Have a Seat! Yoga for a comfortable meditation.

Here's a little practice to help prepare you for seated meditation - its helps to open the hips for a more comfortable seat and strengthen your core for an easier seat.  While a comfortable seat is this practice's intended purpose, you will find it supports you well in everyday activities and improves your circulation, too.  We did this practice last night in my Yoga and Meditation class followed by a 20 minute sit with the mantra meditation "I am".  This mantra is a affirmation and a question, taking your mind and ego closer to knowing your true self.  Give it a try!

Keep Your Hamstrings Happy with this Yoga Practice

Ah, our hams, too tight, too loose, pulled, they always seem to be on our mind in class.  In the following sequence, that is entirely appropriate! This sequence is all about finding and exploring your hamstrings... inner, outer and middle; at the SITZ bone attachment and at the attachments below the knee, as well as their relationship to the surrounding msuculature.  I hope it helps you gain a greater awareness and greater friendship with them :-)

Start with any warm ups you like and remember to work gently, especially at first, both when engaging and stretching and especially when you do both at once.  While the stretch and/or strengthen or explore indicated may not be all that it happening in the pose, it is to give you a focus when working with the hams in the pose.

Downward Facing Dog - Stretch
Lunge - Stretch
Side Angle - Stretch and Strengthen
3 Legged Dog - Stretch and Strengthen
Plank - Strengthen
Lunge - Strengthen
Triangle - Stretch and Strengthen
Reverse Warrior - Strengthen
Intense Side Stretch - Stretch and Strengthen
Hero -Explore relationship to surrounding muscles
Girl in the Poodle Skirt Twist (Deer Pose) - feet wide, take knees to one side, sit upright dropping SITZ bones - explore relationship to surrounding muscles
1/2 seated wide angle forward fold - Stretch
Twisting Wide Angle Forward Fold - Stretch and Strengthen
Wide Angle Forward Fold - Strengthen
Wide Angle Upward Plank - Strengthen
Child - Rest

Deep hip opening class

By request, here is (more or less :-) the sequence from last Sunday's Intermediate Yoga class at Yoga del Sol.  All about relaxing, opening and accessing some of the toughest, most avoided parts of our bodies - pelvic floor, short adductors (upper inner thighs) and inner hamstrings.  It also give a deep general hip opening. If wide legged poses are challenging for you, if you feel restricted in forward bends but aren't sure why, or if you have tight hips, this could be a great exploration for you.

Take this sequence slow, keeping an observing awareness deep in your hips and groin.  Look for any sensation of breath in your hips and groin.  Take breaks to just feel after anything that might have been intense or altering. Any questions, just ask. Enjoy!

- Legs up the Wall Pose 10 minutes (a sandbag on the soles of the feet can be lovely here)
- Savasana with belly breathing with a sandbag laid across the upper thighs, moving into Dirgha and maintaining Dirgha for the remainder of your active practice
- Puvana Muktasana/Knee to chest - then take the knee toward the armpit
- mini-savasana
- Pelvic tilts
- Bridge Pose - rolling up and down
- Knees to chest, pointed toes <--> legs toward sky, flexed feet
- 1/2 Dead Bug Pose <--> straight leg reclining twist (here's a video link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=00lB10oATck - thanks to the folks at - Yoga Tune Up for the great little vinyasa!)
- mini-savasana
- Reclining Hip Circles with weight (here's a video link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iQv0IuYKNUc - thanks again to the folks a Yoga Tune Up for this fun move!)
- Baddha Konasana - no fold, just lengthen spine with feet as close to bottom as possible
- Cat/Dog
- Toes Tucked Child's Pose
- Shins down Upward Facing Dog
- 1/2 reclining hero (or hero)
- Deep Wide Legged Utkatasana
- Mountain Pose
- Side Angle Pose (feet wider than usual.  Looking for the stretch in the BACK inner thigh)
- Uttanasana with knees slightly bent
- Goddess Pose
- 1/2 Wide Legged Forward Fold (back parallel to floor, knees slightly bent)
- Wide Legged Forward Fold
- Triangle
- Malasana (deep squat squeezing inner thighs into sides of torso)
- Reclining Hero or Hero
- Shins down Upward Facing Dog
- Child's Pose
- mini-savasana
- Bridge Pose
- Dead Bug
- Anything else you'd like
- Savasana :-)
- Pranayama Meditation - use your inhale to fill entire torso pelvic floor to soft palate, use your exhale to completely empty while keeping your spine long

Massage your Upper Back with this Bridge Pose variation

Here's a great pose to add in to your practice when that upper back feels tight - it gets right into those rhomboids! I learned this variation of Bridge Pose from Gary Krafstow years ago and its still one of my favorites.  He calls it Dvi Pada Pithum, the 2-footed posture.  I think this is a great way to think of it because it reminds us that our base is still our two feet.  This helps to keep weight in the feet, work in the legs and avoids too much pressure into the shoulders, upper back and neck.

Dvi Pada Pithum.
Hips up, shoulders down

Dvi Pada Pithum.
Hips down, shoulders up

Dvi Pada Pithum. In transit

Lie on your back, soles on the floor hip width apart, knees bent.  Bring your arms up toward the sky and interlace your fingers, palms moving together.

On your inhale, press down with your straight arms and your feet rolling your hips and back upward.  The shoulders are pressed into the floor by your straight arms.

On your exhale, roll your back down as you lift your hands toward the sky thus lifting your shoulders. No need to lift your head.

Each breath's actions are simultaneous not one at a time. So, as you inhale, its hips rising and shoulders pressing down. As you exhale, its back rolling down as the shoulders lift.

As with all bridge pose variations, you want no pressure on your spine or in your neck, this is a sign you are going too far.

If you have been experiencing discomfort in your upper back and shoulders for a while, especially if you have that awful stabbing pain between your shoulder blades, follow Dvi Pada Pithum with supported fish to really help release the upper back muscles and open your chest.  Deep breaths to feed muscles and relaxation :-)