I rarely practiced Kurmasana till it was introduced during the course; this pose enables the practitioner to embrace stillness and overcome resistance when settled into the pose comfortably. However, it requires considerable flexibility in the hip flexors, shoulders and hamstrings while regulating the breath.

Consequently, it’s critical to warm up the body before executing the pose. To prepare for Kurmasana pose, these other poses (while not exhaustive) can help build flexibility in the key areas and therefore be considered as part of the warm up……

1. Flexibility in hip flexors…….Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Supta Purna Titli
2. Flexibility in shoulders……..Closed arm stretches, wall angel poses
3. Flexibility in hamstrings……Supta Padangustansana, Uttanasana, Upavistha Konasana

I certainly hope to execute this pose well, after a better appreciation of the key areas involved. Definitely looking forward to improve the practice of this pose.  

Margaret GHIN

March 2018 200 Hr Weekend YTT 

My appreciation of the hip flexors while practicing the downward facing dog pose was enhanced during the first weekend class. In the past, there was somewhat “unconscious ignorance” of the hip flexors (inner hip muscles or ilipsoas) “activation” while executing the pose. Consequently, I felt significant body weight on my hands which could sometimes be uncomfortable. Learning the “trick”  to “activate” the hip flexors, I was able to effectively transfer some body weight from my hands to my feet and felt “lighter and more comfortable holding this pose considerably longer.

So, why does it matter to stay (reasonable time) in this pose ? In my opinion, there are several benefits and these include (not limited to)…

a) It enables the practitioner to enjoy the pose and to regulate the breathing (one could practice Ujjayi breath to enhance the benefits)

b) It is a milder inversion pose for practitioner who may not have head/hand stands in their practice and where the heart is above the head, it encourages blood circulation and serves to both energize and calm the body.  

One easy tip to “wake up/activate” the hip flexors while practicing the pose is to firmly press a towel between the hip flexors and abdomen. This is definitely a great way to “hi-grade” the practice for the pose.

Margaret GHIN

March 2018 200 Hr Weekend YTT

This Asana is one of the first ones which a Yoga beginner will practice as it has a high importance in the sun salutations.

When you translate the word “Uttanasana” to English, it can be translated with “standing forward bend”. In my opinion, it’s more than only a forward bend, it’s a powerful stretch as well.

Before you start with this Asana, you need to warm up. The warming up includes almost all parts of your body. Shoulder, spine, hip, knee, pelvis, hamstring and calves are included. You can’t do this Asana with a full stomach, be sure that your stomach and bowels are empty before you start. Uttanasana has some interesting benefits as it heals and rejuvenates your body. The reason is that the head is below your heart and therefore, this pose improves the blood circulation in your head. As a result, more oxygen reaches your cells.

At the beginning, you have to be in a standing position. During the inhale, you raise your arms up to the ceiling. Actually, you don’t have to raise up your arms but I think it helps to get a fluent and good bending. During the exhale, you have to bend forward – folding from your hips. Bring your belly as close as possible to your tights, your chest to your knees and your head to your lower legs. Look between your lower legs. You can bring your arms down on the floor, next to your feet.

Till now, you can already make a lot of mistakes. First, it’s really important that you bend your hips as much as possible and that you tilt your pelvis forward and avoid rounding of the lower back. Your buttocks have to point up to the ceiling by moving your hips by tensing your hip flexor. If the stretch in your hamstring is too much, you should bend your knees slightly more. Generally, the knees aren’t locked but gently bended. The stretching of your hamstring will be one of the most influencing parameters. Don’t forget your calves – you will feel a stretch as well.

If you have done all these elements of this Asana well, the next challenge will be to find the balance. If your weight is too much backward, you won’t bend your upper body as much as possible. If your weight is too much forward, you will get imbalanced. Therefore, bend your toes and press them into the ground. You have to shift weight on the balls of your feet and not on your heels. You will see how much more bending is possible, if you will consider this.

Contraindications or take care if you have a lower back injury, a tear in the hamstrings, a sciatica or problems with your eyes like glaucoma.

If this Asana is too difficult, you can adapt it in some ways. Bend your knees when your hamstring-stretch is too intensive or put your hands on the wall (instead of on the floor) and bring them parallel to the floor when someone has a back injury.

This Asana can help to stretch your back, hips, calves and hamstrings, reduce headache, massage the digestive organs, improve the digestion and strengthen the thighs and knees.  

This Asana seems to be easy but it’s a big job for your body.

Sylvana F., YTT Jan. 2018

Today, is the 31^st of January, and the world will get to witness a rare astronomical event, where the lunar eclipse, blue moon, and supermoon, will occur simultaneously. This has inspired me to find out more about the half moon pose, Ardha Chandrasana.

How to perform the Ardha Chandrasana

1. Transition from Utthita Trikonasana (right). Shift your weight to your right leg, and slowly slide your left leg closer.
2. Ground your right heel firmly onto the ground, and straighten your right leg. Place your right hand on the ground, simultaneouslylifting the left leg parallel to the floor. Actively engage your core, glutes, and legs.
3. Rotate upper torso to the left, and bring the left arm up, fingers pointing to the ceiling. Gaze on your left thumb.

