Matsyasana, or fish pose, is traditionally known as the destroyer of all disease, and I mean, who are we to argue with that? I usually do this as a counterpose to shoulder stand, and breathe in it for at least 10 breaths. Benefits include a good stretch in the stomach, deep hip flexor muscles and the muscles between the ribs. Unless you're familiar with getting in and out of the pose, look for a full guide on how to do it first (I'll post one soon), as there is potential for neck and low back injuries.
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Thought of the Day: Start With This
Listen to Your Body
Lately, i've been under a bit of stress and I haven't done anything to alleviate it. I continued about my days ignoring how I was feeling. And yesterday, it kind of all came crashing down. I had a fever, chills, muscle aches, joint aches, and a massive headache as the cherry on top. I don't always grab the nearest pill but yesterday I had to- the headache alone was enough, never mind the other symptoms.
I spent the day in bed. The whole, entire day. Which gets boring after a few hours, at which point I spent maybe ten minutes tops stretching and then returned to bed. I read, I watched a movie, a caught up on terrible reality tv, and slept. It was a drag, to be honest, but it was what my body needed. And perhaps if I had listened to my body when I realized I was feeling stressed out, I wouldn't have become sick. New resolve: to listen to my body and respond asap.
Big News- Retreat in Prague!
This has been in the works since June and I am SO excited to finally share with you that two fitness instructor friends and I have teamed up to create a Girls' Getaway Weekend retreat at The Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa- a five star luxury hotel in the heart of Prague Jan 25-27th. The weekend will be packed with fitness classes, shopping in Prague, dips in the indoor pool and pampering at the spa! So excited! Check out the Girls' Getaway Weekend website and be sure to tell all your friends! Hope you'll meet us there!!
Breath Basics
It's National Yoga Month, so I thought I'd follow up FAQ Yoga Class Questions with something basic (yet difficult to remember)- the breath. When practicing yoga, the presence of the breath is vital. I mean it kind of seems funny that I say that, as yoga and the breath go hand in hand, but breathing consciously is not something we're used to, and thus, our breath gets away from us in practice more often than we'd care to admit. Here are a few key points to keep in mind during your practice:
1. The breath should initiate the physical movement. As you inhale, you move. Think of the breath as fuel for a car. You cannot go anywhere without the fuel.
2. The breath should be heard. In yoga, we practice ujjayi breathing. It is the sound you hear when you put a shell to your ear. It's audible, powerful, full and constant.
3. Make your inhales and exhales equal length. The tendency is to focus on the inhale, but the exhale is just as important and as powerful as the inhale. You inhale and get into a pose, exhale and go deeper into the pose.
4. Use your lungs. Ah, another thing that sounds sort of ridiculous seeing how we are always breathing, but tell me- how often do we actually think about using our lungs? Breathing is subconscious in our daily lives, and we therefore don't use our lungs the way that perhaps we should. If you focus right now, quickly, on how you're breathing, you may find that you're moving slightly up and down. Do your shoulders lift towards your ears slightly on the inhale? Focus on filling up the lungs in their entirety. Envision the ribcage and chest expand out instead of up.
Movement: Handstand
Lately I've been focusing on inversions. I started with handstands a few months ago. It was a slow progression, as I was dealing with some joint issues, but I've come such a long way which is really nice to see. Most recently, I've been working on getting into handstand by starting in downward dog, then jumping up with my feet together instead of kicking one over the other as I learned in gymnastics class as a kid. It requires a lot of core strength to get into handstand this way but after a few weeks of working on it, I finally was able to get up and hold myself up for a bit. Now I need to work on being a little more graceful ;) like minute 1:49 in this video. A lot of work to be done, but it's so rewarding. What have you been working on in your practice? Comment here or share a pic on our facebook page!