: put your hands under the ribcage and see if your subtle touch makes them turn the kidhey more up to the sky, open the chest and shoulders even more. A very welcome help!
Sirsana (Headstand)
I’m a great fan of inversions anyway.. but this one really makes me feel alive.
It takes some time to make it up to the sky, but once you are there you realise that it’s all about what you learned on that way up! Forget the little jumps to get your legs up, this is your core and shoulders. Balance, concentration, alignment and strength are key. Practise Dolphin pose a million times before you go into Sirsasana and work with leg raises for a strong core. And once you feel that you’re ready, put your head between your hands and make sure your shoulders are broad and strong, as they will carry your full body weight. With the strength of your abs and back, squeeze your legs together and bring them up. And lengthen, as if you are reaching for the stars with your toes.
And there is it: that moment you feel the blood circulation changing. Your feet start to feel light, all of your blood is heading downwards. See if you can close your eyes.. Your body needs to work a little harder to keep the balance but it will make you feel like the King of the World.
Sirsasana is a no-go for high blood pressure. With a herniated disc, Sirsana was a blessing for me. Instead of compression – what most people think – it just brings me lengthening in the spine. You are upside down working on your posture, think about that. What if we would take a picture now and turn it 180 degrees; would it look as if you are standing up straight..?
I remember my first headstand as if it was yesterday. That balance, that strenght, what an achievement, I just did it! And I know a lot of students are dying to do a headstand (and put it on Instagram). As a teacher, help them on their way up, make them feel save and they will cherish it forever. Upside down puts things in a whole new perspective
Bakasana (Crane pose)
After many years of sports on a professional level, running, weights and HIT trainings, it was time to listen to my body. I had no choice, a herniated disc is something serious and it caused a horrible pain. Months without my beloved trainings, just some walking. It took me a while to get to a certain level, where I was able to work on strengthening my body without pain. But not in the way I did before – no – in a way where I had to connect mind and body. Because Bakasana is never going to work if you only use strength.
It all starts with grounding your hands; you spread the fingers and feel the full bodyweight into your two hands. At the same time you feel as light as a bird in the sky. Balance is the key, as well as alignment and strength.
Now focus.. Put both the knees in your armpits, strenghten and straigthen the arms, gaze to the front of your mat, use your abs and shoulders to get your sitting bones up to the sky. There you go! As a teacher, make your students feel confident. Giving them the right ques is 1 thing, but the encourage the put your full weight in your hands and not fall is another.
This pose is not for everybody. If you have high blood pressure, stay with Hindi squat. Pregnant women? Please be safe and stay away from Bakasana. Shoulderor wrist injuries? Just put your hands on the floor, bring your knees towards your elbows (for Kakasana) and put some weight into the hands. See what works for you today – maybe one leg up – and day by day you will get further into the pose.
What a bless this is! I could feel the power in my arms, my shoulders, my whole body. I could feel what your body needs to keep the balance. Who’d have thought that balance and strength go so well together? Well not me, but I’m grateful for the moment I experienced it. From here, I played around and found the way from Bakasana to Tripod and back to Bakasana. Or – a bit more advanced and requiring even more focus – to Side Crow or jumping back into Chaturanga (loved that the first time I practised this in my Ashtanga class!). If your boyfriend thinks yoga is just some stretching in colourful tights.. bring him to the class and ask him to practise Bakasana