Preparatory poses

– Warrior 1

– Side angle stretch

– Utthita trikonasana

Options/ modifications:

– Use a block under downward arm

– Gaze forward and kept the head in a neutral position

– Practice the pose against the wall

Common mistakes

– Bottom hand too close to leg

– Locking the knee of the standing leg

– Not engaging the top leg

– Collapsing the chest, causing the spine to round

Benefits

– Strengthens: ankles, legs, glutes, spine, core

– Stretches: calves, hamstrings, chest, groin, spine

– Improve balance and coordination

– relieves stress, indigestion, fatigue, and menstrual cramps

Contraindications and Cautions

– Neck problems (keep head in neutral position)

– Headaches

– Low blood pressure

– Diarrhea

Cassandra Mai  YTTC200 – January 2018

Sirsasana, or Headstand is typically performed near the end of a practice session when the entire body has warmed up and helps refocusing, clears congestion, improves circulation and resets the nervous system.

I felt very intimidated when i saw the demonstration of Headstand in the first week of class. I never tried doing any inversions before joining YTT and honestly thought this was not available to me. The three main components of Headstand are strength, balance, elimination of fear. I am lucky that my body is naturally strong. I managed to work on the other two, balance and elimination of fear, by slowly introducing more and more preparatory poses to my daily routine, going into the final pose step by step.

Try the following routine to increase strength in the arms and shoulders, train muscle memory and improve the body’s ability to being inverted. If you are regular with your practice, after just a few days or weeks, miracles will happen.

1. Strengthen your arms/core:
– Practice Downward Facing Dog, High Plank, Low Plank (Chaturanga Dandasana), Dolphin pose, Dolphin Plank. Hold: 30 sec to a minute in each pose.
– Practice transitions: Downward Facing Dog –> High Plank (10 times), High plank –> Low plank (10 times), High plank –> Forearm plank (10 times), Forearm Plank –> Dolphin (10 times). Focusing on core, hip, and leg stability, engage your abdomen and hip flexors to fold, arms do not move.

2. Stretch your glutes, hamstrings, psoas muscles, this will help stabilize the Headstand later.
– Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), fold at the hips so that your torso comes to rest on your thighs. Work on firming your quads and engaging your hip flexors and abdomen to lengthen your hamstrings.
– Prasarita Padottanasana (wide-legged forward bend), hold for a while, and twist.
– Turning upside down : 3 legged downward dog,
– Activate your psoas muscles, leg up to 90° angle, 50 times.

3. Open your shoulders:
– Tadasana Gomukhasana (Standing Cow Face Pose):  extend and externaly rotate the upper arm and engage your legs.
– Garudasana arms: prepare your shoulder blades for the protraction that is required in Headstand.
– Vakrasana (Twisted Pose): helps opening the upper body to support you in Sirsasana

4. Headstand Preparation:
– L-shape handstand feet against the wall: all 3 benefits above, strengthens the arms, the core and opens the shoulders.
– Sit with the legs crossed, place the palms of the hands on top of the head. Gently press onto the region of the fontanel, directly in the center of the skull. At the same time, press upward into the hands with the head. Initiate this effort from the pelvis and up through the aligned column.
– From a kneeling position, interlace the fingers and place elbows down shoulder width apart. Place the crown of the head down on the floor, between the interlocked hands, with no pressure on the crown itself. Keeping length and strength in the neck, engage the forearms and shoulders and walk your feet as close as possible to your elbows. At this point, most of your body weight is centered over your shoulders.

5. One-legged headstand:
– From the previous pose, lift one foot off the mat without shifting too much more weight into the shoulders. Lift one foot up as far as you can, testing out what kind of core strength will be required to lift both feet up off the ground. Switch legs back and forth until you are comfortable lifting one leg off the mat while not compromising your head and neck safety.

6. Sirsasana*:
– From a kneeling position interlace the fingers and place elbows down shoulder width apart.
– Place the crown of the head down on the floor, lift the knees and walk the legs closer, shift the weight onto the shoulders. Do not crush the neck, depress the shoulder blades to keep them stable.
– Once you feel the legs become weightless, raise the legs up to form a straight vertical line, stay for a few breaths.
– Still in Sirsasana, fold at the hips, bring both legs parallel to the floor, stay for a few breaths.
– Come down to Balasana (Child’s pose) to rest. It’s important to follow Headstand with Child’s Pose in order to help decompress the neck, relieve muscular tension and re-acclimate the cardiovascular system, and provide you with a few moments of stillness to savor the effects of the inversion.

Inversions are challenging and take time, so allow the body time to build the strength and eliminate fear by adding the poses above into your regular practice with increasing frequency and duration. After a few weeks, your shoulders and core will be ready, with the strength and movement necessary for headstand. Eventually, you’ll feel secure and confident and not need the wall. Be grateful of where you are each day, don’t rush the process and remember, it is the journey that matters not the destination.

Marie, YTT200 (Sep’17-Weekend)

*Note: this pose may be hazardous, especially if you have any pathology in the cervical spine region.There are other effective alternatives that allow you to obtain many of the benefits of inversions while avoiding the dangers, example supported Setu Bandha.